Building Edge AI into Your Next Product

How OEMs can accelerate intelligent product development with the right Edge AI platform.

Artificial intelligence is creating new opportunities for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to develop smarter, more capable products. From autonomous robotics and industrial machinery to intelligent monitoring equipment, the ability to process and act on data locally is becoming an increasingly valuable product feature.

However, incorporating AI into a product introduces new challenges. Hardware must deliver the required processing performance while meeting constraints around power consumption, physical dimensions, connectivity and long-term availability.

For OEMs, the challenge isn't simply finding a processor capable of running AI. It's selecting a dependable hardware platform that supports product development today and commercial deployment tomorrow.

The Challenge: Moving from AI Concept to Commercial Product

Developing an AI-enabled product involves more than integrating a model or algorithm.

OEM engineering teams must consider how computing hardware fits into the wider product design, how it communicates with sensors and other components, and whether it can operate reliably in its intended environment.

Several considerations can influence the success of an AI product:

Development time: Designing computing hardware from the ground up can extend engineering timelines and delay market entry.

Performance and efficiency: AI workloads need sufficient computing capability without creating excessive power or thermal demands.

Industrial reliability: Hardware must withstand the operating conditions associated with the product's intended application.

Product lifecycle: Long-term component availability and platform consistency matter when equipment is manufactured and supported over several years.

Selecting the right hardware architecture early can help OEMs reduce these risks and focus more engineering resources on the features that differentiate their products.

Introducing Innodisk's APEX-A100 Edge AI System

The Innodisk APEX-A100 provides an industrial Edge AI platform for OEMs developing intelligent products and applications.

Powered by the Qualcomm Dragonwing IQ-9075 processor, the system provides up to 100 TOPS of dense AI processing performance, enabling local AI inference without requiring every workload to be processed in the cloud.

Its compact, fanless design and industrial connectivity make it a candidate for applications where computing performance, integration and environmental reliability are important.

Key capabilities include:

High-performance AI processing: Up to 100 TOPS (dense) for compatible Edge AI inference workloads.

Compact, fanless construction: Designed for deployment in industrial environments where space and thermal management matter.

Industrial connectivity: Dual 2.5GbE, USB, CAN FD and serial connectivity for integration with wider equipment.

Extended operating temperature: Designed for operation from -40°C to 70°C.

Long-term platform planning: Qualcomm chipset longevity support through 2038, helping OEMs plan around longer product development and deployment cycles.

These capabilities make the APEX-A100 particularly relevant to OEMs developing autonomous mobile robots, intelligent industrial equipment and AI-enabled monitoring products.

From Complete Systems to Custom Hardware Integration

Not every OEM needs the same hardware architecture.

Some product developers benefit from integrating a complete, industrial-ready Edge AI system, reducing the amount of hardware design and integration work required.

Others may need greater control over the final product's dimensions, internal connections or enclosure design.

Alongside the APEX-A100, Innodisk offers Qualcomm-based computing modules and development platforms, giving OEMs options for evaluating AI capabilities and developing more tailored hardware configurations.

This flexibility creates a pathway from early evaluation and prototyping towards a hardware architecture suited to the final application.

How Simms Supports OEM Product Development

At Simms International, we understand that selecting Edge AI hardware is just one part of bringing an intelligent product to market.

Working with technology partners including Innodisk, our Intelligent Solutions team helps OEMs explore hardware platforms aligned with their application, engineering requirements and commercial objectives.

Through our Define, Develop and Deploy approach, we can support conversations around:

• Understanding application requirements and AI processing demands.
• Identifying suitable computing systems, modules and hardware configurations.
• Evaluating hardware compatibility, connectivity and deployment considerations.
• Supporting the transition from initial product evaluation towards commercial rollout.

Whether you're integrating intelligence into an established product or developing something entirely new, selecting the right hardware foundation can make a significant difference.

Explore Edge AI Hardware for Your Next Product

Developing an AI-enabled product? Simms can help you explore Innodisk's APEX platform and identify an appropriate starting point for your application.

Speak to our Intelligent Solutions team about your next product development project.