Nvidia Jetson

lastmod 2026-05-12created 2022-07-2834 edits

Nvidia Jetson is a series of embedded computing boards from Nvidia. The Jetson TK1, TX1, and TX2 models all carry an Nvidia Tegra processor that includes an ARM architecture central processing unit (CPU). Jetson is a low-power system designed to accelerate machine learning applications.

Hardware

The Nvidia family includes the following boards:

• In late 2014, Nvidia shipped the Nvidia Jetson TK1 development board, which included a Tegra K1 SoC in the T124 model and ran Ubuntu Linux.
• The Nvidia Jetson TX1 development board carries the Tegra X1 of model T210.
• The Nvidia Jetson TX2 board carries the GP10B microarchitecture of the Tegra X2 (SoC type T186 or a similar type). This board and the related development platform were announced in March 2017 as a compact card design for low-power scenarios (e.g., use in small camera drones). A matrix describing the performance modes was provided along with it through the press. The TX2i model was mentioned as suitable for industrial use.
• The Nvidia Jetson Xavier was announced as a development kit in late August 2018. Product images and some technical specifications were released at the same time as the announcement. It was said that a 20x acceleration over the previous device was expected for certain uses, with a 10x improvement in power efficiency.
• The Nvidia Jetson Nano was announced as a development system in mid-March 2019, and pre-orders for the development kit became available in June 2019. Discussion of this product centered on hobbyist robotics, owing to its low price. The final specifications revealed it as a power-optimized, simplified version of the full Tegra X1 system.

Bluetooth support

The #Jetson AGX Xavier Developer Kit and #Jetson Nano Developer Kit could connect over Bluetooth, although it is not in the spec documents.

However, the #BOXER-8240AI-A2-1111 could not connect over Bluetooth.

My guess is that the Developer Kits include a Bluetooth module. I'll probably need to test it myself...

Installing PyTorch

• Installing PyTorch for Jetson Platform - NVIDIA Docs

ARM is not among the architectures supported on the official PyTorch site, so it has to be downloaded separately.

It also seems to depend on the JetPack version.

Jetson AGX Thor Developer Kit

Quick Start Guide

• Quick Start Guide — Jetson AGX Thor Developer Kit - User Guide

1. Go to the website and download the BSP image.
   • Jetson ISO (r38.2-08-22)
2. Create a boot disk (USB) with a tool such as Etcher.
3. After booting, select Jetson Thor options -> Flash Jetson Thor AGX Developer Kit on NVMe 0.2.0-r38.1 and it installs all the stuff on its own.

Jetson AGX Orin Developer Kit

The Tech Specs:

REFERENCE CARRIER BOARD:

How to install JetPack

• Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit User Guide - Software Setup | NVIDIA Developer
• Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit Getting Started Guide | NVIDIA Developer
• Korean blogs are no help.
  • About Jetson Orin initial setup: jetpack & pytorch
  • Jetson Nano - Jetson OS (.. : Naver Blog
  • Jetson orin nano OS install :: Seoyoung's blog
  • (NVIDIA) Initial setup of the Jetson Orin development board

There are two methods.

Installing with SDK Manager

• [Recommended] (Jetson) Installing Jetpack on a Jetson Orin Nano SSD (using SDK Manager) — STARLANE
• Summary of the Jetson Orin nano installation process

1. Download and run SDK Manager from https://developer.nvidia.com/sdk-manager. (Wait at the STEP 01 screen)
2. Without plugging in the power, connect the Orin Nano's Type-C port to the host computer.
3. Short the pins labeled FC REC and GND together with a female-to-female jumper cable. -> This seems to be how to enter recovery mode
4. In this state, connect power to the Orin Nano.
5. Then proceed with the installation and so on.

Writing directly to an SD CARD

• Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit Getting Started Guide | NVIDIA Developer
• [Recommended] 🚀 Initial Setup Guide - Jetson Orin Nano - NVIDIA Jetson AI Lab

In short, just write JetPack directly to an SD card. However, you must check the firmware version first.

