Jacinto 7 SMARC module for edge AI

New Products | September 29, 2023

By Nick Flaherty

Boards & Embedded Cards

congatec in Germany has launched a series of SMARC modules with the Texas Instruments Jacinto 7 TDA4x or DRA8x processors.

The industrial-grade Computer-on-Modules are aimed at high-performance AI edge applications with an ultra-low power (ULP) envelope featuring dual ARM Cortex-A72 processors, six ARM Cortex-R5F real time cores. AI accelerators, and 3D graphics.

The conga-STDA4 modules consuming 5 to 10 W for industrial mobile machinery that requires camera, radar, and lidar based near-field analytics, such as automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), as well as applications in construction and agricultural machinery. They are also suitable for any vision-focused industrial automation or medical solutions that require powerful and energy-efficient AI processing at the edge.

The SMARC modules come with two MIPI CSI camera inputs. The TDA4x processor based conga-STDA4 adds an Image Signal Processor (ISP), vision accelerators, and pre-trained AI models from the TI Model Zoo, allowing for a seamless start into AI-powered application development as well as a Robotic SDK.

The DRA8x variants offer a cost-efficient option without vision processing accelerators. Designed to withstand harsh industrial environments, both high-throughput module variants support the extended temperature range from -40 °C to +85 °C, as well as Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN), and cybersecurity measures.

“By integrating the powerful Texas Instruments Jacinto 7 TDA4x and TI DRA8x processors in our high-performance SMARC Module 2.1 ecosystem, congatec simplifies the design-in process for this advanced Arm Cortex-A72 based SoC technology,” said Martin Danzer, Director of Product Management at congatec.

“This allows vision-based situational awareness designers in various embedded industries to focus on their core competencies, saving upfront costs and reducing time to market, especially for industrial quantity production.”

Industrial OEMs, particularly those without time and financial resources for full custom designs, can benefit from the innovative SMARC high-performance ecosystem offered by congatec. It streamlines the design process while ensuring high design security and low non-recurring engineering (NRE) costs.

The module includes Deep-learning Matrix Multiply Accelerators (MMA) with up to 8 TOPS and C7x floating-point vector DSP with up to 80 GFLOPs for edge AI.

Exclusive to the Jacinto 7 TDA4VM variant are the Vision Processing Accelerators (VPAC) with Image Signal Processor (ISP) and multiple vision assist accelerators ensuring high-quality image processing and analysis. Common to both processor variants are the Depth and Motion Processing Accelerators (DMPAC) to enable accurate depth perception and motion tracking.

Graphics performance including GPGPU capabilities are enhanced with the integrated Graphics Accelerator 3D GPU PowerVR Rogue 8XE GE8430.

The modules support Linux, QNX, RTOS, and VxWorks and are available in the following standard configurations, with customization options available upon request.