Thin Mini-ITX Board Targets Embedded AI Workloads

Industrial automation, machine vision and edge computing increasingly rely on compact systems capable of local inference and deterministic communication. Avalue Technology Inc. introduced the EMX-PTLP Thin Mini-ITX motherboard built around Intel Core Ultra (Series 3) H-series processors for embedded AI and automation deployments.

Local AI processing in constrained footprints
The board supports up to 64 GB DDR5-7200 SoDIMM/CSoDIMM memory and provides up to 180 TOPS AI compute capability, targeting applications such as automated optical inspection, robotics coordination and distributed control nodes.

PCIe 5.0 connectivity doubles available bandwidth compared with previous PCIe generations and reduces latency for accelerator cards and storage, supporting high-performance computing at the edge.

The platform uses onboard Intel Core Ultra 5 322/325 and Core Ultra 7 355/356H/358H BGA processors.

Expansion and remote device integration
The Thin Mini-ITX format allows system scaling through a PCIe Gen5 x8 slot. M.2 Key B/E/M interfaces enable wireless modules and storage expansion, while a SIM slot or SIM FPC interface supports remote management in distributed industrial networks forming part of a digital supply chain.

For storage redundancy, two M.2 SSDs support RAID 0/1 configurations, allowing high-speed access or mirrored data protection even on low-power processor configurations.




Multi-display operation for inspection and HMI
The board drives up to four independent displays through HDMI, DisplayPort and USB4 Type-C outputs, supporting resolutions up to 8K. Legacy eDP and LVDS interfaces remain available for existing industrial panels, enabling mixed-generation equipment integration in production lines.

Audio output is handled by a Realtek ALC888S codec with a TI TPA3113D2PWP stereo Class-D 6 W × 2 amplifier.

Connectivity inside factory environments
For machine coordination and control systems, the motherboard integrates dual Ethernet: Intel I226LM 2.5G and Intel I210AT Gigabit. Interfaces target synchronisation tasks in AOI inspection systems, DCS environments and SCARA robot cells.

Peripheral connectivity includes two USB4 Type-C, four USB 3.2, three USB 2.0 (pin header) and five serial ports including RS-232 and RS-422/485 variants. A 16-bit GPIO block and TPM 2.0 provide direct I/O control and platform security.

The board operates from a 12–24 VDC input and integrates a 6 W onboard audio amplifier, reducing external converters and peripheral hardware requirements.

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