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title: A 128 TOPS alternative to NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX 16GB...
description: D-Robotics has released the RDK S100P, a robotics single-board computer built around its S100P SoC, positioned as an alternative to NVIDIA&#x27;s Jetson Orin NX...
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og:description: D-Robotics has released the RDK S100P, a robotics single-board computer built around its S100P SoC, positioned as an alternative to NVIDIA&#x27;s Jetson Orin NX...
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# A 128 TOPS alternative to NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX 16GB with Cortex-A78AE/R52+ cores

**[CNX Software](https://daily.dev/sources/cnx-software)** · 6 min read · 1 upvotes · 0 comments

## Summary

D-Robotics has released the RDK S100P, a robotics single-board computer built around its S100P SoC, positioned as an alternative to NVIDIA's Jetson Orin NX 16GB. It packs a 6-core Cortex-A78AE cluster, a 4-core Cortex-R52+ MCU domain (with lockstep and split-lock safety modes), a Nash BPU rated at 128 TOPS INT8, a Mali-G78AE GPU, and 24GB of LPDDR5 memory. It runs RDK OS (Ubuntu 22.04, Linux 6.1) and supports ROS 2 Humble via TogetherROS.Bot, with AI models run through the OpenExplorer toolchain and INT8 quantization. Two optional expansion boards add camera/GMSL inputs and CAN FD/real-time control interfaces. Compared to the Jetson Orin NX 16GB, the S100P trades CUDA/TensorRT/Isaac ecosystem support for a dedicated real-time MCU domain absent on Jetson. Pricing is $899 on DFRobot, with a cheaper previous-gen RDK S100 (12GB RAM, 80 TOPS) at $999.99 on Waveshare and $625.99 on Amazon.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/08/31/d-robotics-rdk-s100p-a-128-tops-alternative-to-nvidia-jetson-orin-nx-16gb-with-cortex-a78ae-r52-cores>

## Questions this post answers

### How does the D-Robotics RDK S100P compare to the NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX 16GB for robotics?

Both use Cortex-A78AE CPUs and LPDDR5 memory with MIPI camera support for ROS 2 robotics, but the RDK S100P has 6 A78AE cores at 2.0 GHz, a Nash BPU rated at 128 INT8 TOPS, and 24GB of LPDDR5 on a 96-bit bus, versus the Orin NX's 8 A78AE cores, 1024-core Ampere GPU, 32 Tensor Cores, 16GB LPDDR5, and up to 100 sparse INT8 TOPS at 25W. The S100P adds a 4-core Cortex-R52+ MCU with lockstep/split-lock real-time control, which Jetson lacks, while Jetson keeps its CUDA, TensorRT, and Isaac ecosystem.

_Comparing edge AI boards for a robotics build gets easier when specs like these are tracked on daily.dev._

### What is the price of the D-Robotics RDK S100P development kit?

The RDK S100P development kit is sold for $899 on DFRobot. A previous-generation board, the RDK S100 without the P suffix, offers only 12GB of RAM and up to 80 TOPS instead of 128 TOPS, and is priced at $999.99 on Waveshare or $625.99 on Amazon, so buyers need to check which generation they are purchasing.

_Track pricing and spec changes across edge AI hardware releases like this one on daily.dev._

### Does the D-Robotics RDK S100P have a real-time control processor separate from its main CPU?

Yes, the RDK S100P includes a 4-core Arm Cortex-R52+ MCU domain running at 1.2 GHz, separate from its 6-core Cortex-A78AE application cluster. One pair of R52+ cores runs in lockstep for safety while the other two support split-lock operation, allowing the MCU to handle time-critical tasks like motor and sensor I/O while the A78AE cores and BPU handle Linux and vision processing.

_Engineers weighing dedicated real-time MCU domains for robot control follow hardware breakdowns like this on daily.dev._

## Similar posts on daily.dev

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- [Nvidia Unveils Jetson Orin Nano 2 for Robotics and Edge AI](https://daily.dev/posts/nvidia-unveils-jetson-orin-nano-2-for-robotics-and-edge-ai-lydq87yel) · Embedded.com · 0 upvotes · 0 comments
- [An IP67-rated, rugged Jetson Orin NX/Nano edge AI computer with GMSL2 camera support](https://daily.dev/posts/an-ip67-rated-rugged-jetson-orin-nx-nano-edge-ai-computer-with-gmsl2-camera-support-fsmy8ne0h) · CNX Software · 0 upvotes · 0 comments

---

Tags: [#ai](https://daily.dev/tags/ai), [#hardware](https://daily.dev/tags/hardware), [#robotics](https://daily.dev/tags/robotics), [#local-ai](https://daily.dev/tags/local-ai)

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