NVIDIA Unveils Jetson TX2 AI Embedded Computing Platform

By Mike Ball / 14 Mar 2017
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NVIDIA Jetson TX2 and TX1
NVIDIA has announced the NVIDIA Jetson TX2, a credit card-sized platform that delivers AI computing for applications such as intelligent factory robots, commercial drones and smart cameras.

Jetson TX2 offers twice the performance of its predecessor, or it can run at more than twice the power efficiency, while drawing less than 7.5 watts of power. This allows Jetson TX2 to run larger, deeper neural networks on edge devices. The result is smarter devices with higher accuracy and faster response times for tasks like image classification, navigation and speech recognition.

“Jetson TX2 brings powerful AI capabilities at the edge, making possible a new class of intelligent machines,” said Deepu Talla, vice president and general manager of the Tegra business at NVIDIA. “These devices will enable intelligent video analytics that keep our cities smarter and safer, new kinds of robots that optimize manufacturing, and new collaboration that makes long-distance work more efficient.”

The Jetson TX2 joins the Jetson TX1 and TK1 products for embedded computing. Jetson is an open platform that is accessible to anyone for developing advanced AI solutions at the edge – from enterprise companies and startups to researchers and high school students.

The NVIDIA Jetson platform enables Cisco to add AI features such as facial and speech recognition to its Cisco Spark products. Cisco is able to drive new experiences and remove the barriers between physical and virtual spaces, thanks to the Jetson TX2’s advanced technology capabilities in AI computing and graphics.

“For years, NVIDIA has demonstrated its commitment to FIRST through multifaceted support by providing Jetson developer kits for robot builds, online training resources, and team and event funding,” said Donald E. Bossi, president of FIRST, an international K-12 nonprofit focused on science and technology. “Through these efforts, NVIDIA is helping to inspire more young students to become innovators and inventors.”

Key features of Jetson TX2 include:

GPU: 256-core NVIDIA Pascal architecture-based GPU offering best-in-class performance
CPU: Dual 64-bit NVIDIA Denver 2, Quad ARM A57
Video: 4K x 2K 60fps encode and decode
Camera: 12 CSI lanes supporting up to 6 cameras; 2.5 gigabytes/second/lane
Memory: 8GB LPDDR4; 58.3 gigabytes/second
Storage: 32GB eMMC
Connectivity: 802.11ac WLAN, Bluetooth
Networking: 1GB Ethernet
OS Support: Linux for Tegra
Size: 50mm x 87mm

The Jetson family is supported by a comprehensive SDK for AI computing, JetPack 3.0, which makes it easy to integrate AI into a wide variety of applications, and supports the following:

  • TensorRT 1.0, a high-performance neural network inference engine for production deployment of deep learning applications
  • cuDNN 5.1, a GPU-accelerated library of primitives for deep neural networks
  • VisionWorks 1.6, a software development package for computer vision and image processing
  • The latest graphics drivers and APIs, including OpenGL 4.5, OpenGL ES 3.2, EGL 1.4 and Vulkan 1.0
  • CUDA 8, which turns the GPU into a general-purpose massively parallel processor
Posted by Mike Ball Mike Ball is our resident technical editor here at Unmanned Systems Technology. Combining his passion for teaching, advanced engineering and all things unmanned, Mike keeps a watchful eye over everything related to the unmanned technical sector. With over 10 years’ experience in the unmanned field and a degree in engineering, Mike’s been heading up our technical team here for the last 8 years. Connect & Contact