1. Connect a monitor to the Orin Nano and press ESC repeatedly to enter the BIOS.
2. The firmware version is written on the third line from the top. Check it.
3. If the version is below 36.0, first install the JetPack 5.1.3 firmware to upgrade the firmware.
   • Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit JetPack 5.1.3 image
   • For how to upgrade after that, see the https://www.jetson-ai-lab.com/initial_setup_jon.html page.
4. If the version is 36.x or higher, you can install JetPack 6.
   • Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit JetPack 6.2

For reference, when writing data to the SD card, just write the ZIP image as-is with something like Etcher.

Jetson AGX Xavier Developer Kit

The Tech Specs:

Developer Kit I/Os:

AAEON BOXER-8240AI-A2-1111

• AAEON BOXER-8240AI | AI@Edge Embedded BOX PC with Nvidia Jetson AGX Xavier Platform - AAEON
• BOXER-8240AI-A2-1111 | AAEON at Edge PC NVidia | SOS electronic

AI at Edge Box PC NVidia Jetson AGX Xavier 32GB RAM 32GB eMMC -10...55°C

Specifications:

Jetson Xavier NX Developer Kit

Jetson Nano Developer Kit

Technical Specifications:

Jetson Nano 2GB Developer Kit

Technical Specifications:

Changing the operating mode

• (Jetson) (nvpmodel) Performance and fan mode settings
• JETSON TX2 performance and changing the operating mode

Two executables are used: nvpmodel and jetson_clocks.

Maximum performance mode:

sudo nvpmodel -m 0
sudo jetson_clocks

Market trends and major manufacturers as of 2026

The NVIDIA Jetson series holds an overwhelming share (about 39% or more) of the industrial edge computing market. The sales ranking is usually determined by price accessibility, performance (TOPS), and performance per watt.

Below is a summary of the sales popularity ranking and recommended products, based on current 2026 market trends and shipments from major manufacturers (ASUS, Advantech, AAEON, etc.).

• #1: Jetson Orin Nano series (entry level)
  • The lineup with the highest sales. Thanks to its low price and compact size, it is the most common choice in settings that need mass deployment, such as smart cameras, small robots, and drones.
  • Key features: 7W–15W low power, up to 40–67 TOPS of AI performance.
  • Recommended products:
    • ASUS PE1100N / PE1101N: Stable enough to be called the industrial standard, and highly versatile with support for a variety of I/O.
    • Advantech MIC-711-OX: Sells widely for factory automation lines thanks to its reliable thermal design.
    • Seeed Studio reComputer J4012: Easy for developers to access, so it is popular at the stage of moving from prototype to mass production.
• #2: Jetson Orin NX series (midrange)
  • The model with the best balance between performance and size. It keeps the same form factor as the Orin Nano but is much more powerful (up to 100 TOPS), so it mainly sells for multi-camera analytics and high-performance autonomous mobile robots (AMR).
  • Key features: 10W–25W power, about 3–5x the performance of the Orin Nano.
  • Recommended products:
    • ASUS PE1102N: Supports the GMSL2 camera interface, making it very popular with autonomous vehicle/robot development teams.
    • Neousys NRU-52S / 51V: A bestseller in outdoor mobility thanks to a design that withstands harsh environments (vibration, temperature).
• #3: Jetson AGX Orin series (high end)
  • Bought by customers who want server-class performance at the edge. It is installed in smart city traffic control centers and equipment that must run complex multimodal AI models.
  • Key features: 15W–60W power, overwhelming performance of up to 275 TOPS.
  • Recommended products:
    • ASUS PE2100N: Supports 10G LAN and PoE ports, specialized for security monitoring systems that connect many high-resolution IP cameras.
    • ADLINK DLAP-411-Orin: High sales in high-end industries such as medical devices and precision inspection equipment.

New products to watch in 2026

The recently released Jetson AGX Thor is based on the Blackwell architecture and delivers more than 2000 TOPS.

It is currently in pre-sale and early adoption, centered on humanoid robots and cutting-edge autonomous driving, and is expected to become the mainstream of the high-end market.

Selection guide summary:

See also

• nvidia
• Light X11 Desktop Environment (LXDE)
• JetPack

Favorite site

• Wikipedia (en) Nvidia Jetson
• Jetson Developer Kits | NVIDIA Developer

References