Rockchip RK3588
Product Overview
The RK3588 is Rockchip's flagship AIoT application processor SoC, built on an advanced 8nm process, integrating an octa-core CPU of quad-core Cortex-A76 + quad-core Cortex-A55, a Mali-G610 MC4 GPU, and a 6 TOPS tri-core in-house NPU. Released in late 2021 and in mass production in 2022, its "CPU+GPU+NPU+VPU" four-in-one architecture has made it the mainstay chip for edge boxes, development boards (Orange Pi, Firefly, etc.), and industrial HMIs.
The RK3588 supports 8K@60fps video decoding, 8K@30fps encoding, and a 32MP ISP (HDR/3DNR). The NPU supports INT4/INT8/INT16/FP16/BF16/TF32 mixed precision and can run YOLO, segmentation, OCR, and lightweight large models. It is positioned as an "all-round main controller" and is often combined with dedicated AI accelerator chips (such as the BM1684X) in heterogeneous solutions.
Core Specifications
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Architecture | Octa-core 64-bit (4×Cortex-A76 + 4×Cortex-A55) + Mali-G610 MC4 + tri-core in-house NPU |
| Process Node | 8nm |
| FP16 / BF16 Compute | Supports FP16/BF16 (NPU mixed precision; specific TFLOPS not broken out, estimated at about the 3 TFLOPS level) |
| INT8 Compute | 6 TOPS |
| FP32 Compute | Not disclosed (GPU counted separately, not an NPU metric) |
| Memory Capacity | Up to 32GB (LPDDR4 / LPDDR4X / LPDDR5) |
| Memory Type | LPDDR4 / LPDDR4X / LPDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | Not disclosed |
| TDP | About 5–8 W (system level, depending on configuration) |
| Interconnect | PCIe 3.0/2.0, SATA3.0, USB3.1 Type-C, Gigabit Ethernet, eDP/DP/HDMI2.1/MIPI |
| Interface | SoC on-board (development board / edge box) |
| Launch | Late 2021 (release) / 2022 (mass production) |
| Mass Production/Availability | Mass production in 2022 |
Key Features
- 6 TOPS tri-core NPU: supports INT4/INT8/INT16/FP16/BF16/TF32 mixed precision.
- 8K multimedia: 8K@60fps decoding, 8K@30fps encoding, multi-screen heterogeneous display.
- 32MP ISP: HDR, 3DNR, multi-camera input (MIPI CSI-2 + DVP + HDMI RX).
- Rich high-speed interfaces: PCIe, Type-C, SATA, Gigabit Ethernet, easy to expand.
- Dual OS: Android and Linux, mature ecosystem with many development boards.
- High energy efficiency: 8nm process, better edge-scenario energy efficiency than traditional x86 solutions.
Vendor Information
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Company | Rockchip Electronics Co., Ltd. (Rockchip) |
| Headquarters | Fuzhou, China |
| Founded | 2001 |
Use Cases
- ✅ Edge AI boxes, 8K multimedia terminals, industrial HMIs, smart cockpits, ARM PCs, multi-screen display
- ❌ Data center training, ultra-high-density (>16-channel) video analytics (weaker than the dedicated AI chip BM1684X)
Related Cards
- /docs/cards/others/rockchip-rk3576 — Series mid-range (6 TOPS low power)
- /docs/cards/others/hailo — International edge NPU comparison
- /docs/cards/others/moore-threads-mtt-s5000 — Domestic GPU compute card comparison