Thundercomm has recently introduced the Rubik Pi AI SBC built around the Qualcomm QCS6490 SoC with a 12.5 TOPS AI accelerator. The SBC comes in a “PI-CO ITX” form factor that combines the Pico-ITX standard and the 40-pin GPIO header found on Raspberry Pi SBCs.
The SBC comes with a standard set of interfaces, including USB, HDMI out, MIPI-CSI camera support, Ethernet, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.2, and much more. Additionally, the SBC features a 40-pin header for GPIO, UART for debugging, audio output, and RTC battery support. The company mentions that it is the first Pi-based system using Qualcomm’s AI platforms so it supports Raspberry Pi HAT/HAT+ expansion boards, making it suitable for various AI, IoT, and edge computing projects.
Rubik Pi AI SBC specification
- SoC – Qualcomm QCS6490
- CPU – Octa-core Kryo 670 with 1x Gold Plus core (Cortex-A78) @ 2.7 GHz, 3x Gold cores (Cortex-A78) @ 2.4 GHz, 4x Silver cores (Cortex-A55) @ up to 1.9 GHz
- GPU – Adreno 643L GPU @ 812 MHz with support for Open GL ES 3.2, Open CL 2.0, Vulkan 1.x, DX FL 12
- DSP – Hexagon DSP with dual HVX and 4K HMX
- VPU – Adreno 633 VPU up to 4K60 decode for H.264/H.265/VP9, Up to 4K30 encode for H.264/H.265; Support for HDR10 and HDR10+ playback
- Spectra ISP – 64 MP / 36 + 22 MP / 3×22 MP at 30fps ZSL; 192 MP non-ZSL
- AI – 6th gen Qualcomm AI Engine that combines Compute Hexagon DSP with dual Hexagon Vector, eXtensions (HVX), Hexagon Co-processor (Hexagon CP) 2.0 and Hexagon Tensor accelerator for up to 12 TOPS of AI performance
- System Memory – 8GB LPDDR5
- Storage
- 128GB UFS flash (µMCP: i.e. the RAM and UFS are in the same chip)
- M.2 M-Key socket for SSD
- Video Output
- HDMI 1.4 (4K @ 30FPS)
- DisplayPort over USB Type-C (4K @ 60FPS)
- Camera Inputs – 2 x MIPI-CSI D-PHY (4-lane)
- Audio
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- HDMI audio out
- Connectivity
- Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 port
- Wi-Fi 5 supports 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n
- Bluetooth 5.2
- USB
- 1 x USB Type-C port (USB 3.1 Gen 1)
- 2 x USB Type-A ports (USB 3.0)
- 1 x USB Type-A port (USB 2.0 Host/Device)
- Expansion
- M.2 M Key Connector for SSD
- 40-pin Raspberry Pi compatible header with 28x GPIO, 1x I2S, 1x PWM, 2x I2C, 3x I2C or SPI or UART
- Misc
- Power on button
- RGB LED
- RTC battery connector
- PWM fan connector
- Power supply – 12V/3A input over USB Type-C PD
- Dimensions – 100mm x 75mm (~Pico-ITX and PI-CO ITX form factors)
This device supports Qualcomm Linux, Android, and “LU” (probably Lubuntu, update: the company replied that LU means Canonical Ubuntu for Qualcomm Platforms and it will released in early 2025) operating systems that provide developers flexibility across various development platforms. The company mentions that the SBC is scalable and compatible with Thundercomm’s C8550 and C5430P SoM modules. The Qualcomm AI Hub helps developers use pre-optimized AI models or fine-tune custom ones for better performance on the SoC.
Previously, we have written about Radxa ROCK 3B, which combines Pico-ITX and Raspberry Pi form factors and has some similar features. But it’s powered by a Rockchip RK3568 SoC. We have also covered various SoM and SBCs built around QCS6490 SoC, including Avnet AI Vision Development Kit, Tachyon credit card-sized SBC, SagireEdge AI 600, and more. Feel free to check those out if you are interested in the topic.
At the time of writing the Rubik Pi is not available for sale, but the company mentions that pre-orders will be available at the beginning of November. More information about the SBC can be found on Rubik Pi’s products page or the press release.
Thanks to TLS for the tip.
Debashis Das is a technical content writer and embedded engineer with over five years of experience in the industry. With expertise in Embedded C, PCB Design, and SEO optimization, he effectively blends difficult technical topics with clear communication
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Qualcomm ARM board … so I hoped support for Windows-on-ARM … but alas not so.
I don’t have any interest in running Windows, but I’m curious what they are planning to charge for this board.
It looks like one of those where if you have to ask, you can’t afford it.
Given the linked Particle Tachyon using the same SOC has a Crowdfunding price between $199 and $219 I would expect this board to be above that in cost.
Tachyon is just Quectel module SG560
microsoft website lists the QCS6490 as supported for Windows 11 iot LTSC until 2036 (along with others like the QCS5430 and the snapdragon 8cx etc.) so perhaps it can be possible to install windows on arm somehow, but it will depends on the board manufacturer if they will supply the BSP/sources or drivers needed.
The “Qualcomm RB3 Gen 2 Platform – Core Kit” based on the same processor and also from Thundercomm goes for $399, so the Rubik Pi might be in the same price range.
Debashis contacted the company about software support to clarify some questions.
Windows support is coming soon to the Rubik Pi.
Then the assumption that “LU” is Lubuntu is apparently wrong, and instead, it refers to “Canonical Ubuntu for Qualcomm Platforms” that will be released early 2025 as an open-source OS.
Android, Linux and Lubuntu … Not gonna even read article from moron …
It might be confusing since Lubuntu is based on Linux, but Thundercomm provides three SDKs one for Android, one for “Qualcomm Linux”, and the other for “LU” OS as per the product page. Since they mention “Ubuntu” in the press release, and we could not find any information about “LU” operating system, we assumed it should be Lubuntu.
You better ask for a refund on your subscription fee then…
😂
I am surprised to not see the most obvious comment here: This is the famous Fairphone 5 SoC! So you can get now a SBC based on the Fairphone 5. This is really interesting for PostmarketOS development and much other things like this.
Is it? Fairphone calls its chip QCM6490 instead of QCS6490.
Edit: QCM6490 indeed seems to be QCS6490, additionally including a modem though.
And this product appears to be a breakout board for a module similiar to this one: https://fccid.io/2AOHHTURBOX-C6490/User-Manual/User-Manual-6641523.pdf
Whithout a reference manual for the SoC it uses, which does not seem to be publicly available, it is rather useless for developers though.
Thundercomm is usually one of the first companies to have access to Qualcomm IoT chips and they have made several SoMs in the past.
We didn’t write about the TurboX C6490, but covered some other TurboX modules in the past: https://www.cnx-software.com/?s=TurboX
I’ve yet to see a Qualcomm datasheet myself, as all information is only available after signing an NDA or similar document.
Still sitting here in front of a Khadas Vim3 Pro because nothing newer has come along that I’d consider acceptably uncompromised.
Maybe this one, but I’ll need to see a sign of community forming around this first. I can’t take on the first adopter and fixer role now.
We’d be real interested in a followup if/when you can get one tested.