congatec Korea (CEO: Yoonsun Kim), a leading company in embedded and edge computing technology, announced on the 15th that it has launched a new Qseven module, conga-QMX8-Plus, based on the NXP i.MX 8M Plus application processor.

Launched to coincide with the 15th anniversary of the Qseven Computer-on-Module, the conga-QMX8-Plus is a next-generation replacement for the NXP i.MX 6-based Qseven modules currently in operation, supporting TSN functionality for real-time Ethernet as well as advanced machine learning and AI capabilities. This can extend the lifespan by 10 to 15 years and maximize the return on system investment.

The new Qseven module is based on the i.MX 8M Plus application processor, which integrates a quad-core 1.8 GHz ARM Cortex-A53 and an NPU (Neural Processing Unit) capable of up to 2.3 TOPS (trillion operations per second).

The i.MX 8M Plus, the first i.MX processor with a machine learning accelerator, significantly improves performance for deep learning inference and artificial intelligence at the edge.

The ultra-low power 3-watt conga-QMX8-Plus module features a 64-bit architecture and up to 6 GB of onboard LPDDR4 memory, increasing performance by more than 150%.

It also enables more powerful and smarter embedded and IIoT connected edge systems at the edge with energy-efficient ARM performance, machine learning performance, and Ethernet with TSN support.

Industries where low-power Qseven modules can be applied include industrial control, smart robotics, and factory automation, as well as healthcare, distribution, transportation, smart farms, smart cities, and smart buildings.

“Since the launch of our first Qseven module based on the NXP i.MX 6 processor, ARM technology has become the standard architecture for computer-on-modules,” says Martin Danzer, Head of Product Management at congatec. “The NXP i.MX 8M Plus processor brings significant improvements in compute performance as well as new capabilities for networking, vision and AI to edge devices based on Qseven,” he explained.

He also emphasized that “this module addresses new requirements in the embedded market and is suitable for Qseven designs that utilize new features such as deep learning inference, predictive maintenance analytics, and object recognition, as well as providing a solution for upgrading existing i.MX 6 designs.”