To achieve the goal of 50 billion connected devices by 2025, we need a strong infrastructure with the right balance of technologies to provide a distinctive and productive experience for customers. The end user could be an individual or a system, such as a smart home management system that improves the security, energy efficiency, and productivity of an entire system.

NXP has recently announced the i.MX93 application processor family that focuses on security, energy efficiency, and the most essential technology – machine learning to define the future of the ecosystem of devices.

The i.MX9 application processor is designed for smart homes, buildings, industries, cities, and factory applications. It can also be used in consumer audio, fleet management, healthcare, energy applications, precision farming, and agriculture, where machine learning acceleration and low-power connectivity are necessary.

I.MX9 Processor integrates the Arm Ethos-U65 microNPU with a prominent level of security to provide secure, efficient, and fast machine learning at the edge. For example, in a voice-activated smart home system. To optimize energy efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of the i.MX9 series application processor, developers can use NXP’s Innovation Energy Flex Architecture to provide longer battery life.

i.MX93 Family

The i.MX93 family will be built in the 16/12 FinFET class of process technology. It has a diverse multi-core architecture with a real-time Cortex-M33 microcontroller system linked to all the peripheral SOCs, up to 1.7 GHz Arm Cortex-A55 application processors, and the 256 MACs/cycles of the Arm Ethos-U65 microNPU. The combination of this architecture makes the system capable of delivering power-efficient machine learning across a variety of applications, including battery-powered and compact IoT devices. It also supports a variety of automotive and industrial connectivity interface protocols, including a multimedia interface board, so it lowers the need for external hardware components.

The i.MX9 family builds up the capability of machine learning at the edge of performance-intensive systems where ML acceleration and power-efficient connectivity are required. It can also benefit transportation, Industry 4.0, and robotics with time-sensitive networking technology. The i.MX93 family product is going to enable advanced graphics, vision, and emerging technologies, transforming edge processing.

Making Edge Processing More Secure

In the i.MX93 family, the eIQ® software development environment enables machine learning development, including the eIQ toolkit. The GUI-based eIQ portal development environment and eIQ inference engine option will include the Arm Ethos-U65 microNPU as an interface target. To keep the edge devices secure for a longer period, NXP and Microsoft have partnered to provide a comprehensive chip-to-cloud security solution, ongoing updates, and security improvements with the “cloud-secured” i.MX93-CS family built with Microsoft Azure Sphere. On the edge Lock secure enclave, an Azure sphere with a Microsoft Pluton enabled i.MX93-CS processor is built. Pluton is a hardware root of thrust, which is built into silicon and enables the Azure Sphere security stack.

Key Technologies

Power efficiency

For many IoT devices, optimization of power and performance efficiency is becoming a design-in requirement. i.MX9 series processors are built with NXP’s energy flex architecture and focus on use cases for optimum power efficiency in critical requirements. In i.MX9 series application processor, fine-gained power control is built to optimize energy efficiency.

Edge-Aware

i.MX9 series is built thoroughly to develop inference per second and performance per watt, providing effective machine learning to enable next generation use cases in embedded systems, enhancing privacy, bandwidth, and latency.

Security

i.MX9 raises the security of the system with integrating advanced architecture that provides advanced threat protection, an Edge lock secure enclave, and modernized cryptographic protocol support.

Uses Cases

The Azure Sphere cloud service validates the authenticity and health of all connected devices to ensure their long-term security. OTA infrastructure is enabled to manage devices and software securely and update all devices’ applications quickly with a patch. The i.MX9 application processor anticipates, automates, and simplifies energy, transportation management, and public safety systems to make a city safer, smarter, and more livable.

It also helps to keep smart homes energy-efficient, connected, and entertaining. It enables secure systems with a wide range of integrated processing and acceleration innovations. In factory automation, the i.MX9 processor integrates various processing engines and industrial communication protocols for system management, enabling edge cloud.

eInfochips is developing a reference development platform based on the i.MX93x application processor. This 96board Enterprise Edition form factor design is pin compatible to support i.MX931, 932, 933, and 935 processors. It supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Gigabit Ethernet, Zigbee, CAN, and 3G/4G/LTE connectivity via a Mezzanine Card. The kit comes with pre-integrated Linux and Azure making it an ideal choice for Industrial Automation, Smart Home & Intelligent Appliances, Smart Buildings, and Automotive applications.

As an NXP technology partner, eInfochips has strong expertise in NXP technologies, including i.MX applications, power processors, Microcontrollers, and the S32 automotive platform. eInfochips has 20+ years of experience in providing engineering services like hardware design, Firmware and System Software, Application Software, and Cloud enablement. eInfochips has provided numerous successful products and services to clients and has been a part of numerous success stories.

To know more about services, please reach out to marketing@einfochips.com.