AMD has released a new solution for compute-intensive edge DSP applications. This new AMD product is expected to be highly valuable in robotics, motor control, vision AI, and other areas, drawing significant attention.

AMD today announced the availability of the latest AMD Kria K24 System-on-Module (SOM) and KD240 Drives Starter Kit, the latest additions to its Kria adaptable System-on-Module (SOM) and developer kit portfolio.

The AMD Kria K24 System-on-Mount (SOM) is a power-efficient computing solution in a small form factor for cost-sensitive industrial and commercial applications. Based on advanced InFO (Integrated Fan-Out) packaging, the K24 is half the size of a credit card and consumes half the power of the connector-compatible Kria K26 SOM.

The K24 SOM delivers consistent performance and low latency to power electric drives and motor controllers used in compute-intensive edge Digital Signal Processing (DSP) applications. It can be applied to a wide range of fields, including electric motor systems, robotics for factory automation, power generation, elevators, public transportation such as trains, surgical robots, medical equipment such as MRI beds, and electric vehicle charging applications.

The K24 SOM, which comes with the KD240 Drive Starter Kit, a ready-to-use motor control-based development platform, facilitates easy and efficient transition to production. Even users without FPGA programming expertise can quickly implement motor control and DSP applications, accelerating time to market.

“Building on the groundbreaking design experience of our Kria SOM portfolio, the AMD Kria K24 SOM and KD240 Development Platform are solutions for robotics and control, vision, AI, and DSP applications,” said Hanneke Krekels, corporate vice president and general manager, core vertical markets, AMD.

“System designers who must meet increasing demands for performance and power efficiency while lowering costs can leverage the K24 SOM to achieve higher performance per watt in a smaller form factor,” he said. “Furthermore, they can significantly reduce time to market by embedding key components of embedded processing systems on a single production-ready board.”

Most factories use hundreds of motors for assembly lines and robotics that drive various equipment. It's estimated that industrial sectors using these electric motors and motor-driven systems account for approximately 70% of total global electricity consumption. Even a 1% increase in drive system efficiency can have a significant positive impact on operating costs and the environment.

“The AMD Kria SOM portfolio enables powerful hardware for robotics and industrial edge applications,” said Greg Needel, CEO of Rev Robotics. “With Kria SOM, we can simplify the development of advanced control loop algorithms and adapt to evolving software and hardware requirements to deliver exceptional products for our customers across commercial and STEM education.”

■ Simplified DSP development and shortened design cycle

The K24 SOM features a custom-built Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC device. It is also supported by the KD240 Starter Kit, an FPGA-based motor control kit.

The KD240 is said to be more accessible to entry-level developers than other processor-based control kits because it provides pre-implemented solutions to help developers shorten their design cycles.

The K24 SOM supports more design flows than previous generations, including Matlab Simulink, Python with its extensive ecosystem support for the PYNQ framework, and Ubuntu and Docker. Software developers can also leverage the AMD Vitis motor control library while maintaining existing development workflows.

AMD also built an app store for edge applications alongside its new product launches. The newly launched KD240 Starter Kit provides the first pre-built motor control app, enabling users to develop power-efficient industrial solutions with trusted, advanced security features.

Additionally, the KD240 supports the MACCP (Motor Accessory Pack) option, and additional motor kits will be available for purchase separately in the future to help developers further enhance their design experience.

■ Access to a scalable SOM family

The Kria SOM significantly simplifies the design process for selected silicon devices, allowing developers to focus on delivering differentiated, value-added features.

Additionally, connector compatibility allows for easy migration between the K24 and K26 SOMs without board changes, enabling a balance of power, performance, size, and cost for energy-efficient systems.

The K24 SOM is available in commercial and industrial versions and supports a 10-year industrial life cycle. The industrial SOM supports an extended temperature range and includes ECC-protected LPDDR4 memory for high-reliability systems.

The K24 SOM (commercial and industrial versions) and KD240 drive starter kit are currently available, with the K24 commercial version currently shipping. The industrial version is scheduled to ship in the fourth quarter.