D-Robotics RDK X5 Development Kit Sunrise 5 AI Chip Cortex A55 10TOPs

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The D-Robotics RDK X5 is an intelligent robot development board powered by the Sunrise 5 AI SoC, delivering 10 TOPS of neural processing power through its dedicated BPU (Brain Proc essing Unit). Built around an octa-core ARM Cortex-A55 processor, the RDK X5 provides a credit-card-sized (85 × 56 mm) platform with exceptional AI inference capabilities, rich peripheral interfaces, and seamless integration with the TogetheROS.Bot framework — making it an ideal choice for robotic perception, edge AI deployment, and autonomous navigation applications. Whether you are building an autonomous mobile robot, a vision-guided manipulator, or an edge AI prototype, the RDK X5 combines high-performance computing with a beginner-friendly software ecosystem. The board supports out-of-the-box deployment of advanced algorithms including YOLO object detection, stereo vision, occupancy networks, and even large language models (LLMs) at the edge. With Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, dual MIPI CSI cameras, HDMI output, PoE Ethernet, CAN FD, and a 40-pin GPIO header, the RDK X5 covers virtually every connectivity requirement for modern robotic systems. Available in 4GB and 8GB LPDDR4x memory variants, the RDK X5 is offered in both Single Board and Basic Kit configurations to suit different project stages — from bare-metal prototyping to plug-and-play development. Features Sunrise 5 AI SoC with 10 TOPS BPU — Dedicated Brain Processing Unit for high-efficiency neural network inference, supporting INT8/INT4 quantization and advanced models including Transformer, RWKV, and CLIP at the edge Octa-Core Cortex-A55 @ up to 1.8 GHz — Powerful application processor capable of handling multi-task workloads, real-time control loops, and concurrent AI pipelines 4GB / 8GB LPDDR4x Memory Options — 4GB variant ideal for standard YOLO inference and robotics control; 8GB variant optimized for large edge models (LLM), multi-camera stereo vision, and complex perception stacks Dual 4-Lane MIPI CSI-2 (MIPI v2.1) — Connect up to two high-resolution cameras simultaneously for stereo depth estimation, multi-view perception, or simultaneous RGB + depth sensing HDMI Output + 4-Lane MIPI DSI — 1080P@60fps display via HDMI and an additional MIPI DSI interface for embedded display panels — ideal for HMI and debug visualization 4 × USB 3.0 Host + USB 2.0 Type-C OTG — High-bandwidth USB 3.0 ports for cameras, LiDAR, and external storage; USB 2.0 Type-C for device mode and serial console Gigabit Ethernet with PoE Support — 1000Mbps RJ45 port with Power-over-Ethernet capability for simplified single-cable deployment in robotic and industrial environments Wi-Fi 6 (2.4/5 GHz Dual-Band) + Bluetooth 5.4 — Wireless connectivity with onboard high-performance antenna and IPEX connector for external antenna options CAN FD + 40-Pin GPIO Header — 28 GPIOs with native SPI, I2C, I2S, PWM, and UART support; CAN FD bus for motor controllers and industrial communication Onboard 3.5mm Audio Jack — Combined audio input/output for voice interaction, sound localization, or TTS-based HMI feedback RDK OS (Linux-Based) + RDK Studio IDE — Complete development environment with RDK Studio for application development, RDK Nodehub for one-click app deployment, and RDK Cloud integration TogetheROS.Bot (ROS 2 Compatible) — Native integration with the TogetheROS.Bot middleware stack, providing ROS 2 node support, Livox LiDAR drivers, and a rich open-source model zoo (rdk_model_zoo) with 296+ GitHub stars Rich AI Algorithm Library — Pre-integrated open-source algorithms including YOLO, Occupancy Networks, Stereo Vision, Perception, and World Model — all deployable with one-click tooling Edge LLM Support — Deploy large language models at the edge with native Volcengine LLM Gateway integration (complimentary traffic included), enabling on-device conversational AI Compact Form Factor: 85 × 56 × 20 mm — Credit-card-sized footprint with versatile mounting options; only 5V/5A power input via Type-C PD Wide Operating Temperature: -20°C ~ 60°C — Suitable for indoor lab environments as well as outdoor robotic deployments Specifications Parameter Specification AI SoC Sunrise 5 (Horizon Robotics) CPU Octa-Core ARM Cortex-A55, up to 1.8 GHz NPU (BPU) 10 TOPS, supports INT8 / INT4 quantization Memory (RAM) 4GB / 8GB LPDDR4x (optional) Onboard Storage 1 Gbit NAND Flash Storage Expansion MicroSD / TF Card slot, UHS-I supported Operating System RDK OS (Linux-based) Camera & Display Parameter Specification MIPI CSI 2 × 4-lane MIPI CSI-2 (MIPI v2.1) HDMI Output 1 × HDMI Type-A, up to 1080P @ 60fps MIPI DSI 1 × 4-lane MIPI DSI (MIPI v1.2) Connectivity Parameter Specification Ethernet 1 × RJ45, 1000Mbps, with PoE support Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz dual-band Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.4 Antenna Onboard high-performance antenna + IPEX connector CAN FD 1 × CAN FD USB Ports Parameter Specification USB 3.0 Host 4 × USB 3.0 Type-A USB 2.0 Device (OTG) 1 × USB 2.0 Type-C USB 2.0 Console 1 × USB 2.0 Micro-B (UART) Expansion & I/O Parameter Specification 40-Pin GPIO Header 28 × GPIO, 3.3V logic, supports SPI, I2C, I2S, PWM, UART External Power Output 5V / 3.3V via GPIO header Audio 1 × 3.5mm combo jack (input + output) Power & Physical Parameter Specification Power Input 5V / 5A (25W) via Type-C PD Board Dimensions 85 × 56 × 20 mm Weight ~339 g (4GB Basic Kit with accessories) Operating Temperature -20°C ~ 60°C Variant Comparison Feature 4GB Single Board 8GB Single Board 4GB Basic Kit 8GB Basic Kit RAM 4GB LPDDR4x 8GB LPDDR4x 4GB LPDDR4x 8GB LPDDR4x Development Board ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 64GB TF Card — — ✓ ✓ Heatsink — — ✓ ✓ Card Reader — — ✓ ✓ USB Type-A to Type-C Cable — — ✓ ✓ 27W PD Power Adapter — — ✓ ✓ Multi-Plug Adapters (US/EU/UK) — — ✓ ✓ Best For Existing setups Existing setups Quick start AI-heavy workloads Reference Documents: D-Robotics Developer Community — Documentation & SDK Downloads RDK OS Image Build Tools (GitHub) RDK Model Zoo — Pre-trained AI Models for X5 (GitHub) RDK X5 Product Page (Waveshare) Application Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR) — Leverage dual MIPI CSI cameras for visual SLAM, obstacle avoidance, and path planning with the 10 TOPS NPU accelerating real-time perception pipelines Robotic Vision & Perception — Deploy YOLO object detection, stereo depth estimation, and occupancy networks for robotic manipulation, pick-and-place, and scene understanding Edge AI & LLM Deployment — Run large language models (Transformer, RWKV) directly on-device with 4GB/8GB memory, enabling conversational AI, intelligent decision-making, and voice interaction without cloud dependency ROS 2 Robot Development — Native TogetheROS.Bot integration provides ROS 2 nodes, Livox LiDAR drivers, and sensor fusion frameworks for rapid robot prototyping Smart Surveillance & Security — Multi-camera real-time video analytics with AI-powered detection, classification, and tracking at the edge Education & Research Labs — Ideal platform for universities and research labs exploring AI, computer vision, robotics, and embedded machine learning Industrial Inspection — CAN FD connectivity for industrial automation, combined with high-performance vision processing for quality control and defect detection Drone & UAV Payload — Compact 85 × 56 mm form factor with PoE Ethernet and lightweight design suitable for aerial AI computing platforms Packing List Single Board # Item Details 1 RDK X5 Development Board 4GB or 8GB LPDDR4x, with Sunrise 5 SoC Basic Kit # Item Details 1 RDK X5 Development Board 4GB or 8GB LPDDR4x, with Sunrise 5 SoC 2 64GB MicroSD Card Pre-loaded with RDK OS image 3 Heatsink Aluminum heatsink for passive cooling 4 SD Card Reader USB card reader for OS flashing 5 USB Type-A to Type-C Cable For power and data connection 6 27W PD Power Adapter 5V/5A