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D-Robotics introduced the RDK X5 as a 10 TOPS robotics development kit and initially described the 96 TOPS RDK Ultra as an upcoming system-on-module. That “tease” is now historical: D-Robotics lists both products, and its current Ultra page provides specifications and authorized-distributor purchase channels. The X5’s standout combination is on-device AI acceleration with camera, USB, Ethernet with PoE, CAN FD, and GPIO connections.
What is the D-Robotics RDK X5?
The RDK X5 is a development kit aimed at robotics prototyping and edge-intelligence work. D-Robotics describes it as an all-in-one kit with 10 TOPS of computing capability; that is a manufacturer claim, not an independent performance result. The company lists Ubuntu 22.04 support and provides developer material for setup, sample applications, model deployment, and its TogetheROS.Bot middleware.
The product’s appeal is not only its AI accelerator. It brings together camera connections and robotics-oriented interfaces on a compact development platform. D-Robotics lists resources through NodeHub and open-source algorithms, but users should confirm that a specific model, software version, and accessory fit their intended project. See the RDK X5 product page and RDK Suite developer documentation.
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D-Robotics’ current product specifications list an eight-core Arm Cortex-A55 CPU running at 1.5 GHz, a 10 TOPS BPU, a 32 GFLOPS GPU, and either 4GB or 8GB of LPDDR4 memory. The product page lists external Micro SD support and gives storage as not applicable; it does not list built-in eMMC storage for the X5.
#1 Best Overall
- 【Core parameters】★AI performance: 10TOPS★CPU: 8 octa-core Cortex A55 @ 1.5GHZ ★GPU: 32GFLOPS ★Memory: 4GB/8GB ★Power consumption: MAX 25W ★YOLOv5 algorithm frame rate: High performance mode: 28~30fps
- 【Out-of-the-box Ready, Flexible Configuration】We provide a complete kit for developers from beginner to advanced, including: board, aluminum case, MIPI camera, binocular depth camera, IMU inertial navigation module, LiDAR, power supply, mouse, keyboard, display, AI voice module, and more. No need to purchase additional compatible accessories — get started with your project development right away.
- 【Strong Compatibility】It comes with a variety of compatible accessories. The aluminum case comes with a cooling fan, which is wear-resistant and effectively dissipates heat and protects the RDK X5. The IMX219 camera/depth camera provides AI visual images and depth images. The radar supports ROS2 mapping, navigation and tracking. The 7-inch IPS HD touch display supports RDK X5/Raspberry Pi 5/Jetson series development boards. A 64GB TF card is provided with Ubuntu-related image files.
- 【Support LLM】RDK X5 development board supports many leading large models such as DeepSeek-R1, Qwen, Gemma, etc. Users can realize multi-modal recognition of pictures and texts through the RDK large model gateway; support local deployment of DeepSeek-R1 large model to achieve efficient and low-latency AI reasoning. Greatly improve response speed and stability, and give smart devices more powerful autonomous decision-making capabilities.
- 【Tutorials provided】Provide innovative solutions for the robot era, support multiple complex models and the latest algorithms such as Transfomer, RWKV, Occupancy, Stere0, Perception, etc., and accelerate the rapid implementation of intelligent applications; Yahboom provides data tutorials for development boards and related accessories.
TOPS is a peak inference-throughput specification, not a promise that any particular model will run at a certain speed. D-Robotics cautions that practical model performance also depends on architecture, precision, input size, concurrent workloads, memory bandwidth, and software version. No independent benchmark for the X5 is established by the cited sources, so its 10 TOPS figure should not be treated as a direct real-world comparison with another board.
What connections and cameras does the X5 support?
D-Robotics lists two 4-lane MIPI CSI connections, four USB 3.0 host ports, one USB 2.0 device port, HDMI output up to 1080p at 60 Hz, Gigabit Ethernet with PoE, CAN FD, and 28 reusable GPIOs. This mix can suit projects that combine camera input, USB peripherals, network connectivity, and control or sensor interfaces.
Rank #2
- 10T High Performance Computing Power: RDK X5 Robotics Development Board is equipped with Sunrise 5 smart chip with integrated 10Tops BPU and 32GFlops GPU, which supports complex algorithms such as Transfomer, RWKVOccupancy, Stereoscopic Sensing, etc., accelerating autonomous decision-making and real-time control of robots.
- Fast Wireless Connectivity: RDK X5 Robotics Development Board is equipped with dual-band Wi-Fi6 (2.4/5GHz) and Bluetooth 5.4, onboard antenna + external extensions to ensure low-latency communication for industrial automation and smart home scenarios.
