The Qualcomm® Dragonwing™ QCS6490 is a processor designed for applications that require on-device AI, advanced camera capabilities, flexible connectivity, and long-term software support. Its combination of heterogeneous compute, AI acceleration, multimedia capabilities, and multi-OS support makes it suitable for a broad range of industrial, commercial, robotics, vision, retail, and AI applications.

What Is Qualcomm QCS6490?

The QCS6490 combines an 8-core Qualcomm® Kryo™ 670 CPU running up to 2.7 GHz, a dedicated GPU, and an NPU capable of up to 12 dense TOPS.

Rather than focusing only on processing performance, the processor is designed to support complete intelligent edge systems, including devices that use cameras, AI, displays, connectivity, and other peripherals.

What Are the Benefits of QCS6490?

High-Performance Edge Computing

Dragonwing QCS6490 delivers heterogeneous compute with an 8-core CPU running up to 2.7 GHz, a dedicated GPU, and an NPU capable of up to 12 dense TOPS.

This combination supports applications that require computing and AI capabilities at the edge.

Multi-OS Support and Longer Support

QCS6490 supports Android, Linux, Ubuntu, and Windows 11 IoT Enterprise, along with long-term support for Android OS upgrades, Linux, Ubuntu, Windows 11 IoT Enterprise, and security updates.

This flexibility can be important for applications with evolving software requirements and long product lifecycles.

Advanced Camera Capabilities

QCS6490 provides support for up to five concurrent cameras, up to 4K60 video decoding, and 4K30 streaming and video concurrency.

Its edge AI vision capabilities and real-time object detection support applications where cameras and local AI processing are central to the device.

Expanded Interfaces

QCS6490 features USB 3.1 Type-C with DisplayPort, USB 2.0, and PCIe Gen 3, supporting flexible, high-performance industrial and commercial IoT designs.

What Is QCS6490 Used For?

One of the strengths of QCS6490 is the range of applications it can support.

Industrial

QCS6490 can be used in industrial applications including:

• Rugged handhelds and tablets
• Automated factories
• Industrial PCs
• Industrial scanners
• Smart warehousing
• Transportation and logistics
• Manufacturing

Robotics and Drones

For robotics and drone applications, Qualcomm identifies use cases including:

• Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs)
• Companion robots
• Site inspection drones
• Indoor surveillance drones
• Consumer pocket drones
  

These applications can combine on-device AI, cameras, compute, and wireless connectivity in a single embedded system.

Vision

QCS6490 is also designed for vision applications such as:

• Surveillance
• Video conferencing
• Dashcam and body cameras
• Traffic monitoring
• Parking control
• Smart cameras

Retail

Retail applications include:

• Self-checkout
• Kiosks
• Point-of-sale systems
• Personalized recommendations and coupons
• In-store robots

AI Box

QCS6490 can support AI box applications across:

• Retail
• Robotics
• Video surveillance
• Manufacturing
• Asset tracking
• Fleet management

The processor is also positioned for demanding wireless applications, including wireless devices in complex environments, healthcare applications, warehouse applications, and location tracking.

What Is a QCS6490-Based SoM?

For OEMs and developers, a system-on-module can provide a starting point for building an embedded product around a processor platform.

The Silex EP-200Q is an AMC Edge SoM enabled by the Qualcomm QCS6490 for on-device AI. It provides a platform for developing and evaluating applications that leverage QCS6490 capabilities.

How Can You Evaluate a QCS6490-Based SoM?

Hands-on evaluation is an important step when determining whether a platform meets your application's requirements.

The EP-200Q-EVK is a development and prototyping kit designed to accelerate evaluation and development with the EP-200Q. Its firmware is based on the Qualcomm Intelligent Multimedia SDK and includes tools and sample applications for evaluating the module.

Developers can access the EVK through SSH over Ethernet or Wi-Fi, use a graphical user interface, and explore multimedia and AI/ML sample applications. Depending on the evaluation purpose, peripherals such as displays and MIPI or USB cameras can also be connected.

Evaluate the EP-200Q

If you're evaluating QCS6490 for an industrial, robotics, computer vision, retail, AI, healthcare, or other embedded application, the EP-200Q-EVK provides a way to begin hands-on evaluation.

Download the EP-200Q-EVK User Guide for the required hardware and software, setup information, and step-by-step instructions for getting started.