AM68 Dual-Core Arm® Cortex®-A72 MCU

Texas Instruments' AM68 scalable processor is based on the evolutionary Jacinto™ 7 architecture and designed for smart vision cameras and general computing applications. The AM68x family is designed for a variety of cost-sensitive high-performance computing applications in factory automation, building automation, and more.

The AM68 provides high-performance computing technology for traditional and deep-learning algorithms at industry-leading power/performance ratios with a high level of system integration to enable scalability and lower costs for advanced vision camera applications. The key cores include Arm and GPU processors for general computing, next-generation DSP with scalar and vector cores, dedicated deep learning and traditional algorithm accelerators, an integrated next-generation imaging subsystem (ISP), video codec, and an isolated MCU island. The cores are protected by industrial-grade safety and security hardware accelerators.

The separate dual-core cluster configuration of Arm Cortex-A72 facilitates multi-OS applications with minimal need for a software hypervisor. Up to two Arm Cortex-R5F subsystems enable low-level, timing critical processing tasks to leave the Arm Cortex-A72 cores unencumbered for applications. Building on the existing world-class ISP, TI’s 7th-generation ISP includes flexibility to process a broader sensor suite, higher bit depth support, and features for analytics applications. The integrated diagnostics and safety features support operations up to SIL-2 levels and the integrated security features protect data from attacks. The CSI2.0 ports enable multi-sensor inputs.

The C7000™ DSP next-generation core (“C7x”) combines TI’s industry-leading DSP and EVE cores into a single higher-performance core and adds floating-point vector calculation capabilities, enabling backward compatibility for legacy code while simplifying software programming. The MMA deep-learning accelerator enables performance up to 8 trillion operations per second (TOPS) within an extremely low-power envelope for operating at the worst-case junction temperatures of +105°C and +125°C. The dedicated vision hardware accelerators provide vision pre-processing with no impact on the system's performance. The C7x/MMA cores are available for a deep-learning function in the AM68 class of processors.