NXP achieved a big milestone this week. Our first applications processors built in 14LPC FinFET process technology, the i.MX 8M Mini applications processors, are now in volume production. These devices bring high-performing, power-efficient, scalable, heterogeneous multi-core processing to media streaming, industrial and IoT applications. Available through our distribution partners, the i.MX 8M Mini applications processors are proven and ready to be designed into your next application.
This week we also announced our second product in 14LPC FinFET process technology; the i.MX 8M Nano applications processor. This applications processor is pin-compatible with the i.MX 8M Mini and software compatible across the broader i.MX 8M family. With the announcement of the i.MX 8M Nano applications processors, we continue to harness the performance improvements and speed efficiencies of the 14LPC FinFET technology node. We are committed to delivering complementary, performance-scalable new applications processors at a rapid pace.
Our customers tell us that complementary applications processors that demonstrate hardware compatibility and software compatibility help them develop products in a fast, scalable and economical way. And with the i.MX 8M family line-up, we are delivering on these requirements. Designed with compatibility in mind, a customer can leverage one design into many products. Whether the need is for a video-rich surveillance system, a touch-panel in an elevator, a smart refrigerator that keeps track of inventory, an industrial robot performing factory line inspections, a vending machine dispensing potato chips or a voice-controlled light switch such as the Decora Voice™ Dimmer, recently announced by Leviton. NXP has been working closely with Leviton to enable their intelligent edge node devices using the i.MX 8M Mini and i.MX 8M Nano applications processors.
Leviton Decora Voice™ Dimmer photo courtesy of Leviton
Leviton agrees with our approach. “Leviton’s recently announced Decora Voice™ Dimmer with Amazon Alexa Built-in, featuring NXP’s high performance i.MX 8M Mini applications processor adds even more intelligence, combining the convenience of hands-free voice control and intelligent management of smart home devices with Leviton’s optimized smart lighting controls without the need for additional hardware,” said Aaron Ard, Senior Director of Engineering at Leviton. “We’re excited to see the introduction of the new i.MX 8M Nano as its innovative, future-proof, pin-compatibility answers our need to continue to make our solutions accessible to customers at a value they can appreciate.”
i.MX 8M Mini Is Available to Everyone
You can now order product evaluation kits through your local distributor and E-Tailer. NXP has developed a compact, full-featured evaluation kit complete with Linux and Android board support package (BSP) software. Hardware schematics and layout files are available for download at Evaluation Kit for the i.MX 8M Mini Applications Processor and software packages are available for download at i.MX Software and Development Tools. The kit shipping today supports LPDDR4 memory, but we have plans in the works to enable DDR4 memory in a follow-on kit. The i.MX 8M Mini applications processor supports a variety of high-speed and complex memory interfaces, hence it’s important to provide proven reference solutions. The quicker we can bring you up on the basics (like memory design) the quicker you can move on to the value-adding parts of your product design.
i.MX 8M Mini Evaluation Kit with LPDDR4 Memory
And if you’ve progressed beyond evaluation and you’re ready to start your design with the i.MX 8M Mini applications processor? Great! You can also place orders for parts with distributors and E-Tailers. And you can access the full set of product documentation at i.MX 8M Mini. Over the next few months we will be bringing up many more board solutions through our partner network, so stay tuned for updates.
What’s the big deal about FinFET?
FinFET processing isn’t new. In fact, you’re probably reading this on a mobile device that uses an applications processor built using some version of FinFET process technology. What’s new is that with the i.MX 8M Mini applications processor, NXP is bringing the speed improvements and power efficiencies of this technology node to the mainstream industrial and IoT markets.
It’s easy to comprehend that mobile devices require more performance and a longer battery-life to keep up with consumer usage (hours a day of active use) and the increasing need for more and more software capabilities. But when I talk to customers in the non-mobile phone space, this is exactly what they are asking for too. More performance and better power efficiency.
With more advanced computing and intelligence being pushed to the edge, our customers must be able to build products that deliver these capabilities with power and performance to spare. Edge devices are not upgraded at the rate of a mobile product. And even though they may always be plugged-in to a power source, edge devices need power-efficient applications processors, like the i.MX 8M Mini, to meet new energy efficiency requirements that are being mandated by government regulators and the modern-day consumer. And we all know that building products that responsibly use our natural resources is the way to go.
Let’s Talk About Pin-compatibility
Pin-compatibility is not new in the industry. In fact, this was already successfully deployed with the release of the i.MX 6 series in 2012, a mainstream applications processor series used today in embedded computing. NXP is simply listening to our customers and continuing to deliver what you need; pin-compatibility and performance scalability across the next generation of applications processors to help you scale features and manage costs across your next generation of products.
What’s unique and really exciting here is that we’ve designed a single EVK that works with both the i.MX 8M Mini and i.MX 8M Nano applications processors. A single design that allows for drop-in replacement of an i.MX 8M Mini with an i.MX 8M Nano because they are available in a pin-compatible package. What this means to you is that even if your end product needs the cost-efficiency of an i.MX 8M Nano, you can start designing today with the i.MX 8M Mini and get a jumpstart on your product development.
i.MX 8M Family Grows to Three
Just like with any family, you can never publicly admit to having a favorite. We’ll leave that up to you, depending on whether you need 4K video, lowest-cost or highest performance. The good news is that there are a common set of inherited traits across the family such as heterogeneous multi-core processing and industrial operation. You can also design with ease knowing that software is compatible across the entire family and that certain products offer pin-compatibility.
Let’s look at the line-up:
Get Started Today
If you’re at Embedded World 2019, come visit the NXP booth and see the breadth of the board solutions that are available today using the i.MX 8M Mini applications processors.
You can also talk to your local distributor or E-Tailer about these products, order EVKs and samples and download software and documentation. And, if you have technical questions, imxcommunity.org is ready to engage. Our i.MX 8M Mini applications processors are proven, primed and ready to help you build and scale your next idea.
*For more information visit NXP’s Product Longevity Program please visit Product Longevity
Amanda McGregor leads product innovation for NXP applications processors. She has driven the definition, enablement and adoption of i.MX applications processors for more than a decade and led the development of NXP 14LPC FinFET applications processors for consumer, industrial and IoT applications.
