IoT platform provider Particle has developed the Tachyon single-board computer on the Qualcomm hardware platform. The new product, available for pre-order starting at $149, is designed to create AI-enabled peripherals and IoT products.
The Tachyon is based on the Qualcomm QCM6490 processor. It contains eight Kryo cores in 1×2.7 GHz, 3×2.4 GHz and 4×1.9 GHz configurations. The chip includes an Adreno 643 graphics unit and a Hexagon 770 node with an AI accelerator that provides performance up to 12 TOPS.
Image Source: Particle
The single board computer has 4 GB of RAM and a 64 GB UFS flash drive. The equipment includes Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 adapters, as well as a 5G cellular modem. USB Type-C 3.1 (DisplayPort), PCIe 3.0 (2 lines), DSI (4 lines), 2×CSI (4 lines) interfaces are implemented. Power is possible via a USB Type-C connector or from a lithium-ion battery. It is said that it is compatible with various camera sensors (for example, IMX519, OV13850) with a resolution of up to 25 MP.
Image Source: Particle
The new product has a 40-pin GPIO header compatible with Raspberry Pi. It is possible to use additional Raspberry Pi HAT boards to expand functionality. In addition, you can connect a USB-C module with USB Type-A connectors, a 1GbE port and an HDMI connector. Tachyon ships with Ubuntu 24.04, but compatibility with Yocto Linux, Android 13 and Windows 11 is also mentioned.
On the Kickstarter platform, the Tachyon project has raised almost $130 thousand as of August 1, 2024, and there is approximately a month left before the end of fundraising. Deliveries of the new product are scheduled to begin in January 2025.