AI controller for confined spaces with reduced airflow

The latest AI controller from Acceed designated the NRU-156U3-FT, features a fanless chassis design, ideal for installation in confined spaces with reduced airflow and simultaneous operation at high ambient temperatures.

Edge AI applications often require hardware that is housed in tightly dimensioned enclosures, ducts, or narrow boxes. Enclosures are unavoidable to protect against environmental influences, but they hinder air circulation and, consequently, cooling. The NRU-156U3-FT AI controller is designed to address confined spaces with reduced airflow while operating at high ambient temperatures. The full-surface, flat heat sink maximises cooling efficiency across the entire top of the housing, enabling efficient heat dissipation even with reduced air circulation. The robust embedded PC features six USB interfaces and is designed for operation within an ambient temperature range of -25°C to +60°C.

The NRU-156U3-FT is a compact, fanless box PC specifically equipped with Jetson Orin NX for targeted edge AI applications. Six USB 3.2 ports are conveniently located on the front for connecting devices such as cameras. This compact controller with its special flat-top heat sink, is ideal for installation in closed housings, ducts, and narrow spaces without air circulation. This design facilitates applications in fields like metal processing, the food industry, AI-supported agriculture, or vehicles, where devices need enhanced protection from dust, metal particles, or moisture.

The controller, housed in a compact all-metal enclosure, utilises the energy-efficient Jetson Orin NX from Nvidia, bundled with JetPack 5.1.1, and delivers inference performance of up to 100 TOPS with a power consumption of 25 W. The usual cooling fins have been replaced by a large heat sink mounted directly on the housing. Other features include an M.2 socket Gen4 for connecting an NVMe SSD and standard serial interfaces. The DisplayPort video output supports a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels.

In addition to the hardware, the Nvidia system comes with a wide range of AI tools and the latest deep learning frameworks. The NRU-156U3-FT AI controller is a cost-effective solution for current performance requirements in edge AI, particularly in cramped and poorly ventilated installation settings with high ambient temperatures.