Toradex SMARC SoMs iMX8M Plus and IMX95 with NXP SoCs

Toradex has launched its first SMARC-compliant system-on-modules (SoMs), the SMARC iMX8M Plus and SMARC iMX95, based on NXP's i.MX 8M Plus and i.MX 95.

While Toradex has previously made its own specialized SoMs (like Colibri, Apalis, and others) that are affordable and work well with their chips, these designs kept customers tied to one supplier. Now, by adopting the SMARC 2.2 standard, Toradex gives customers more flexibility, allowing their modules to work with existing SMARC carrier boards and providing more supplier options.

SMARC iMX8M Plus

SMARC iMX8M Plus Module Specifications: 

SoC: NXP i.MX 8M Plus

• CPU:
• Quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 application processor (at 1.6 GHz)
• ARM Cortex-M7 real time core (at 800 MHz)
• GPU:
• Vivante GC380 (2D GPU)
• Vivante GC7000UL (3D GPU)
• VPU: Supports 1080p60 video decoding and encoding
• AI Accelerator: Optional Neural Processing Unit (NPU) with 2.3 TOPS

System Memory: Up to 4GB LPDDR4 system memory 

Storage: 32GB eMMC 5.1 Flash storage

Networking:

• 2x TI DP83867I GbE PHYs
• Dual Band 2.4/5 GHz 2×2 Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) with Bluetooth 5.3 (via AzureWare AW-CM276NF module)

Connector: 314-pin MXM 3.0 edge connector, compatible with SMARC 2.2 standard (some PCIe lanes not supported by the SoC)

Dimensions: 82 x 50 mm

Operating Temperature Range: -40°C to +85°C

Availability: Available until at least 2036

SMARC iMX95

SMARC iMX95 Module Specifications: 

SoC: NXP i.MX 9596

• CPU:
• Up to 6x ARM Cortex-A55 cores @ 1.8 GHz (industrial) with 32KB I-cache, 32KB D-cache, 64KB L2 cache, and 512KB L3 cache
• 1x ARM Cortex-M7 real-time core @ 800 MHz
• 1x ARM Cortex-M33 safety core @ 333 MHz
• GPU: Arm Mali-G310 V2 GPU (for 2D/3D acceleration) with support for OpenGL ES 3.2, Vulkan 1.2, and OpenCL 3.0
• VPU: 
• 4Kp30 H.265/H.264 encoding and decoding
• JPEG encoder and decoder
• AI Accelerator : NXP eIQ Neutron 2 TOPS NPU (750 inferences/sec)

Memory: Up to 16GB LPDDR5 system memory 

Storage: Up to 128GB eMMC flash storage 

Connectivity:

• 2x TI DP83867I GbE PHYs
• Dual Band 2.4/5 GHz 1×1 Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with Bluetooth 5.2 (via an unnamed module)

Interface: 314-pin MXM edge connector, compatible with SMARC 2.2 standard (excluding PCIE_C, USB5, HDMI, SATA, etc.)

Size: 82 x 50 mm

Temperature Range: -40°C to +85°C

Product Lifecycle: Available until at least 2039

 

Toradex provides software support for the Cortex-A cores with Torizon Linux, Yocto, and Android. For the Cortex-M real-time cores, it supports FreeRTOS, QNX, and Zephyr. The software for the i.MX 8M Plus is fully ready, but support for the i.MX 95 is still being worked on. Samples of the SMARC iMX95 are expected by Q2 2025, with full production starting in Q4 2025. This is a typical timeline, as it usually takes 2-3 years for industrial chips to go from announcement to production.

Switching to SMARC-compliant modules lets customers choose from different suppliers based on price, support, or supply chain needs. For example, other companies like AAEON, congatec, ADLINK, and iWave also offer SMARC modules with the NXP i.MX 8M Plus chip.

While SMARC modules usually work with each other, differences in memory, storage, and networking might need some software updates or small changes to the carrier board. Toradex helps by offering a free compatibility check to see what’s involved in switching to its SMARC modules. Migration usually takes about two weeks for the same SoC, four weeks for a different Arm SoC, and up to eight weeks for an x86 SoC. For more information, visit the Toradex product page.