Rakun X91/X93 system IP block

Rakun X91/X93 system IP block

Rakun X91/X93 system IP block is a small foot-print, verified and proven building block consisting of CPU and memory subsystem for easy and inexpensive integration. Complete platform with hardware, Intellectual Property (IP), software and design support.

It is pre-designed and based on NXP’s i.MX 91 and i.MX 93 processors, members of the i.MX 9 family. Because the two devices are pin-compatible, a single Rakun X91/X93 layout accepts either processor — you choose between them at purchase order time rather than at design time. It features Arm Cortex-A55 application processing, a 16-bit LPDDR4 memory subsystem with inline ECC, eMMC 5.1 flash, dual Gigabit Ethernet and NXP’s EdgeLock secure enclave. Other periphery comprises standard interfaces: UARTs, SPIs, I²C, CAN FD, SD, PWM, ADC etc.

It is available in the form of a PCB layout segment that can be easily integrated into a customer specific board. It offers a lot of interfaces used in telecom, industrial and instrumentation applications. Customization of the system is also available even for smaller quantities. It runs Linux.

Why this block, and why now

The memory market has made processor selection a supply question as much as a technical one. The i.MX 9 generation answers it unusually well:

• One small memory device, not an array. i.MX 91 and i.MX 93 drive a single 16-bit LPDDR4 part, typically 1 GB or 2 GB — a different corner of the market from the high-density DDR4 and DDR5 product that data centre demand has drained, with a wide choice of qualified suppliers.
• ECC without ECC memory. Inline ECC is implemented in the SoC, so you get error protection on a standard LPDDR4 device instead of hunting for scarce ECC-specific parts. For industrial, medical, energy and transport designs this removes one of the hardest lines on the BOM.
• Two processors, one board. i.MX 91 is pin-compatible with i.MX 93 in both the 11×11 mm and 9×9 mm packages and runs the same PCB layout. If one goes on allocation, or if a customer needs a cheaper or a more capable variant, you populate the other. No respin.
• Long life by design. Both devices are covered by NXP’s product longevity programme.

The LPDDR4 layout and the power sequencing are the two things that most often cost an i.MX 9 project its schedule. In Rakun X91/X93 both are already done, laid out and proven in silicon.

What you get

• The validated CPU and memory subsystem as a PCB layout segment, ready to drop into your schematic and layout
• Design support through integration, bring-up and production
• A working Linux platform on day one
• The design itself. Not a module you rent, not a footprint you are locked into. The hardware, the software and the design data are yours.

Customization and low volumes

The usual objection to owning your own board is NRE: “we don’t ship enough units to justify a custom design.” Rakun exists to make that untrue. You start from a working, silicon-validated core and pay only for what is specific to your product — so a custom board becomes economic at volumes where a module would normally win by default. And unlike a module, the result carries no per-unit licence and no dependency on somebody else’s roadmap.

Related

• Design-around services for memory and silicon shortage
• Rakun X95 system IP block
• Rakun X8MMini/Nano system IP block
• Rakun X6UL system IP block
• Hardware design · Software design · Tailored i.MX solutions

Interested?

Tell us your interface list and your volume and we will tell you what an integration looks like. info@borea.si · Contact us