i.MX91 Targets Simple Edge Systems

NXP’s i.MX91 addresses simple edge applications with a feature subset of the i.MX93, maintaining pin compatibility and reducing power.

Bryon Moyer

NXP’s i.MX91 reduces cost and power for edge systems compared with other i.MX 9 processors. It’s a pin-compatible subset of the current i.MX93, preserving capabilities such as the sensor inputs used both in factories and smart homes while easing up on processing.

Employing a single Arm Cortex A55 CPU, the chip omits specialized units such as the real-time domain, the display controller, and even the MIPI camera format for an almost bare-bones implementation intended for broad applicability. Built on the same 16 nm process, power drops 70% from the i.MX93, while the CPU clock drops only 18%.

NXP offers the i.MX 9 series for what it calls the smart edge: applications that process sensor data locally either in an industrial setting or in homes. Processing requirements vary substantially across the application space; wearable systems require sophisticated graphics and AI inference while other small appliances may have simple, no-nonsense displays. Capabilities ascend from the i.MX91 to the 93 to the 95, providing a range of solutions according to the demands of the system.

The i.MX93 provides an upgrade path if system requirements evolve or for higher system-feature tiers. Pinouts are identical, obviating a board redesign if everything else remains the same. The i.MX91 is scheduled to enter production in the last quarter of 2024, roughly a year after the 93.