Contec: Industrial Edge AI Computers DX-U1100 Series with NVIDIA Jetson Nano

January 18, 2021

Contec Co., Ltd. has developed an edge AI computer for industrial use, equipped with NVIDIA Jetson Nano, and will begin receiving orders for the DX-U1100 series on February 1, 2021.

There has been an increase in expectations for AI technology due to the significant leaps and bounds that have been made in recent years in deep learning technology, and research and development toward the goal of practical application in a variety of fields has been proceeding. In particular, in the industrial sector, the introduction of IoT and 5G communication technologies has allowed for real-time collection of detailed field data, with AI allowing rapid response to changes in the situation, innovating brand new business models and truly ushering in an age of digital transformation (DX).

Application development using NVIDIA’s Jetson developers’ kit has been extremely popular for AI inference execution environments being used out in the field, and by implementing applications on industrial computers that emphasize practicality, it will become possible to meet a wide range of market needs.

Contec’s new product, the DX-U1100 series, is a general-purpose industrial edge AI computer with an emphasis on practicality equipped with an NVIDIA Jetson Nano module. Equipped with two Gigabit LAN ports, an HDMI port, two USB ports, general I/O ports, and an RTC (real-time calendar/clock), and with flexible installation and environmental resistance, it can be comfortably used for practical applications.

As for the software environment, Ubuntu comes pre-installed just like the Jetson developer kit, and the NVIDIA JetPack SDK is available, so you can run applications created with the developer kit.

The new product also comes in a PCI Express slot model and enables expanded functionality by means of Contec’s rich variety of low-profile PCI Express cards, including analog input and serial communication cards.

Contec will continue to develop easy-to-use hardware platforms for edge AI under the DX series lineup, utilizing the development techniques of industrial computers and IoT devices. In April 2021, they plan to launch the upgraded DX-U1200 model, equipped with the NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX.

• Edge AI accelerator equipped with NVIDIA® Jetson Nano

  Equipped with NVIDIA Jetson Nano, the DX-U1100 series can be used in fields requiring on-site AI inference processing, such as image inspection and predictive maintenance.

• Long-term supply and maintenance

  Long-term product supply is provided, as well as repair and maintenance services. This can significantly reduce life cycle costs, including verification and modification man-hours that were needed with every model change.

• Highly reliable and long-life components

  The high-reliability long-life design utilizes accumulated knowledge about BOX-PC embedded computers. The DX-U1100 can be reliably used for high-availability systems.

• Two Gigabit LAN ports for alternating connections between different network layers

  This product is equipped with two Gigabit LAN ports. This makes it ideal for edge computing that alternates connections between different network layers such as between video acquisition from a camera and higher-order information system networks.

• Flexible installation

  With the L-shaped mounting bracket (included as standard), the product can be installed on a wall or on the back of a VESA (100 mm) mount-compatible LCD monitor. It can also be mounted on a 35-mm DIN rail with a DIN rail adapter (included as standard).

• Supports ambient temperatures from -20°C to 60°C

  This product can be used in various environments with ambient temperatures of −20°C to 60°C.

https://www.contec.com/news/2020/2020122200/