VIA SOM-9X35 Starter Kit features MediaTek i350 Arm processor for edge AI devices

VIA has just introduced the SOM-9X35 Starter Kit based on MediaTek i350 quad-core Cortex-A53 processor with AI accelerator and HiFi4 DSP designed for Edge AI devices in the retail, commercial, and industrial sectors.

The kit is comprised of the SOM-9X35 module with MediaTek i350 SoC, up to 4GB RAM, 16GB eMMC flash, and WiFI 5 + Bluetooth 5.0 wireless module, as well as the VIA VAB-935 3.5-inch carrier board, a 7-inch 1024×600 touch panel display, a 13MP camera module, two speakers and microphone, and accompanying accessories.

VIA SOM-9X35 Starter Kit specifications:

SOM-9X35 System-on-Module
- SoC – MediaTek i350 (MT8365) quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor @ up to 2.0 GHz, Arm Mali-G52 MC1 up to 800Mhz with support for OpenGL ES, OpenCL, and Vulkan APIs, MediaTek APU 1.0 AI Processor up to 500MHz (285 GMACs), HiFi4 DSP
- System Memory – 2GB LPDDR4 SDRAM (1GB/4GB optional)
- Storage – 16GB eMMC flash
- Connectivity – MediaTek MT6631 module with dual-band (2.4GHz & 5GHz ) single-stream Wi-Fi 5 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 5.0; on-module u.FL antenna connector
- Debugging – On-module USB to UART connector for serial console
- Dual M.2 edge connector with 1x 4-Lane MIPI DSI, 2x 4-Lane MIPI CSI, HDMI 1.4, USB 2.0 Host/OTG, SPI, I2C, UART, ADC, PWN, etc…
- Supply Voltage – 3.4~4.2V DC-in
- Dimensions – 60 x 45 x 6.8mm with two-side heatspreader
- Temperature Range – -40°C ~ 85°C
VAB-935 carrier board
- Storage – MicroSD card socket
- Video Output
  - HDMI 1.4 port
  - 4-lane MIPI DSI interface at the back
- Audio – Built-in microphone, 3.5mm microphone jack, 3.5mm Line Out jack, speaker headers
- Camera I/F – 1x 4-lane MIPI CSI connector for a front-facing camera, optional 4-lane MIPI CSI connector for rear camera
- Networking
  - 10/100M Ethernet RJ45 port
  - Mini PCIe socket + SIM card socket for 4G with GNSS
- USB – 2x USB host ports, 1x Micro USB 2.0 OTG port
- Serial – RS-232 DB9 connector
- Expansion
  - 40-pin GPIO header with 16x GPIO, I2C, SPI, 2x PWN, ADC
  - DIO port with 10 GPIOs using 3.3V
- Misc – Power LED, Power Button, Reset button, Download button, RTC battery, IR receiver
- Power Supply
  - 9V to 15V via DC jack (ships with 12V PSU)
  - Header for 2-cell Li-Ion battery
- Dimensions – 146 x 102mm (3.5-inch form factor)
Display – 7-inch 1024×600 MIPI LCD panel + touch panel display
Camera – 13MP camera module
Audio – Two speakers and one microphone

The MediaTek i350 Starter Kit supports Android 10 or Linux via a Yocto Project 3.1-based SDK. The download links are “coming soon”, but you’ll find more documentation about the hardware, including kit assembly instructions on the product page.

MediaTek AIoT processors, which include the i350 announced in 2020, and the earlier MediaTek i300, i500 and i700 models, are seldom featured anywhere, so I thought MediaTek had given up on that segment. But maybe that’s just become of the targeted products, i.e. Smart Home appliances, that we never read about those.

The module, carrier abord, and Starter Kit all appear to be available now, but VIA did not provide public pricing. More details may be found on the product page and press release.

Thanks to TLS for the tip.

Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.