Particle, an integrated IoT platform used by more than 240,000 developers and more than 160 enterprise customers, has helped make countless innovations possible with its wide variety of system-on-modules, development boards, and more. Now the company hopes to bring the “it just works” experience it’s known for to Linux with Tachyon, a powerful 5G-capable single-board computer (SBC) that runs Linux and includes its own AI accelerator.
Recently launched on Kickstarter, Particle’s Tachyon has already exceeded its funding goal with 29 days left in the campaign. Starting from $149 for the "Super early bird" pledge, Tachyon matches the Raspberry Pi form factor, and it’s driven by an octa-core Qualcomm Kryo CPU. The CPU has one 2.7 GHz core, three 2.4 GHz cores, and four 1.9 GHz cores.
In addition to the CPU, the Tachyon also features a Qualcomm Adreno 643 GPU and a Qualcomm Hexagon 770 DSP with an AI accelerator. The AI accelerator is capable of delivering 12 TOPS, allowing the deployment of smaller large language models in a compact package.
For connectivity, the Tachyon features 5G wireless through an embedded EtherSIM, as well as support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2. The SBC has antennas built into the board, and Particle offers its own low-cost 5G data plans.
Tachyon lacks USB-A ports, but it does have dual USB-C 3.1 connectors. One of these supports Display Port Alt Mode, allowing you to connect the Tachyon to your USB-C capable monitor. Particle also offers an add-on USB-C hub with USB-A ports, a gigabit Ethernet port, and an HDMI port. Other USB-C hubs will also work with the SBC.
Particle is also integrating a Raspberry Pi-compatible 40-pin GPIO header, allowing you to use Raspberry Pi HATs with the board. Compatibility with the latest HATs is still a gray area, even for the Raspberry Pi 5. This is largely down to a recent Python change. The change is PEP668 and it moves all user installed Python modules into virtual environments to prevent damage to the OS level Python install. This can lead to software issues with HATs. But we shall test this when we get our review unit.
Tachyon also includes support for cameras, displays, and PCIe peripherals connected via FPC ribbon cables. The dual PCIe lanes introduce the ability to connect multiple devices to the PCIe interface.
Tachyon will ship with Ubuntu 24.04 by default, but other options are available. Particle will support Yocto Linux and the chipset also includes upstream support for Qualcomm Linux, Android 13, and Windows 11.
The Tachyon could easily appeal to more customers than businesses developing IoT solutions. While it’s certainly one of the most powerful SBCs available, it could appeal to hobbyist computing as well. We can't wait to see how it performs against the Raspberry Pi 5.
The Kickstarter campaign suggests the computer would work well to host media, play games, or act as a do-it-yourself NAS. Because of its powerful processor and 5G connection, though, Tachyon lends itself to other possibilities, like building your own gaming device.
The power and capabilities do come at a price higher than most SBCs, understandably. As of this writing, a Super Early Bird pledge of $149 will get you a Tachyon, a $100 discount off the suggested retail price. The campaign offers other reward levels when the Super Early Bird slots are full. Particle expects to start shipping the Tachyon in January 2025.
Remember that crowdfunding a project is not a guarantee of receiving a finished product. Backing a crowdfunded project is akin to an investment; you believe in the project and want it to succeed. You are not purchasing a retail product.