USB-C PD charger with US/EU/UK plug adapters FAQ Q1: What is the difference between the 4GB and 8GB variants?The only hardware difference is the RAM capacity: 4GB LPDDR4x vs 8GB LPDDR4x. All other specifications — CPU, NPU (10 TOPS), interfaces, and physical dimensions — are identical. Choose 4GB for standard YOLO inference, basic robot control, and Linux development. Choose 8GB for running larger edge models (LLM, Transformer), multi-camera stereo vision, or memory-intensive AI workloads. Q2: What is the difference between Single Board and Basic Kit?The Single Board includes only the bare RDK X5 development board — suitable if you already have compatible accessories (power adapter, TF card, heatsink). The Basic Kit bundles the board with a 64GB TF card (pre-loaded with RDK OS), heatsink, SD card reader, USB Type-A to Type-C cable, and a 27W PD power adapter with multi-region plug adapters — everything needed to power on and start developing immediately. Q3: Can I run ROS 2 on the RDK X5?Yes. The RDK X5 natively supports TogetheROS.Bot, D-Robotics' ROS 2-compatible middleware stack. It provides standard ROS 2 nodes, sensor drivers (including Livox LiDAR via livox_ros_driver2), and navigation/SLAM packages. The robot_dev_config repository provides the build entry point for TogetheROS.Bot on X5. Q4: What AI models and frameworks are supported?The RDK X5 supports a wide range of AI models through the RDK Model Zoo (GitHub), including YOLO (object detection), Occupancy Networks, Stereo Vision, Perception, and World Model algorithms. Edge LLM deployment is supported with frameworks like Transformer and RWKV. All models benefit from the 10 TOPS BPU with one-click deployment tooling via RDK Studio. Q5: How do I power the RDK X5?The board requires 5V/5A (25W) power input via the USB Type-C port with PD (Power Delivery) protocol. The Basic Kit includes a 27W PD power adapter. The Single Board variant requires you to provide a compatible USB-C PD power supply. PoE (Power over Ethernet) is also supported through the Gigabit Ethernet port, enabling single-cable power + data connection. Q6: What cameras are compatible with the MIPI CSI interfaces?The RDK X5 provides 2 × 4-lane MIPI CSI-2 (MIPI v2.1) camera interfaces. D-Robotics offers official RDK stereo camera modules. Additionally, third-party MIPI cameras compatible with the hobot_mipi_cam driver can be used. The dual-camera setup supports stereo depth estimation for 3D perception and SLAM applications. Q7: Is the 40-pin GPIO header compatible with Raspberry Pi HATs?The RDK X5 features a 40-pin GPIO header with a similar physical layout to Raspberry Pi, providing 28 GPIOs at 3.3V logic level with native support for SPI, I2C, I2S, PWM, and UART. While the pin layout may be similar, electrical compatibility with specific Raspberry Pi HATs should be verified on a case-by-case basis due to potential voltage and signal differences. Q8: What operating system does the RDK X5 run?The RDK X5 runs RDK OS, a Linux-based operating system maintained by D-Robotics. System images can be built from source using the x5-rdk-gen tools on Ubuntu 18.04/20.04/22.04. Development is facilitated through RDK Studio (IDE) and RDK Nodehub (one-click app launcher). Cloud integration is available via RDK Cloud. Q9: Can the RDK X5 be used for LiDAR-based SLAM?Yes. With 4 × USB 3.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, and CAN FD, the RDK X5 can connect to various LiDAR sensors including Livox, RoboSense, and RPLiDAR via USB or Ethernet. D-Robotics provides an official Livox ROS 2 driver, and the TogetheROS.Bot stack includes navigation and SLAM packages. The 10 TOPS NPU can simultaneously handle perception, mapping, and planning tasks. Q10: What is the warranty policy for the RDK X5?Please refer to the manufacturer's warranty policy as specified on the product packaging or official documentation. For warranty claims and technical support, contact the point of purchase or visit the D-Robotics Developer Community. Show more