NXP Semiconductors has just announced the i.MX 94 family of applications processors, setting a new standard in industrial and automotive connectivity. This latest addition to the i.MX 9 series of applications processors is engineered to provide high-performance, low-latency real-time compute capabilities—essential functionality for industrial automation and automotive telematics applications.
The i.MX 94 family meets the demands for a broad spectrum of industrial and automotive applications. In the industrial sector, i.MX 94 family is perfect for factory automation, building control and energy management systems. Its real-time capabilities and support for a wide range of industrial networking protocols make it ideal for programmable logic controllers (PLCs), servo motor drive, IO controllers, human-machine interfaces (HMIs) and industrial gateway applications. In the automotive domain, the i.MX 94 processor is suited mainly for telematics applications as a connectivity domain controller, ensuring secure and reliable communication within the vehicle and with external networks.
The i.MX 94 applications processor elevates your secure and connected edge devices for a variety of applications. Learn more about our i.MX 94 family.
The i.MX 94 applications processor is the first i.MX processor with an integrated Ethernet time-sensitive networking (TSN) switch. This feature ensures precise timing and synchronization across networked devices, which is essential for real-time communication and control applications. The Ethernet TSN switch supports a wide variety of industrial networking protocols, including Profinet, EtherCAT, Ethernet/IP, Profibus, Modbus and OPC-UA. This makes the processor well-suited for both current and future industrial automation applications. The TSN switch also supports network virtualization, enabling software-defined networking and enhancing the flexibility and scalability of industrial systems.
Additionally, the i.MX 94 processor is also the first NXP microprocessor unit (MPU) to support post-quantum cryptography (PQC), offering robust security against future quantum computing threats. Security is a top priority for the i.MX 94 family. The processor features an integrated EdgeLock® Secure Enclave (Advance Profile), which provides advanced security capabilities such as secure boot, secure debug and secure update based on post-quantum cryptography. This ensures that the processor can withstand attacks by quantum computers and manage security over a long lifecycle. The EdgeLock Accelerator (Prime) further enhances security by enabling fast boot, real-time authentication and authentication at 5G speeds for secure communications.
The i.MX 94 family features a multi-core architecture that includes up to four Arm® Cortex®-A55 cores, two Cortex®-M33 cores and two Cortex®-M7 cores. This configuration allows for a seamless blend of high-performance across application domain and real-time domain. Built using our Energy Flex Architecture that is fully supported by the SW BSP, i.MX 94 family provides you with performance-power tuning capabilities that help you achieve your goals without any compromises.
With functional safety becoming an increasingly important factor for any industrial system, we addressed this with i.MX 94 processor by integrating a flexible functional safety island. This island is designed to support IEC61508 standards, offering hardware integrity up to SIL2, systematic capability up to SIL3 and ISO26262 ASIL-B compliance. Users can customize the safety island to meet their specific requirements without compromising on safety needs. This processor also includes a multi-core design that encompasses all embedded real-time cores, extensive memory sets, diagnostic tools and various IPs across the device, creating a high-performance safety subsystem suitable for both real-time and application domains.
The safety domain is further enhanced with advanced enablement features that combine a variety of third-party, purpose-built safe commercial operating systems (such as QNX Neutrino and GreenHills Integrity) alongside an integrated safety framework to support all advanced features.
In addition to its processing, networking, safety and security features, the i.MX 94 family includes an integrated NXP eIQ Neutron Neural Processing Unit (NPU), which delivers 0.5 TOPS of AI performance. This enables applications such as predictive maintenance, machine diagnostics and operator guidance in real time, enhancing the efficiency and reliability of industrial systems.
NXP also offers complementary products that enhance the capabilities of the i.MX 94 applications processor. The NXP Analog Front End (N-AFE) family of devices provides software-configurable analog inputs that enable flexible and accurate data acquisition in manufacturing. Our i.MX RT1180 crossover MCU further complements the i.MX 94 processor by providing high-performance processing and real-time capabilities, which are essential to managing complex industrial communication networks. The IW612 and AW693 Wi-fi modules are also optimized to provide seamless network connectivity with the i.MX 94 processor in industrial applications. Additionally, we co-developed the PF9455, a cost-optimized power management solution to power the i.MX 94 family and achieve its goals.
With its integrated Ethernet TSN switch, support for post-quantum cryptography, configurable functional safety and robust real-time processing capabilities, the i.MX 94 processor is poised to drive innovations in industrial automation and automotive telematics. As industries continue to evolve and embrace digital transformation, the i.MX 94 family provides the performance, security and flexibility needed to meet the demands of tomorrow’s connected world.
Find more information about the i.MX 94 applications processor and explore our comprehensive resources available to developers and engineers.
Srikanth Jagannathan is a senior product manager in the Secure Connected Edge business unit at NXP Semiconductors. He manages multiple products in the i.MX 9 series, which is the next generation of applications processors from NXP. His passion is to create differentiated products that transform the world for better outcomes. Srikanth holds PhD and MBA degrees and is a Distinguished Innovator at NXP with 24 granted patents.