Described by Radxa as its flagship edge AI module, the rCore-Q8550 targets robotics and machine vision with the Qualcomm Dragonwing QCS8550 platform and an optional Hexagon AI processor delivering up to 48 Dense INT8 TOPS. The 36 x 32mm module also supports up to 16GB of LPDDR5X, 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage, PCIe Gen 4, and six four-lane MIPI-CSI interfaces.

The Qualcomm QCS8550 is manufactured on a 4nm process and integrates an eight-core 64-bit Kryo CPU. The configuration consists of one GoldPlus core operating at up to 3.2GHz, four Gold cores at up to 2.8GHz, and three Silver cores at up to 2.0GHz.

Graphics processing is handled by the Qualcomm Adreno 740 GPU, which supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing, OpenGL ES 3.2, Vulkan 1.2, OpenCL 3.0 Full Profile, and Adreno NN Direct.

For AI workloads, the rCore-Q8550 can be configured with a Qualcomm Hexagon AI processor providing up to 48 Dense INT8 TOPS. The accelerator includes dual eNPU V3 engines, four HVX units, and HMX. Radxa also lists a configuration without the NPU.

Qualcomm QCS8550 block diagram

The Qualcomm Adreno VPU supports H.265, H.264, VP9, and AV1 video decoding at up to 4K240 or 8K60. H.264 and H.265 encoding is supported at up to 4K120 or 8K30.

Display processing is handled by the Adreno 1295 DPU. The module provides two four-lane MIPI-DSI interfaces and DisplayPort 1.4 through USB-C, with support for up to two 4K60 displays using Multi-Stream Transport.

Camera connectivity is provided through the Qualcomm Spectra ISP, with up to six four-lane MIPI-CSI interfaces. Radxa lists support for image capture at up to 108MP at 30fps with zero-shutter-lag, as well as non-ZSL snapshots at resolutions up to 200MP.

Radxa rCore-Q8550 main components

The module supports up to 16GB of 64-bit LPDDR5X memory and incorporates 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage alongside 32MB of SPI NOR flash. MicroSD storage is supported through an SD 3.0 interface, while NVMe storage can be connected through PCIe.

High-speed expansion includes one PCIe Gen 4 x2 interface and one PCIe Gen 3 x2 interface. USB connectivity consists of USB 3.1 Gen 2 operating at up to 10Gbps, with DisplayPort 1.4 Alt Mode available through USB-C, along with an eUSB 2.0 interface.

rCore-Q8550 dimensions

Audio connectivity includes SoundWire and digital microphone interfaces driven by a Qualcomm Hexagon V73M dual-cluster, four-thread DSP. QUP interfaces provide UART, I2C, I3C, and SPI connectivity, while the module block diagram additionally lists I2S, PWM, and GPIO signals.

The rCore-Q8550 uses a 516-ball BGA package and measures 36 x 32mm. Radxa positions the module for autonomous mobile robots, intelligent cameras, edge AI gateways, and multimodal AI devices.

Radxa rCore-Q8550 SoM

Radxa also shows a carrier board for development with the rCore-Q8550, although a separate product name and detailed specifications for the board were not listed in the available material.

rCore-Q8550 compatible carrier board

For software, Radxa indicates planned support for Radxa OS, Ubuntu, Debian, Armbian, fnOS, Windows, and other operating systems. Qualcomm AI Hub is also supported for on-device AI model deployment and application development.

Specifications listed for the rCore-Q8550 include:

• Processor:
  • Qualcomm Dragonwing QCS8550, 8-core 64-bit Kryo CPU
  • 1x GoldPlus up to 3.2GHz, 4x Gold up to 2.8GHz, and 3x Silver up to 2.0GHz
• AI:
  • Optional Qualcomm Hexagon AI processor
  • Dual eNPU V3, 4x HVX, and HMX
  • Up to 48 Dense INT8 TOPS
  • Optional configuration without NPU
• Graphics:
  • Qualcomm Adreno 740 GPU
• Memory:
  • Up to 16GB 64-bit LPDDR5X
• Storage:
  • 128GB UFS 3.1
  • 32MB SPI NOR flash
  • SD 3.0 for microSD
  • NVMe support through PCIe
• Video:
  • H.265/H.264/VP9/AV1 decode up to 4K240 or 8K60
  • H.264/H.265 encode up to 4K120 or 8K30
• Display:
  • 2x four-lane MIPI-DSI
  • DisplayPort 1.4 over USB-C
  • Up to dual 4K60 displays with MST
• Camera:
  • Up to 6x four-lane MIPI-CSI
  • Up to 108MP at 30fps with ZSL
  • Up to 200MP non-ZSL image capture
• PCIe:
  • 1x PCIe Gen 4 x2
  • 1x PCIe Gen 3 x2
• USB:
  • USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10Gbps
  • USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4 Alt Mode
  • eUSB 2.0
• Audio:
  • Qualcomm Hexagon V73M dual-cluster, four-thread DSP
  • SoundWire and DMIC
• I/O:
  • UART, I2C, I3C, SPI
  • I2S, PWM, and GPIO
• Mechanical:
  • 516-ball BGA
  • 36 x 32mm

Further Information

Radxa had not listed pricing or availability information for the rCore-Q8550 SoM at the time of publication.