AMD Enables Ecosystem for High-Performance Mini PCs

AMD has announced it is enabling an open ecosystem for OEMs to create and customize high performance Mini PCs, powered by AMD Ryzen Embedded V1000 and R1000 processors. ASRock Industrial, EEPD, OnLogic and Simply NUC, are the first OEMs to offer and sell these new Mini PC platforms for the industrial, media, communications and enterprise markets.

These companies are giving customers an open and customizable platform based on high-performance CPU/GPU processor with expansive peripheral support, in-depth security features and a planned ten-year processor availability.

Rajneesh Gaur, Corporate Vice President and General Manager, Embedded Solutions, AMD, said: “The demand for high performance computing isn’t limited to servers or desktop PCs. Embedded customers want access to small form factor PCs that can support open software standards, demanding workloads at the edge, and even display 4K content, all with embedded processors that have a planned availability of ten years.

“This is why many of our technology partners have chosen AMD Ryzen Embedded processors to power their Mini PCs. We are excited to work together and provide the industry with a new open ecosystem for small form factor computing.”

Driving a Diverse Hardware Ecosystem

The power of a device comes from its ease of use and scalability, which in turn depends on the ecosystem supporting it. These new Mini PCs, powered by AMD Ryzen Embedded, have access to an existing embedded processor ecosystem that supports open software standards, while providing OEMs the capability to create unique, customizable platforms.

The growing list of hardware partners creating Mini PCs powered by AMD Ryzen Embedded includes:

• ASRock Industrial and its 4X4 BOX – R1000V and 4X4 BOX – V1000M systems aim to deliver cost-effective, high-performance and versatile embedded Mini PCs for home entertainment, business and industrial applications.
• EEPD with the SBC PROFIVE NUCV and SBC PROFIVE NUCR embedded Mini PC product family which is characterized by high-performance computing requiring minimal space
• OnLogic and the ML100G-40 and MC510-40. These are the first two systems in a line of AMD powered small form-factor computers that leverage the reliability and lifecycle benefits of OnLogic’s expertise in building industrial and rugged devices.
• Simply NUC with the Sequoia V8 and Sequoia V6, which are rugged, long-lasting units to power digital signage displays, electronic kiosks, data arrays, and other free-standing utilities.

James Lee, President, ASRock Industrial, said: “We saw the high-performance computing demands of home entertainment, business and industrial applications such as Digital Signage, Kiosks, and IoT Gateway. By working with AMD, ASRock Industrial was able to deliver the 4×4 BOX-V1000M/R1000V, giving our customers new cost-effective and high-performance solutions.”

Aaron Rowsell, CEO, Simply NUC, added: “Simply NUC has excelled in making small form factor PCs for a while, but when we took a look at our product roadmap, we noticed a gap in providing our customers with high-performance, long life platforms. With the new Simply NUC Sequoia platform, we get to take the high-performance capabilities and planned longevity of the AMD Ryzen Embedded processors and combine that with the Simply NUC experience and create a minicomputer that’s small in size but not on toughness or reliability.”
Supporting Open Software

Mini PCs powered by AMD Ryzen Embedded processors support a growing list of software partners with pre-validated packages based on open source software. These partners include Radeon Open Compute (ROCm), OpenCL, and more.

As well, these Mini PCs can run software for machine vision, object detection, edge inference, and analytics from AMD software ecosystem partners, creating a platform that’s well suited for applications that require fast deployment.

Steven Chiang, CEO, AlphaInfo, said: “We’re excited to support this new ecosystem of Mini PCs powered by AMD Ryzen Embedded processors. At AlphaInfo our expertise with advanced data integration, mature software engineering and technology industry data analysis and management allows us to create innovative and robust application systems that suit every customer’s unique needs, whether it’s in an embedded application or a Mini PC providing compute power at the edge.”

AMD Ryzen Embedded Processor Overview

The AMD Ryzen Embedded processors bring together AMD “Zen” CPU and “Vega” GPU architectures in a seamlessly integrated SoC solution for high-performance compute to support the modern computing needs of industrial, media, and enterprise applications.

The AMD Ryzen Embedded V1000 and R1000 processors provide scalable solutions from 6 watts to 54 watts in a pin compatible package that powers high resolution, 4K multi-display configurability, high-performance 3D graphics all while enabling extended availability that alleviates replacement cycles and minimizes customer costs.