Technical Reference

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, and radio planning. Regulatory certification is still in progress — see Compliance before making any conformity or market-placement decision. Intelligented by DEEPX. Built on Raspberry Pi.

DEEPX DX-M1 Raspberry Pi CM5 LTE Cat 4 Wi-Fi 5 · BT 5.0 TPM 2.0

ALPON X5 AI · Technical Reference · Specifications · Updated 2026-09-17

What are the specs of the ALPON X5 AI?

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.

AI Accelerator

25 TOPS DEEPX DX-M1, INT8 · 4 GB on-chip

Compute

CM5 @ 2.4 GHz Quad-core Cortex-A76 (Armv8)

Memory

Up to 16 GB LPDDR4-4267 ECC SDRAM

Operating

-20 to +60 °C Fanless · IP40 · Aluminum

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.

Dimensions 100 × 100 × 45 mm (3.93 × 3.93 × 1.77 in), without antennas

Weight Approx. 457 g (1.0 lb)

Case Material Full aluminum enclosure, top side passively cooled

Protection Class¹ IP40

Operating Temperature -20 °C to +60 °C (-4 °F to +140 °F)

Storage Temperature -40 °C to +85 °C (-40 °F to +185 °F)

Max. Relative Humidity Up to 95%, non-condensing

Environmental Rugged, fanless design suitable for industrial and harsh environments

Mounting Options DIN Mount (optional) · Wall Mount (optional)

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.

Host Module Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5

Processor Broadcom BCM2712 quad-core 64-bit Arm Cortex-A76 (Armv8) SoC @ 2.4 GHz

AI Accelerator DEEPX DX-M1 (M.2 2280)

NPU Performance 25 TOPS at INT8 precision

NPU Memory 4 GB on-chip dedicated (does not share system RAM)

NPU Power² 2 W min · 5 W max for DEEPX-supported AI models

NPU Interface PCIe Gen 3 (via on-board ASM2806I packet switch)

Supported Model Formats ONNX (input) → DXNN compiler · PyTorch, TensorFlow, Keras, MXNet, XGBoost-trained models exported to ONNX

Runtime APIs Python (dx_engine) · C++ (dxrt_api.h)

Concurrent Inference Multiple models supported simultaneously on the NPU

NPU Monitoring 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 Model Deployment 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.

System Memory 8 GB or 16 GB LPDDR4-4267 SDRAM with ECC

Primary Storage NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3, M.2)

Boot Storage (Optional) CM5 onboard eMMC

Real Time Clock CR1220 coin-cell battery backup

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.

USB 2× USB 3.0 (5 Gbps) · 1× USB Type-C (USB-PD sink, burn mode only — not a data or power-out port)

USB Power Capacity 5 V DC, 1.8 A total (shared across both USB 3.0 ports, AP22653 power switch)

Ethernet 2× 1 Gbps (RJ45)³

Display 1× HDMI 2.0 (up to 4Kp60, HDR, HEVC / H.265)

Camera Module Interface 1× MIPI CSI-2, 2-lane (camera only, not display) routed to a Mini HDMI connector

Camera Power 3.3 V DC @ 490 mA

Tested Camera Raspberry Pi Camera Module 3 (via Sixfab Camera Board v1.0 adapter)

GPIO Add-on Port 1× RJ45-style connector exposing 6 GPIO pins (SPI5, UART4, UART0, I2C2, I2C3) plus 5 V OUT, GND

GPIO Logic Level 3.3 V · 1 kΩ pull-ups · ESD protected · onboard level converter

GPIO Power Output 5 V DC @ 1 A (5 W max), software-enabled via GPIO 21, fault detection on GPIO 20

Buttons 2× user buttons: PB1 (front, GPIO 5) and PB2 (rear, GPIO 6), both user-programmable · pull-up, active-low

LED Indicators 4 indicator LEDs: 1× user RGB (programmable) · 1× cellular RGB (blue / yellow / red signal strength) · 1× status (green) · 1× power (white) · TCA6408 I/O expander on I2C1

Switches 1× boot/burn DIP switch (SW2) · 1× watchdog enable/disable DIP switch (SW1)

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.

Cellular Module⁴ 4G / LTE Cat 4

Coverage Global

Frequency Bands B1 / B2 / B3 / B4 / B5 / B7 / B8 / B12 / B13 / B18 / B19 / B20 / B25 / B26 / B28 / B34 / B38 / B39 / B40 / B41 / B66

Data Speed⁵ LTE-FDD: up to 150 Mbps DL / 50 Mbps UL (theoretical) · LTE-TDD: up to 130 Mbps DL / 30 Mbps UL (theoretical)

SIM Type eSIM (eUICC) SGP.22 compatible · Consumer profile management · remote download & switch

Modem Power 3.3 V rail · 3 A peak · ≈5 W typical at full load

Modem Reset Hardware reset on GPIO 18 (HIGH for 10 s, then LOW)

Antennas 2× LTE (LTE Main + LTE Diversity)

Outdoor IP67 Antenna (Optional) 3-meter cabled combination antenna with surface mount

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.

Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz dual-band, IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac (Wi-Fi 5)

Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.0 / BLE

Positioning GPS / GNSS · Cellular Geolocation

Antennas 1× Wi-Fi/Bluetooth · 1× GNSS/GPS

Network Failover Automatic failover across Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and LTE Cat 4 (managed by the ALPON Cloud stack)

For full antenna pattern, gain, and connector specifications, see Antenna connectors.

Power

The ALPON X5 AI accepts power on three inputs: a 12 to 24 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.

Power Inputs Screw Terminal Block (12 to 24 V DC) · USB-C PD sink · PoE+ IEEE 802.3at, class 4 (optional, ETHERNET 0 only)

Terminal Block Pinout 1: Chassis Ground · 2: V- · 3: V+

Reverse Polarity Protection Yes, on the terminal block

USB-C PD Recommended⁶ 27 W minimum (bundled adapter: 15 V / 1.8 A) · 45 W adapter (e.g. 15 V / 3.0 A) recommended for full-load operation

USB-C PD Supported Profiles 12 V / ≥2.25 A · 15 V / ≥1.8 A (27 W minimum; up to 45 W recommended)

PoE+ Input Voltage 37 to 57 V DC (per IEEE 802.3at)

PoE+ Maximum Power Up to 25 W

PoE+ Budget Up to 25 W delivered at the device. Full load of all subsystems is ≈45 W, so PoE+ alone cannot sustain full load: on PoE, keep peripheral load (USB devices, camera, GPIO add-on 5 V rail) low enough that total draw stays under 25 W, or use the DC terminal / USB-C PD input for sustained AI workloads

Idle Power⁷ Approx. 8 W (CM5 + LTE + regulators)

Half-load Power⁷ Approx. 20 W

Full-load Power⁷ Approx. 45 W (all subsystems active: NPU, USB, camera, GPIO add-on)

USB Output Power 5 V DC, 1.8 A total (across both USB 3.0 ports)

Restricted Mode⁸ Below 12 V input, the device runs only the CM5, LTE modem, and Ethernet ports; USB, PCIe, GPIO add-on, and camera are disabled

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.

TPM Module Infineon Technologies SLB 9670VQ2.0 (TPM 2.0, SPI interface)

TPM Connections SPI0: SCLK GPIO 11 · CS GPIO 7 · MISO GPIO 9 · MOSI GPIO 10 · IRQ GPIO 24 · RST GPIO 4 (active LOW)

TPM Tooling tpm2-tools (sudo apt install tpm2-tools)

Hardware Watchdog 5-minute timeout · trigger pin GPIO 16 · status pin GPIO 8 · resets device on missed kick

Watchdog Disable SW1 DIP switch only (no software disable)

Always-on VPN Built-in VPN tunnel dedicated to ALPON Cloud services

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.

Pre-installed OS ALPON X5 AI OS (Raspberry Pi compatible, ARM64)

NPU Runtime dxrt-runtime driver pre-installed on host

Container Runtime Not pre-installed; install Docker (sudo apt install docker.io) or deploy via ALPON Cloud. NPU exposed to containers via privileged mode + /dev/dxrt0 volume mapping

Container Management Deploy, monitor, and update containers across device groups via ALPON Cloud

Network Management Multi-network support (Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 5, LTE Cat 4) with automatic failover

Remote Access Always-on VPN tunnel · TLS-encrypted diagnostics · remote terminal

OTA Updates Remote firmware, software, and OS updates

Architecture ARM64 (aarch64) — application binaries must be built for this architecture

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.

SIM Type eSIM (eUICC), GSMA SGP.22 compatible · Consumer profile management · remote download & switch

Supported Modules Sixfab Edge add-on modules · third-party hardware via GPIO (3.3 V) and USB

Camera Adapter Sixfab Camera Board v1.0 (Mini HDMI to MIPI CSI-2 breakout)

Tested Camera Raspberry Pi Camera Module 3

Compliance

Regulatory, network, and carrier certification for the ALPON X5 AI is currently in progress. Every mark and approval listed below is targeted, not held: test campaigns are under way at accredited labs, but no certificate of conformity, Declaration of Conformity (DoC), or carrier approval has been issued yet. For the current status letter, region-specific availability, and frequency declarations, contact Sixfab or see the Safety & Compliance page.

Every regulatory, network, and carrier approval listed in this section is still in progress. Do not rely on this page as final compliance evidence; for procurement, RFP, or pre-production deployment decisions, request the current status letter from Sixfab and wait for the official Declaration of Conformity once available.

CE — in progress FCC — in progress IC — in progress UKCA — in progress RoHS — in progress WEEE — in progress REACH — in progress ICASA — in progress RCM — in progress

Targeted Regulatory Certifications⁹ CE, FCC, IC, UKCA, RoHS, WEEE, REACH, ICASA, RCM — all in progress

Targeted Network & Carrier Approvals⁴⁹ Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, PTCRB, GCF — all in progress

Warranty 2-year limited warranty

Value-added Services Hardware customization · Branding & labelling · Remote support · Add-on module customization · Software containerization support · Consulting services

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 All certifications listed on this page are in progress at time of writing — no regulatory, network, or carrier approval has been issued for the ALPON X5 AI yet. This page is updated as each certification is issued; contact Sixfab for the current status.