PICO-TGU4: Powering Edge AI Evolution with 11th Generation Intel® Core™ Processors

The 11th Generation Intel Core processors (formerly Tiger Lake) are the third generation of Intel’s 10nm microarchitecture, delivering up to 15~20% better performance than the previous generation processors. The PICO-TGU4 offers users the choice of Intel Core U i3/i5/i7 or Intel Celeron® processors to power their projects. These processors support a range of technologies to ensure data integrity, accuracy and security, including on-board TPM 2.0 and in-band memory ECC (with select SKUs). Combined with up to 32GB of on-board LPDDR4x memory, the PICO-TGU4 helps unlock the performance needed to deploy a wide range of embedded and edge computing applications.

One of the core features of the PICO-TGU4 are its two expansion slots, allowing developers to quickly add on functionality to power their AI Edge applications. The M.2 2280 slot delivers PCIe 4.0 [x4] speeds, perfect for AI accelerator cards such as the AI Core XM2280, as well as providing the throughput needed to support the next generation of AI accelerators. The full-sized Mini Card (mPCIe) slot offers additional versatility with support for AI accelerators, wireless modules such as Wi-Fi or LTE, expanded storage with mSATA support and even more, including 30-bit DIO cards. This flexible expandability allows the PICO-TGU4 to be right at home with power AI and Edge Computing applications.

The PICO-TGU4 offers a broad I/O layout allowing the board to easily connect to a wide range of sensors and devices, or easily integrate with projects. The board features a total of eight USB connections, with two USB3.2 Gen 2 type A ports, two USB3.2 Gen 1 headers and four USB2.0 headers. The board also includes two serial port headers, as well as 8-bit GPIO and I2C/SMBUS connectors, allowing connections to an even wider range of devices.

The PICO-TGU4 also features dual LAN ports, one Intel i225 2.5 Gbps port for ultra-fast LAN connectivity, and on Intel i219 port with support for Intel vPro, enabling remote system monitoring. Additionally, the PICO-TGU4 offers storage flexibility with both SATA III (6.0 Gbps) and support for Mini Card mSATA storage. It also includes eDP and HDMI 2.0 delivering brilliant 4K 60Hz resolution.

“The PICO-TGU4 offers a combination of performance, flexibility and scalability support that is not often seen on the compact PICO-ITX form factor,” said Ariel Long, Product Manager with AAEON’s Embedded Computing Division. “The 11th Generation Intel Core U processors allows the PICO-TGU4 to leverage both performance and new technologies to power applications from robotics and machine vision to Smart Factories and AI Edge Computing.”

The PICO-TGU4 is backed by AAEON’s expertise in building compact, rugged solutions designed to operate in a wide range of industrial and other environments. AAEON also offers a range of manufacturer and OEM/ODM services, from customizing board layouts to helping developers create a board level solution that fits the requirements of their applications.