Orion O6: Open source mainboard offers numerous ports, expansion options and fast NPU
We have often reported on Radxa, whose product range includes single-board computers. The company recently launched the Orion O6, a new ARM-based mainboard. According to Radxa, this is the first open source mainboard based on ARM V9 architecture. A Cix CD8180 SoC is installed, which has 12 CPU cores, including quad Cortex A720 cores that run up to 2.8 GHz. An Arm Immortals G720 MC10 graphics chip is integrated into the SoC along with an NPU whose performance is specified as up to 30 TOPS, which can power AI applications accordingly.
The RAM is located directly on the board; the LPDDR5 RAM measures up to 64 GB. Buyers should note that the RAM is soldered, so users should either be confident in their soldering skills or select their preferred maximum amount upon checkout. A PCIe x 16 slot with 8 PCIe Gen 4 lanes is available for the installation of an SSD, a dedicated graphics card or an AI accelerator card.
Two Ethernet ports with a data transfer rate of 5 gigabits each allow for very high network speeds. A WiFi or Bluetooth module can be retrofitted thanks to a M.2 Key E connector. Image content can be output via HDMI, DisplayPort, eDisplayPort and USB-C, and cameras can be connected via MIPI CSI. Like the Raspberry Pi 5, a GPIO header is on board, as well as a 4-pin CPU fan header with smart PWM control.
The starting price of the Orion 6 with 8 GB of RAM is $199, whereby customers also receive an aluminum alloy case and a cooling solution.
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