Specifications
Explore the technical specifications of the ALPON X5 AI edge computer, including CPU, NPU performance, memory, and connectivity. Evaluate its capabilities for edge AI applications.
ALPON X5 AI specifications
Complete hardware and electrical specifications for the ALPON X5 AI: an industrial edge AI computer built on Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 with a DEEPX DX-M1 NPU rated at 25 TOPS at INT8. Use this reference for mechanical integration, power budgeting, radio planning, and regulatory compliance. Intelligented by DEEPX. Built on Raspberry Pi.
The ALPON X5 AI ships with a Broadcom BCM2712 quad-core Cortex-A76 @ 2.4 GHz on Raspberry Pi CM5, 8 GB or 16 GB LPDDR4-4267 ECC RAM, a DEEPX DX-M1 NPU (25 TOPS at INT8) with 4 GB dedicated memory on a PCIe Gen 3 lane, NVMe SSD, 2× Gigabit Ethernet with optional PoE+ on ETHERNET 0, LTE Cat 4 with eSIM (eUICC), Wi-Fi 5 dual-band, Bluetooth 5.0 / BLE, and an Infineon SLB 9670 TPM 2.0. The fanless aluminum enclosure operates from -20 °C to +60 °C. Intelligented by DEEPX. Built on Raspberry Pi.
Mechanical & environmental
The ALPON X5 AI uses a fully aluminum, fanless enclosure. The top face acts as a passive cooling surface and must remain unobstructed to ensure thermal performance under sustained AI inference workloads. DIN rail and wall mount kits are available as optional accessories.
For sustained high-TOPS AI workloads, mount the device with the aluminum top face exposed to ambient airflow. The enclosure is rated for +60 °C ambient; internal junction temperatures stay within CM5 and DEEPX thermal limits under typical industrial deployment scenarios.
Compute & AI
The host platform is the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5. The AI accelerator is the DEEPX DX-M1 in M.2 2280 form factor on a PCIe Gen 3 lane, fanned out to the NVMe SSD through an on-board ASM2806I packet switch. AI inference does not contend with host CPU or system RAM; the NPU has its own 4 GB on-chip memory.
dx_engine) · C++ (dxrt_api.h)
dxtop command-line utility (NPU usage, memory, temperature)
YOLO-family vision models compiled with PPU support reach approximately 50 FPS at 1280 × 720 and 20 to 25 FPS at 1920 × 1080 on the DX-M1, measured on nano-class variants. FPS varies by model and resolution; transformer-class models are not yet supported. See the AI Development guide for benchmarks and the model-conversion workflow.
Memory & storage
System memory is supplied by the CM5 module. Persistent storage uses an NVMe SSD on the same PCIe Gen 3 fabric as the NPU, with optional onboard eMMC for boot.
Input & output
All externally accessible I/O is exposed on the front and rear faces of the enclosure. For pinouts and GPIO mapping, see the Physical Layout & I/O reference.
The RJ45-style GPIO Add-on port is not an Ethernet or PoE port. Connecting an Ethernet or PoE cable to this port causes permanent hardware damage. Use this port only for Sixfab Edge add-on modules.
Total current across both USB 3.0 ports is shared and capped at 1.8 A. Exceeding this triggers hardware current limiting; sustained overload triggers thermal cut-off on both ports together. The ports recover automatically once the offending device is removed — no reboot required.
Cellular
The integrated LTE Cat 4 modem connects to the CM5 over the native USB 2.0 bus and supports global LTE bands. eSIM (eUICC SGP.22) is soldered on-board for remote profile provisioning. Hardware reset is exposed on GPIO 18 for cases where the modem locks on the network.
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth & GNSS
Short-range wireless and positioning are provided by the CM5's integrated radio plus a dedicated GNSS receiver. Antenna naming uses the standard Sixfab convention: LTE Main, LTE Diversity, GNSS/GPS, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth.
For full antenna pattern, gain, and connector specifications, see Connectivity & Antenna Specifications.
Power
The ALPON X5 AI accepts power on three inputs: a 12 to 32 V DC screw terminal, a USB Type-C PD sink, and an optional PoE+ (IEEE 802.3at) path on ETHERNET 0. There is no hardware priority between sources; the device draws from whichever input has the highest voltage. The terminal block has reverse polarity protection.
Although the hardware tolerates simultaneous connections on multiple inputs, Sixfab does not recommend powering the device from more than one source at a time. When multiple inputs are connected, the device draws from the source with the highest voltage. PoE+ is available only on ETHERNET 0; ETHERNET 1 cannot supply power.
Security
The ALPON X5 AI ships with a hardware root of trust via an Infineon TPM 2.0 module on SPI0. A hardware watchdog resets the device on firmware or OS failure and can only be disabled physically through the SW1 DIP switch — there is no software bypass.
tpm2-tools (sudo apt install tpm2-tools)
Software
The device ships with the pre-installed ALPON X5 AI OS: a Raspberry Pi compatible Linux distribution with the DEEPX runtime driver (dxrt-runtime) installed on the host. Application workloads deploy as containers via ALPON Cloud.
dxrt-runtime driver pre-installed on host
/dev/dxrt0 volume mapping
Expansion
Hardware expansion is provided through the GPIO add-on port and USB ports, plus official Sixfab Edge add-on modules. eSIM remote provisioning supports the GSMA SGP.22 Consumer profile.
Compliance
The ALPON X5 AI targets the regulatory certifications listed below. Compliance status is updated continuously; for region-specific availability and certified frequency declarations, contact Sixfab.
1 IP40 protection against solid objects greater than 1 mm. Not rated for liquid ingress.
2 NPU-only power consumption for DEEPX-supported AI models. Total system power depends on workload across CM5, modem, USB, and camera subsystems.
3 ETHERNET 0 is a native CM5 Gigabit port and supports PoE+. ETHERNET 1 is bridged through a USB hub via the RTL8153B controller and shares its 5 Gbps USB lane with one USB 3.0 port.
4 This product supports only 4G/LTE networks, with no fallback to 2G/3G. Performance on non-4G/LTE networks is not guaranteed.
5 Data rates are theoretical maxima. Actual throughput depends on network conditions, band, and carrier.
6 The USB Type-C port is a USB-PD sink only. It does not source power and is not a general-purpose USB data port; it is used for image flashing in burn mode.
7 Indicative figures based on Sixfab measurements. Actual consumption varies with workload, ambient temperature, and connected peripherals.
8 Restricted mode is automatic. When input voltage drops below 12 V (e.g. a 5 V supply), the device disables high-power subsystems to keep core compute and connectivity online safely down to 5 V.
9 Certification in progress at time of writing.
Updated 16 days ago