NXP has created some of the world’s leading embedded processors with the i.MX series, which has positioned them as one of the most sought after processor manufacturers in the industry. The series itself has five main categories that cater to nearly every facet of application processor design. This article will summarize the different sub-series to showcase the incredible capabilities and diversity of the i.MX series, and showcase the most recent addition to the i.MX family.
Within the i.MX series, there are now five separate subseries that are all based on 32-bit and 64-bit ARM Technology which all offer a wide array of functionality for different applications. Within each subseries, there are several different components that have different features and capabilities.
i.MX28 Processors
With the consumer, industrial, and automotive industry in mind, this processor balances power management and connectivity features to allow users to utilize any of the six ARM9-based devices into their design. With a varying amounts of features and capabilities, these different part numbers can be used for a varying amount of applications.
i.MX 6 Processors
The next step in the i.MX series is the i.MX 6 Series which come in a variety of cores to enable flexibility in features, security, cost, processing, or application. There are eight different processors in the i.MX 6 subseries, and all of the defining features are outlined in the helpful infographic below.
i.MX 7 Processors
The arguable hero of the i.MX series is specifically geared toward design into products in the Internet of Things, which makes its popularity in design extremely understandable given the magnitude of IoT products entering the technology market. All three of the different processor configurations utilize a Cortex-M7 and Cortex-M4 combination for the CPU. NXP also offers an Ultra-Low Power version of the i.MX 7 subseries, which is perfect for truly any battery powered IoT device.
i.MX 8 Processors (Coming Soon!)
This subseries of CPUs is almost entirely focused on multimedia processing, which allows design into applications that require advanced graphics, imaging, machine vision, audio, voice, 4k video, and/or safety-critical design. Again, all of these different i.MX 8 chip subseries have a varying amount of ARM Cortex core architectures and features.
And lastly, the one that we have all been waiting for…
i.MX RT Series
As the newest add to the i.MX application processor family, the i.MX RT Series is a crossover low-power processor with a high performance microcontroller. These Cortex-M7 core based chips allow designers to reduce part numbers, cost, power consumption, and build time with this processor. The i.MX RT series is intended for use in everything from audio subsystems, smart consumer products, industrial building automation or computing, and even motor controllers in robotics or AUVs. All of the features can be seen in the infographic below. Additionally, be sure to consider developing your product with the i.MXRT Evaluation Kit that utilizes the MIMXRT1052DVL6A ARM Cortex M7 processor.
It is obvious that, regardless of your application, the i.MX Series from NXP likely has a near-perfect solution for your design. This extremely robust series of CPUs offers an industry-leading array of funcitonality, capability, and features through all of their different CPU configurations. Whether you’re building a consumer IoT product, industrial subsystems, robotic vaccuum cleaners, or multimedia device, the i.MX series is certainly worth considering.