Single Board Computers (SBCs) that use Rockchip's RK3588S chipset are becoming more popular in areas like AIoT, robotics, edge computing, and multimedia. The RK3588S chip has a strong CPU, GPU, NPU, and multimedia features, making it a flexible platform for both testing and final products.

This article explains how to test SBCs that use RK3588S, with examples like Firefly boards and the Kiwi Pi 5. We will cover hardware checks and software testing. In this article, we show a quick test of RAM and CPU for the Kiwi Pi 5 and ROC-RK3588S-PC, along with some additional information below.

Why the RK3588S?

The RK3588S is an 8nm, octa-core SoC that combines:

• CPU: 4× Cortex-A76 (2.2GHz) + 4× Cortex-A55 (1.8GHz)

• GPU: ARM Mali-G610 MC4, supporting OpenGL ES 3.2, Vulkan 1.2

• NPU: 6 TOPS AI acceleration (INT4/8/16, FP16, BF16, TF32)

• VPU: 8K/60fps decoding, 8K/30fps encoding

• Memory: Up to LPDDR4X 32GB

• Connectivity: HDMI 2.1, USB 3.1, PCIe, Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6

This balance of general-purpose compute, GPU rendering, and AI acceleration makes it highly attractive for SBCs.

Key SBC Examples

• Firefly RK3588S Boards

• Firefly has released multiple SBCs based on RK3588S, such as:

• ROC-RK3588S-PC -- aimed at industrial and embedded AI applications

• Station P2 -- a compact RK3588S-based mini-PC

• Core-3588S-JD4 -- SoM module for integration into custom designs

• Kiwi Pi 5 (Our Product)

• The Kiwi Pi 5 is a developer-friendly SBC built on the RK3588S:

• CPU/GPU/NPU: RK3588S, Mali-G610, 6 TOPS NPU

• Memory: 8GB LPDDR4X (options 4-32GB)

• Storage: 64GB eMMC (up to 512GB), microSD expansion

• Video: HDMI 2.1 (8K@60fps), Type-C DP 1.4 (8K@30fps), MIPI-DSI

• I/O: 2× MIPI-CSI, USB 3.1, USB 3.0, 26-pin GPIO expansion

• Networking: Wi-Fi 6, BT 5.4, Gigabit Ethernet

• OS Support: Linux 5.10/6.10, Android 12, Debian 11, Ubuntu 22.04

• With a compact 56×85 mm design, Kiwi Pi 5 targets developers who need a small yet powerful AI-capable

• SBC.