Rockchip RK36xx chips have up to 12 ARMv9.3 CPU cores, 2 TFLOPS graphics, 32 TOPS NPU, and LPDDR6 200GB/s memory

Rockchip's ARM-based RK3588 processors have been popular options for single-board computers, Linux laptops, and other devices since launching a few years ago. Now Rockchip has unveiled next-gen chips that should bring a big boosts in CPU, graphics, and AI performance among other things.

The upcoming Rockchip RK3688 is a new flagship-class processor with 12 CPU cores, a GPU that delivers up to 2 FLOPS of AI performance, a 32 TOPS NPU, and support for LPDDR6 memory with 200GB/s bandwidth, while the RK3668 is a cheaper 10-core version with a 1 to 1.5 TFLOPS GPU, 16 TOPS NPU, and 100GB/s bandwidth for LPDDR6 memory.

@RadxaComputer

The chip maker hasn't revealed when the new processors will be available, but single board computer maker Radxa recently attended a presentation at a Rockchip Developer Conference and shared images on social media that lay out some specifications for the RK3688 and RK3668.

Rockchip RK3688 Rockchip RK3668 CPU 8 x ARM Cortex-A7304 x ARM Cortex-A530 4 x ARM Cortex-A7306 x ARM Cortex-A530 GPU ARM Magni2 TFLOPS ARM Magni1 to 1.5 TFLOPS NPU RKNN-P332 TOPS RKNN-P316 TOPS Memory LPDDR5/6200 GB/s bandwidth LPDDR5/6100 GB/s bandwidth @RadxaComputer @RadxaComputer

Rockchip actually began talking about plans for the RK3688 processor in late 2024, but it looks like those plans have been upgraded since then. The RK3668 specs look a lot like what we had been expecting from the RK3688, and the RK3688 looks a lot more powerful than anticipated.

The chip maker is targeting the AIoT (Artificial Intelligence of Things) market with the new chips, which helps explain the big boost in AI and memory bandwidth for these next-gen processors. But the CPU, graphics, and memory upgrades could be good news for anyone looking for higher-performance, versatile, ARM-based chips.

The processors also supports 8K/60fps video encoding and decoding, UFS 4.0 storage, PCIe and UCIe peripheral interfaces, and HDMI 2.1 vide output.

Rockchip has also introduced a new RK182X RISC-V AI co-processor designed to bring a boost in AI performance to existing processors like the RK3588 and RK3576. The new processor says these chips can handle local processing of large language models with 3 billion or 7 billion parameters on systems with less than 4GB of RAM.

@BG5USN

via CNX Software and @BG5USN

Liliputing's primary sources of revenue are advertising and affiliate links (if you click the "Shop" button at the top of the page and buy something on Amazon, for example, we'll get a small commission).

But there are several ways you can support the site directly even if you're using an ad blocker* and hate online shopping.

Contribute to our Patreon campaign

or...

Contribute via PayPal * If you are using an ad blocker like uBlock Origin and seeing a pop-up message at the bottom of the screen, we have a guide that may help you disable it. Join 9,505 other subscribers