- Flexible Expansion of All Interfaces: RDK X5 Robotics Development Board is equipped with HDMI, USB3.0, 4-channel MIPI CSI/DSI, CAN bus and other interfaces that are compatible with sensors, cameras, and actuators to meet the needs of multimodal development.
- Industrial Grade Reliable Design: RDK X5 Robotics Development Board offers 4GB/8GB LPDDR4 memory options to meet the needs of different scenarios. The 4GB version is suitable for simple applications, while the 8GB version is suitable for more complex AI and robotics applications to ensure smooth system operation.
- WIKI: RDK X5: “developer.d-robotics.cc/en/documentation”. If you have any questions, please click “WayPonDEV Store” to leave us a message or contact us at wpd#youyeetoo&com (#→@ &→).
The X5 page and product materials name camera and stereo-camera modules among the accessories. Confirm connector, module, and software compatibility for the exact kit revision before buying or designing around a camera; the listed interface alone does not establish compatibility with every camera module.
What is the difference between RDK X5 and RDK Ultra?
The Ultra is listed by D-Robotics as a higher-BPU-capacity product, but the TOPS figures do not establish how much faster a given application will run. The table compares the specifications presented on the manufacturers’ product pages; the Ultra page’s overview and parameter block differ on the number of camera connections, as noted below.
Rank #3
- 【Core parameters】★AI performance: 10TOPS★CPU: 8 octa-core Cortex A55 @ 1.5GHZ ★GPU: 32GFLOPS ★Memory: 4GB/8GB ★Power consumption: MAX 25W ★YOLOv5 algorithm frame rate: High performance mode: 28~30fps
- 【Out-of-the-box Ready, Flexible Configuration】We provide a complete kit for developers from beginner to advanced, including: board, aluminum case, MIPI camera, binocular depth camera, IMU inertial navigation module, LiDAR, power supply, mouse, keyboard, display, AI voice module, and more. No need to purchase additional compatible accessories — get started with your project development right away.
- 【Strong Compatibility】It comes with a variety of compatible accessories. The aluminum case comes with a cooling fan, which is wear-resistant and effectively dissipates heat and protects the RDK X5. The IMX219 camera/depth camera provides AI visual images and depth images. The radar supports ROS2 mapping, navigation and tracking. The 7-inch IPS HD touch display supports RDK X5/Raspberry Pi 5/Jetson series development boards. A 64GB TF card is provided with Ubuntu-related image files.
- 【Support LLM】RDK X5 development board supports many leading large models such as DeepSeek-R1, Qwen, Gemma, etc. Users can realize multi-modal recognition of pictures and texts through the RDK large model gateway; support local deployment of DeepSeek-R1 large model to achieve efficient and low-latency AI reasoning. Greatly improve response speed and stability, and give smart devices more powerful autonomous decision-making capabilities.
- 【Tutorials provided】Provide innovative solutions for the robot era, support multiple complex models and the latest algorithms such as Transfomer, RWKV, Occupancy, Stere0, Perception, etc., and accelerate the rapid implementation of intelligent applications; Yahboom provides data tutorials for development boards and related accessories.
| Specification | RDK X5 | RDK Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| BPU | 10 TOPS | 96 TOPS |
| CPU | 8 × A55 at 1.5 GHz | 8 × A55 at 1.2 GHz |
| Memory and storage | 4GB or 8GB LPDDR4; storage listed as NA, with external Micro SD support | 8GB LPDDR4 and 64GB eMMC |
| Camera | 2 × 4-lane MIPI CSI | Overview describes four camera connections; parameter block lists 2 × 4-lane MIPI CSI twice |
| USB | 4 × USB 3.0 host; 1 × USB 2.0 device | 4 × USB 3.0 host |
| Other connections | HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet with PoE, CAN FD, 28 GPIOs | HDMI, RJ45, 40-pin I/O; overview describes 3 PCIe 3.0 connections |
| Power | 5V/5A listed | 5–20V and 10–25W listed |
Specifications are from D-Robotics’ X5 page and Ultra page. The Ultra camera-count discrepancy is present in that product page: its overview describes four camera connections, while its specification block repeats two 4-lane MIPI CSI entries. Check the current page and hardware documentation for the exact configuration relevant to a design.
Choose between them by matching the workload and platform requirements, not by dividing 96 TOPS by 10 TOPS. Model and precision, memory, I/O, software support, power, cooling, product form, price, and availability all matter. D-Robotics recommends additional cooling during development and testing and system-level thermal evaluation when productizing; this is guidance, not evidence that either kit overheats.
