NXP FRDM i.MX 93
Dual Cortex-A55 + Cortex-M33 heterogeneous platform with Ethos U-65 NPU, EdgeLock secure enclave, and industrial connectivity for edge AI applications
1.7GHz Dual Cortex-A55 | 0.5 TOPS Ethos U-65 NPU | 2GB LPDDR4X Memory
Overview
The NXP FRDM i.MX 93 development platform, enhanced with Avocado Linux and Avocado Connect, delivers a production-ready heterogeneous computing solution for edge AI applications. This integrated platform combines dual Cortex-A55 application processors, a Cortex-M33 real-time core, and an Ethos U-65 NPU to enable sophisticated edge processing with 0.5 TOPS of AI performance. The pre-integrated Linux and RTOS environment eliminates months of complex multi-core development, while EdgeLock security and atomic OTA updates ensure enterprise-grade deployment from prototype to production. Teams can leverage industrial connectivity options including CAN FD and Gigabit Ethernet to build secure, scalable edge AI systems that operate reliably in -40°C to +85°C environments with 10+ years of platform support.
Specifications
| Specification | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Applications CPU | Dual Cortex-A55 @ 1.7GHz | 64-bit ARM v8.2-A architecture |
| Real-time CPU | Cortex-M33 @ 250MHz | Dedicated real-time processing |
| AI Accelerator | Ethos U-65 NPU | 0.5 TOPS for edge AI inference |
| Memory | 2GB LPDDR4X | 16GB eMMC storage included |
| Connectivity | Gigabit Ethernet, CAN FD, USB 3.0 | Industrial and automotive interfaces |
| Operating Temp | -40°C to +85°C | Industrial temperature range |
Use Cases
Edge AI Vision Systems
Real-time object detection and classification with Ethos U-65 NPU. Process camera streams locally with low latency for industrial inspection.
Industrial HMI Controllers
Rich graphical interfaces on Cortex-A55 with real-time control on Cortex-M33. Heterogeneous processing for responsive industrial control panels.
Smart IoT Gateways
Bridge OT and IT networks with secure EdgeLock enclave. Local AI processing reduces cloud dependency and improves response times.
Challenges and Solutions
| Challenge | Solution |
|---|---|
| Complex heterogeneous architecture setup | Pre-integrated Linux + RTOS system |
| Linux and RTOS integration challenges | Optimized NPU drivers and frameworks |
| NPU optimization requires expertise | Secure OTA for both cores |
| Security configuration complexity | EdgeLock security pre-configured |
| Long development cycles for edge AI | Production-ready in weeks not months |
Key Features
Heterogeneous Processing
Seamless Linux on Cortex-A55 with RTOS on Cortex-M33. Pre-configured inter-core communication for optimal workload distribution.
Edge AI Acceleration
Ethos U-65 NPU with optimized TensorFlow Lite and ONNX runtime. Hardware acceleration for computer vision and anomaly detection.
EdgeLock Security
Hardware root of trust with secure enclave. Secure boot, encrypted storage, and runtime attestation built-in.
Dual-OS Fleet Management
Unified OTA updates for Linux and RTOS partitions. Coordinate updates across heterogeneous cores with rollback protection.
Industrial Linux Stack
Yocto-based Linux with real-time patches. Pre-integrated industrial protocols and containerization support.
Multi-Core Analytics
Monitor both application and real-time cores. Track AI inference performance and system health metrics.
Getting Started
Init, Install, & Build
Follow the Any Supported Target instructions under Getting Started to begin. This target is imx93-frdm. The provisioning specifics are below.
Provision
Build the project and execute the provisioning procedure. This will build the system image and flash it to your target hardware.
Some Linux operating systems, like Ubuntu, will attempt to auto-mount mass storage devices. This can interfere with Avocado's ability to finalize provisioning a device.
Before provisioning, disable auto-mounting. The following example is for Ubuntu (GNOME desktop); the same commands apply to other GNOME-based distributions such as Fedora Workstation.
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.media-handling automount false
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.media-handling automount-open false
avocado build
avocado provision -r dev --profile sd
Run
After provisioning completes, insert the SD card into your target device and power it on.
The device will boot from the SD card with the provisioned system. The root user is passwordless in the dev runtime used by this guide.