Following the release of the FRDM i.MX 93 board, NXP has launched the FRDM i.MX 91 development board, a compact platform based on the i.MX 91 applications processor. It is intended for early-stage development and evaluation of industrial and IoT systems that require basic Linux support, integrated connectivity, and hardware-level security.

The board features a single-core Arm Cortex-A55 processor operating at 1.4 GHz. Security functionality is provided by NXP’s EdgeLock Secure Enclave, which supports secure boot, cryptographic operations, and tamper detection through dedicated hardware mechanisms.

FRDM i.MX 91 Block Diagram(click image to enlarge)
The system includes 1 GB of LPDDR4 memory and 8 GB of onboard eMMC 5.1 storage. A microSD slot is available for additional storage, and an EEPROM is included for configuration or identification data. Power management is provided by the PCA9451A PMIC, optimized for low-power operation.

Wireless connectivity is delivered through the onboard u-blox MAYA-W476-00B module. This module supports dual-band Wi-Fi 6 (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz), Bluetooth Low Energy 5.4, and IEEE 802.15.4, with compatibility for protocols such as Thread, Zigbee, and Matter.

FRDM i.MX 91 Bottom View(click image to enlarge)
The board also includes two Gigabit Ethernet ports, USB 2.0 Type-A and Type-C connectors, CAN bus support, and UART via USB-C. For expansion, it provides a 40-pin GPIO header, along with additional headers for I²C and ADC access. Display and camera interfaces are supported via 40-pin parallel RGB and parallel camera connectors.

For debugging and development, the board includes an SWD interface and USB-based serial communication. Software support includes Linux and FreeRTOS, with integration into NXP’s Yocto-based BSP and Debian Linux SDK. These resources provide kernel, bootloader, and user-space components for evaluation and prototyping.

FRDM i.MX 91 Top view(click image to enlarge)
Compared to the FRDM i.MX 93 development board, the i.MX 91 board presents a simplified architecture with a single-core processor, lower memory capacity, and parallel display and camera interfaces instead of MIPI. The i.MX 93 features dual Cortex-A55 cores, an additional Cortex-M33 core, and an Ethos-U65 microNPU for machine learning workloads, making it more appropriate for higher-performance applications. In contrast, the FRDM i.MX 91 is designed for energy-efficient and cost-sensitive scenarios.

Specifications listed for the FRDM i.MX 91 Development Board include:

• Memory & Storage:
  • RAM: 1 GB LPDDR4
  • Flash Storage: 8 GB eMMC 5.1
  • MicroSD slot
  • EEPROM: Included
• Connectivity:
  • 2x 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet (RJ45)
  • Wi-Fi: Dual-band 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz Wi-Fi 6 (via u-blox MAYA-W476-00B module)
  • Bluetooth: Bluetooth Low Energy 5.4
  • IEEE 802.15.4: Supports Thread, Zigbee, and Matter
• Camera & Display:
  • Parallel RGB LCD interface (40-pin Expansion Interface)
  • Parallel Camera interface (40-pin Expansion Interface)
  • Audio:
  • 3.5mm headphone jack with MQS support
• I/O:
  • CAN bus (HDR)
  • I²C header
  • ADC header
  • 40-pin (2×20) Expansion GPIO Header
• USB:
  • 1x USB 2.0 Type-C
  • 1x USB 2.0 Type-A
• Miscellaneous:
  • SWD connector
  • UART via USB Type-C
  • NXP PCA9451A PMIC for power management

Further information

The FRDM-IMX91 is priced at $75.00 and is available through the NXP website. For additional documentation, technical specifications, and software resources, refer to NXP’s official product page.