The new i.MX 8M Plus heterogeneous application processor for edge computing applications features a dedicated neural network accelerator, an independent real-time subsystem, dual camera ISP, high-performance DSP, and GPU.

NXP Semiconductors announced the launch of the i.MX 8M Plus application processor, further enriching its industry-leading product portfolio. This is NXP's first i.MX series processor to integrate a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU), enabling advanced machine learning inference at the edge in industrial and IoT domains.

i.MX 8M Plus Offers High-performance NPU with 2.3 TOPS (Tera Operations Per Second) of compute power Quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 subsystem clocked at up to 2GHz Independent real-time subsystem based on Cortex-M7, clocked at up to 800MHz High-performance 800MHz audio DSP for voice and natural language processing Dual Camera Image Signal Processor (ISP) 3D GPU for rich graphics rendering

By combining the high-performance Cortex-A53 cores with the NPU, edge devices will support machine learning and inference input with minimal or no human intervention, enabling intelligent decision-making locally. The cost-effective i.MX 8M Plus's applications cover human and object recognition, supporting public safety, industrial machine vision, robotics, gesture and emotion detection through natural language processing, thereby achieving seamless human-device interaction with ultra-fast response times and high accuracy.

▲i.MX 8M Plus Application Processor Block Diagram

Martyn Humphries, Vice President and General Manager of i.MX Application Processors for NXP's Consumer and Industrial Markets, stated: "As technological advancements enable more accurate local decision-making, the edge becomes an ideal location for deploying machine learning applications. NXP has established strong partnerships with leading companies in the consumer and industrial IoT markets to design and develop innovative products based on the i.MX 8M Plus. The i.MX 8M Plus is a significant milestone product in the transformation from a 'smart' edge to an 'intelligent' edge, and it will lead the trend in processing solutions."

Driving Intelligent Edge Device Development

The NXP i.MX 8M Plus utilizes advanced 14nm LPC FinFET process technology, capable of simultaneously executing multiple highly complex neural networks, such as multi-object recognition, speech recognition for over 40,000 English words, and medical imaging. The powerful NPU can process MobileNet, a popular image classification network, at a classification speed of over 500 images per second.

Developers can offload machine learning inference tasks to the NPU, allowing the high-performance Cortex-A and Cortex-M cores, DSP, and GPU to handle other system-level or user application tasks. The vision subsystem integrates a dual ISP, supporting High Dynamic Range (HDR) and fisheye lens correction. The ISP supports two HD cameras for real-time stereoscopic vision or a single 12-megapixel resolution camera. These features support real-time image processing applications such as surveillance, smart retail, robotic vision, and home health monitors.

To support voice applications, the i.MX 8M Plus integrates a high-performance HiFi 4 DSP, enhancing natural language processing performance by pre- and post-processing voice streams. The powerful Cortex-M7 core can be used to run real-time operating systems, while the application processor can execute complex non-real-time applications. By shutting down the application processor and keeping only the Cortex-M core running for wake word detection, overall system-level power consumption can be reduced. With a system capable of compressing multiple video inputs using H.265 or H.264 HD video codecs (supporting cloud streaming or local storage), and a rich user experience supported by 3D/2D graphics and Immersiv3D audio with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, the i.MX 8M Plus extends its support for advanced multimedia and video processing capabilities.

Enhancing Industrial IoT Intelligence

The i.MX 8M Plus can enhance industrial productivity and automation by detecting, measuring, and precisely identifying objects, and enabling predictive maintenance for equipment through accurate detection of machine operational anomalies. Furthermore, by combining accurate facial recognition, voice/command recognition, and gesture recognition, factory human-machine interfaces can become more intuitive and safer. The i.MX 8M Plus supports Industry 4.0 IT/OT convergence, integrating Gigabit Ethernet with Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN), and combining it with Arm Cortex-M7 real-time processing capabilities to provide deterministic wired network connectivity and processing.

To meet the high quality and reliability requirements of industrial applications, the i.MX 8M Plus offers Error Correcting Code (ECC) functionality for internal memory and DDR interfaces. This series complies with stringent industrial temperature ranges (-40℃ to 105℃ ambient temperature) and power-on configurations (100% power-on), and is planned to be included in NXP's industry-leading 15-year longevity commitment.

i.MX 8M Plus Technical Specifications

Compute Cores: Quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 up to 2.0GHz and Cortex-M7 up to 800MHz Machine Learning: Neural Processing Unit (NPU) with up to 2.3 TOPS of compute power Audio and Voice Processing: Low-power Tensilica HiFi4 DSP running at 800 MHz Dual Image Signal Processor (ISP): Up to 12MP resolution, with 2 MIPI-CSI camera interfaces Video Processing: 1080p video encode/decode, supporting H.265 and H.264 standards GPU: 3D/2D graphics supporting OpenGL ES 3.1, Vulkan, OpenCL 1.2 FP, and OpenVG 1.1 Memory Support: Error Correcting Code (ECC) functionality on internal memory and DDR bus, 32/16-bit DDR3L, DDR4, LPDDR4 up to 4.0GT/s Multiple Audio Interfaces: TDM, DSD512, S/PDIF, PDM mic input, eARC, and ASRC Display: HDMI 2.0b Tx, MIPI DSI, LVDS (4/8 lane) Tx Wired Connectivity: 2x Gigabit Ethernet with AVB, IEEE 1588, EEE support; 1x Gigabit Ethernet with TSN support; 2x CAN-FD; 2x USB 3.0/2.0 OTG with PHY Type C and PCIe Gen3

NXP system PMIC power management solution (PCA9450C), customized and optimized for the i.MX 8M Plus application processor.