Comparing NVIDIA Orin for Edge AI Performance

NVIDIA Jetson has had a significant impact on edge computing, enabling the local execution of complex AI operations with minimal latency. Its compact design, energy-efficient features, and extensive development toolkit have fostered diverse applications across sectors such as autonomous vehicles and industrial automation. Now, with the advent of the latest Orin series, NVIDIA aims to further advance edge computing capabilities and continue reshaping the landscape of AI deployment at the edge.

The new NVIDIA Orin series provides a scalable and effective approach for OEMs and system integrators, offering substantial advantages, particularly for industrial or edge-based applications, when compared to traditional IPCs with discrete GPUs. We have created this guide to assist you in selecting a Orin Nano, Orin NX, or AGX Orin system that could enhance your industrial application, providing industry insights and a deeper understanding of NVIDIA Orin system-on-modules.

The NVIDIA Jetson Orin platform offers a streamlined alternative to traditional x86 GPU computers for industrial applications, addressing the complexities associated with discrete GPUs. While x86 systems with discrete GPUs provide robust performance, they often entail significant integration challenges, increased power consumption, and larger physical footprints. In contrast, Jetson Orin’s integrated System on Modules (SOMs) deliver high computational power and energy efficiency within a compact, unified architecture. This integration simplifies deployment, reduces development time, and enhances reliability in edge computing environments, making Jetson Orin an optimal choice for demanding AI and industrial applications.

Tailored for Edge AI Applications: Unlike discrete GPUs, which were originally developed for rendering high-quality graphics in video games and have since been repurposed for various parallel processing tasks, NVIDIA Jetson Orin modules are purpose-built for edge AI. They are optimized to perform AI computations efficiently, leveraging CUDA and Tensor cores to deliver substantial analytical power within a compact footprint. This specialisation ensures that the selected NVIDIA Orin system-on-module is inherently more aligned with the demands of edge computing, providing a robust platform for AI tasks without the need for external accelerators.

Energy Efficiency: One of the standout features of the NVIDIA Orin solutions is their energy efficiency. Designed with power-sensitive edge environments in mind, these modules ensure that industrial applications can operate effectively without the need for extensive power supplies. This contrasts with traditional GPU and CPU setups which, while powerful, often do not prioritise energy efficiency to the same extent, as they are typically employed in data centre environments where power is less of a constraint.

Compactness and Versatility: The compact nature of the Orin Nano, Orin NX, and AGX Orin carrier boards and box PCs makes them ideal for integration into a wide range of industrial devices, from robots and drones to industrial control cabinets, where space is at a premium. This compactness is a critical advantage over standard GPU and CPU combinations, which are generally bulkier and intended for larger systems like desktops or servers. We assist our customers in integrating their carrier board solutions inside factory cabinets and custom box PCs with heat spreaders to help disperse heat away from the core components. Learn more about thermal management with NVIDIA Jetson here.

Modular Performance: The Jetson Orin series, particularly the Orin Nano and Orin NX SOMs, exemplifies modular design that streamlines prototyping and facilitates upgrades, significantly reducing development time and enhancing product adaptability. By integrating advanced components such as the CPU, GPU, memory, and power management into a single module, Orin Nano and Orin NX enable developers to focus on application-specific features rather than hardware complexities. This modularity allows for easy scalability and rapid deployment across diverse AI-driven applications requiring different levels of performance.

Dedicated Software Ecosystem: Available with a wide range of I/O and expansion options, our Jetson Orin carrier boards and box PCs come with a custom-built BSP (Board Support Package) which can benefit from NVIDIA’s comprehensive software ecosystem, designed to support AI workloads. This ecosystem provides optimized libraries and frameworks that facilitate efficient deployment and execution of AI models on all Jetson Orin SBCs. In contrast, while discrete GPU and CPU setups can also run AI workloads, the level of software optimisation specifically for edge AI applications may not be as extensive or fine-tuned, potentially leading to less efficient operations.

A NVIDIA Orin NX computer elevates your AI capabilities to 100 TOPS, whilst maintaining the compact footprint and pin-out of the Orin Nano. Requiring just 10-25W of power for up to 100 TOPS of AI performance, the Jetson Orin NX represents a substantial leap in capability and efficiency. This makes the Jetson Orin NX an ideal choice for more demanding AI applications, providing enhanced computational power while maintaining a compact and energy-efficient form factor.

Everyday Automation: The Orin NX strikes a balance between performance and energy efficiency, making it an ideal choice for medium-scale factory automation projects.

Vision-Based Tasks: With its robust processing power, the Orin NX excels in AI tasks involving camera data. It’s capable of executing object detection, measurement, tracking, and surveillance operations, provided that the demand for computing power is moderate.

Comprehensive Factory Integration: For those aiming to implement a unified hardware solution across various automation tasks, the Orin NX offers the flexibility needed to operate throughout an entire manufacturing site.