SMARC SoM Series:
Variscite, a leading worldwide System on Module (SoM) designer, developer and manufacturer, announced a new series of SoMs/Computer on Modules (CoMs) that conform to the Smart Mobility Architecture (SMARC) interface standard. Variscite’s first SMARC-compatible SoM series begins with the NXP i.MX 8M Plus processor-powered VAR-SMARC-MX8M-PLUS.
The VAR-SMARC-MX8M-PLUS offers NXP’s 1.8GHz Quad Cortex-A53 with 800MHz Cortex-M7 real-time co-processor that combines AI/ML capabilities and an advanced Image Signal Processor (ISP) vision system. Like Variscite’s DART-MX8M-PLUS, the VAR-SMARC-MX8M-PLUS offers high performance in an energy-efficient architecture, but adds extended connectivity with additional USB connectors, two Ethernet controllers with IEEE1588 support, additional general-purpose input/output, Secure Real Time Clock (SRTC), and more.
Variscite’s SMARC SoM series satisfies the need for SMARC compatibility, often desirable in devices optimized for size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) sensitive applications like IoT/industrial IoT, point of sale, medical, and other low-power mobile devices. Developers requiring SMARC-specific SoMs will find that Variscite’s SMARC SoM series offers the same high quality, reliability, and longevity as all Variscite products, plus top-shelf sales and technical support in multiple languages to reduce time to market and development costs.
For security, the VAR-SMARC-MX8M-PLUS offers multiple features, both on-SoM and integral to the processor, including Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 security via a dedicated hardware chip that performs cryptographic operations and protects sensitive data like encryption keys and passwords. The VAR-SMARC-MX8M-PLUS meets requirements for devices that must comply with the European Union’s Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) and is compliant with North America’s FIPS 140-3 security standard for sensitive data and tamper-resistance. This is a unique feature of Variscite’s security chip.
Also unique to Variscite, and rare in SMARC-compatible SoMs, customers can fully customize their SoM configuration in orders as small as 20 units. Variscite is also the only vendor to offer BSPs (Board Support Packages) and direct support for all operating systems – Yocto, Debian, Android, FreeRTOS, and Zephyr, at no added charge.
“The VAR-SMARC-MX8M-PLUS is an ideal choice for low power, low cost, yet high performance devices,” said Ofer Austerlitz, VP of Business Development and Sales at Variscite. “Expanding Variscite’s portfolio into standards-based SoMs with the SMARC SoM series is another example of the way Variscite supports and collaborates with its customers and continues to enable new generations of secure devices.”
The VAR-SMARC-MX8M-PLUS also launches a new Variscite Pin2Pin family of SoMs that share the same pinout architecture. Pin2Pin families allow Variscite customers to upgrade their products while using the same carrier board design: simply swap the SoM based on updated processing, performance, and feature requirements. Variscite SoMs provide reduced development time, costs, and risks, as well as scalability options from entry-level to high-performance modules, and come with extended longevity guarantees.
The VAR-SMARC family will expand during 2026 with the VAR-SMARC-MX95. Based on NXP’s i.MX 95 processor, this module will introduce an independent Safety Island architecture and six-core processing.
Variscite will begin offering samples and evaluation kits of the VAR-SMARC SoM series in Q1 2026. Variscite customers can reserve an evaluation kit by contacting their sales representative or sales@variscite.com.
For more details on this new product, go here: https://variscite.com/system-on-module-som/i-mx-8/i-mx-8m-plus/var-smarc-mx8m-plus
