Press release · Stockholm · 1 March 2021
TX8P-ML81, QSXP-ML81 and QSXM-MM60 bring 2.3 TOPS Neural NPU and Cortex-M7 real-time core to industrial AI/ML — and introduce the new 29 mm QSX form factor with PCIe Gen 3 and USB 3.0.
Strategic Embedded has announced three new System-on-Modules: the TX8P-ML81 (NXP i.MX 8M Plus on the pin-compatible TX form factor), the QSXP-ML81 (i.MX 8M Plus on the new QSX 29 mm solder-down form factor), and the QSXM-MM60 (i.MX 8M Mini on the same QSX 29 mm package). The launch brings NXP's i.MX 8M Plus — with 2.3 TOPS on-die Neural NPU — to Ka-Ro hardware, and introduces the QSX 29 mm Family Concept with PCIe Gen 3 and USB 3.0.
What the new QSX 29 mm format adds
- Same QFN solder-down approach as the 27 mm QS — no underside components, reflow-compatible.
- 108 pads at 1 mm pitch — 8 extra over standard QS, used for PCIe Gen 3 and USB 3.0 expansion.
- Footprint-compatible with QS — design one pad pattern that accepts both 27 mm QS and 29 mm QSX modules.
- 2 GB LPDDR4 memory on QSX modules — twice the RAM of comparable QS variants.
Engineering specifications
| Item | TX8P-ML81 | QSXP-ML81 | QSXM-MM60 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Processor | NXP i.MX 8M Plus | NXP i.MX 8M Mini | |
| CPU | 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.6 GHz + Cortex-M7 @ 800 MHz | 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.6 GHz + Cortex-M4 | |
| NPU | 2.3 TOPS Neural NPU | — | |
| DSP | Cadence HiFi4 | — | |
| Video | 1080p60 H.265 encode + decode | 4Kp30 H.265 | |
| RAM | 2 GB LPDDR4 | ||
| Flash | 8 GB eMMC | 4 GB eMMC | |
| Form factor | 68 × 26 × 4 mm TX SO-DIMM | 29 × 29 × 2.6 mm QSX 108-pad solder-down | |
| Expansion | TX standard pinout | PCIe Gen 3 + USB 3.0 (QSX-only) | |
| Temperature | −30 °C to +85 °C | −25 °C to +85 °C | |
| OS | Linux (mainline BSP by Ka-Ro) | ||
Availability and pricing
All three modules available now via Strategic Embedded's webshop. TX8P-ML81: €109 Qty 1. QSXP-ML81: €114 Qty 1. QSXM-MM60: €94 Qty 1. Volume discounts available.
Designing on i.MX 8M Plus or 8M Mini?
Compare the TX8P, QSXP and QSXM product pages.
View TX8P → View QSXP → View QSXM →Downloads
About Strategic Embedded
Strategic Embedded is a division of Strategic Test AB, a specialist embedded electronics and test and measurement distributor with offices in Stockholm and Aachen Germany. Strategic Test has been an international distributor for KaRo Electronics GmbH since 2003 and exports to clients in the USA, UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Australia.
About Ka-Ro Electronics GmbH
With a core design team that was one of the pioneers of Transputer-based RISC processor parallel computing, Ka-Ro has grown from being a pioneer to a global leader in the ARM-based System on Modules market, with over 1 Million TX series of SoM installed. Ka-Ro's ARM-based SOMs are used worldwide in demanding industrial and transportation applications and medical devices. Based on NXP® and Qualcomm® processors, development kits include custom and continuing support for Embedded Linux and Microsoft® Windows Embedded BSPs. Customers can depend on Ka-Ro for the proven quality, expert support and guaranteed long-term availability they need to succeed.
Press contact
Robert Giblett · rg@strategic-test.com