Rank #4
- 【Core parameters】★AI performance: 10TOPS★CPU: 8 octa-core Cortex A55 @ 1.5GHZ ★GPU: 32GFLOPS ★Memory: 4GB/8GB ★Power consumption: MAX 25W ★YOLOv5 algorithm frame rate: High performance mode: 28~30fps
- 【Out-of-the-box Ready, Flexible Configuration】We provide a complete kit for developers from beginner to advanced, including: board, aluminum case, MIPI camera, binocular depth camera, IMU inertial navigation module, LiDAR, power supply, mouse, keyboard, display, AI voice module, and more. No need to purchase additional compatible accessories — get started with your project development right away.
- 【Strong Compatibility】It comes with a variety of compatible accessories. The aluminum case comes with a cooling fan, which is wear-resistant and effectively dissipates heat and protects the RDK X5. The IMX219 camera/depth camera provides AI visual images and depth images. The radar supports ROS2 mapping, navigation and tracking. The 7-inch IPS HD touch display supports RDK X5/Raspberry Pi 5/Jetson series development boards. A 64GB TF card is provided with Ubuntu-related image files.
- 【Support LLM】RDK X5 development board supports many leading large models such as DeepSeek-R1, Qwen, Gemma, etc. Users can realize multi-modal recognition of pictures and texts through the RDK large model gateway; support local deployment of DeepSeek-R1 large model to achieve efficient and low-latency AI reasoning. Greatly improve response speed and stability, and give smart devices more powerful autonomous decision-making capabilities.
- 【Tutorials provided】Provide innovative solutions for the robot era, support multiple complex models and the latest algorithms such as Transfomer, RWKV, Occupancy, Stere0, Perception, etc., and accelerate the rapid implementation of intelligent applications; Yahboom provides data tutorials for development boards and related accessories.
Is the RDK Ultra available yet?
The original launch coverage described the Ultra as a planned system-on-module and positioned it as a Jetson Orin-compatible alternative. Those are launch-era descriptions, not proof of performance parity or a substitute for checking compatibility with a specific carrier and module revision. D-Robotics now lists an Ultra product page with specifications and authorized-distributor channels, so calling it merely “teased” or “upcoming” would be outdated. A distributor listing does not establish current inventory or price.
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Best Value
- RDK X5 4GB Developer Kit: This kit includes RDK X5 4GB development board and RDK stereo camera module (with FPC cables), with accessories pack including TF card (64GB), heatsink, card reader, Type-A to Type-C cable, and 27W Type-C power supply (with adapters), suitable for applications that require image capture and visual development
- Powered by the 10 TOPS Sunrise 5 chip, the D-Robotics RDK X5 is an all-in-one development kit for intelligent computing and robotics. With versatile interfaces and support for advanced models like Transformer, RWKV, Occupancy, and Stereo Perception, it accelerates the deployment of cutting-edge AI applications.
- High-Performance Processing: Equipped with an octa-core Cortex A55 CPU and a 10 TOPS BPU, offering robust computing power for demanding tasks. Expandable Storage and RAM: Provides options for 4GB or 8GB RAM and onboard 1G bit NAND storage, with a TF card slot supporting UHS-I mode for additional storage flexibility.
- Comprehensive Connectivity: Features multiple ports, including 4 × USB 3.0 Host Type-A, 1 × USB 2.0 Type-C, 1 × USB 2.0 UART, and 1 × CAN FD, plus 40-pin header with 28 GPIOs supporting various protocols like SPI, I2C, and UART. Versatile Display and Camera Support: Supports 1 × 4-lane MIPI DSI interface for display, HDMI output up to 1080P/60fps, and dual 4-lane MIPI CSI interfaces for cameras, ideal for high-quality video output and imaging.
- Advanced Network and Power Features: Includes 1000M Ethernet with PoE, dual-band Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, and high-performance antenna, powered via a 5V/5A DC input or external 5V/3.3V from the 40-pin header, with an operating temperature range of -20°C to 60°C.
Who should consider the X5?
The X5 is most relevant to developers evaluating robotics prototypes or edge-vision systems that need local inference alongside camera and hardware interfaces. Its listed CAN FD, GPIO, PoE Ethernet, and USB connections make it worth considering when those interfaces matter as much as the AI accelerator. D-Robotics references stereo perception, occupancy, and related algorithms; treat these as promoted or supported use cases rather than guarantees that every model or software build is ready for a particular deployment.
Before choosing a kit, check the exact package contents, software support for the models and peripherals you need, power and cooling requirements, and the distributor’s current stock and price. D-Robotics names X5 power and PoE modules, camera and stereo-camera modules, an IMU, and a case; whether any are included depends on the specific package.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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