RK182X Series Hardware Architecture Overview (RK1828 Model)
This chapter gives a full picture of the hardware architecture of the RK182X series AI coprocessor (mainly the RK1828 model), providing a system-level view for BSP and hardware engineers.
Note: RK182X is the Rockchip AI coprocessor series name, covering two concrete models: RK1820 (2.5GB RAM) and RK1828 (5GB RAM). This document mainly describes the hardware architecture of the RK1828 model.
What kind of chip is the RK182X?
The RK182X is a Rockchip AI coprocessor (Device) that connects to a host SoC (Host) via PCIe/USB/EtherNet high-speed interfaces, focusing on neural network inference acceleration (source: RK1820_RK182X AI SDK Quick Start, §1).
The RK182X is not a standalone SoC — it contains no CPU cores, GPU, display controller, or other Host-side components. The following block diagram describes its architecture as a coprocessor.
Host SoC (RK3588 etc.)
│ PCIe / USB / EtherNet
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│ RK182X AI coprocessor │
│ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ NPU cores │ │
│ │ (500/850/1000 MHz) │ │
│ └───────────┬─────────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ┌───────────┴─────────────┐ │
│ │ NPU core DRAM │ │
│ │ 5 GB (RK1828) │ │
│ │ 2.5 GB (RK1820) │ │
│ └─────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ [Communication interfaces] │
│ PCIe Gen3 / USB 3.0 / EtherNet │
│ SODIMM (260PIN) / M.2 module │
└─────────────────────────────────┘(Source: RK182X QuickStart CN, §1)
What module form factors are available?
The RK182X comes in several module form factors (source: RK1820_RK182X AI SDK Quick Start, §2.1):
| Module type | Interface | Max NPU frequency | Expansion |
|---|---|---|---|
| SODIMM | 260PIN edge connector | 1000 MHz | — |
| M.2 | PCIe | 850 MHz | — |
| EXTBoard | 64Pin PCIe connector | 1000 MHz | 32GB eMMC, USB3.0 OTG, USB2.0 HOST, GE-RJ45, FAN |
What communication interfaces are supported?
The RK182X supports three communication methods (source: RK1820_RK182X AI SDK Quick Start, §1):
| Interface | Speed | Supported functions |
|---|---|---|
| PCIe | High speed | Inference, sleep/wakeup, upgrade |
| USB | High speed | Inference, firmware upgrade |
| EtherNet | Network | Inference, remote management |
Related documents
- Power Management — power consumption and supply
- Clock and Frequency Configuration — NPU frequency and thermal control
- NPU Subsystem — NPU inference
- SDK Overview — overall architecture