Rockchip Update News: Latest Developments in Rockchip SoCs
Source: Dev.to
Overview
Rockchip remains a key player in the worldwide embedded systems and ARM SoC sectors. Its processors are popular in single‑board computers (SBCs), AI edge devices, tablets, multimedia boxes, and industrial equipment, valued for performance, multimedia features, and durability. Recent updates highlight a focus on AI acceleration, enhanced multimedia support, better power efficiency, and broader software ecosystems.
This article summarizes the latest Rockchip update news, including SoC developments, software support progress, and ecosystem trends relevant to developers, OEMs, and system integrators.
RK3588 and RK3588S Remain Flagship Platforms
The Rockchip RK3588 and RK3588S continue to be the company’s flagship SoCs for high‑performance embedded applications. Based on an octa‑core CPU architecture (Arm Cortex‑A76 + Cortex‑A55), these chips are widely adopted in:
- GPU, NPU, ISP, and multi‑display capabilities in a single chip
- High‑performance AI inference workloads
- Diverse embedded platforms requiring robust multimedia support
Recent updates focus on maturing software support, improving stability under Linux distributions, and enhancing AI inference performance through optimized NPU drivers.
Continued Adoption of RK3568 and RK3566
Rockchip’s mid‑range SoCs, including RK3568 and RK3566, remain popular choices for cost‑sensitive and industrial designs. Recent platform updates emphasize:
- Long‑term kernel support
- Improved power management
- Compatibility with newer Linux kernels
These SoCs are positioned as stable, long‑life solutions rather than short‑term consumer chips.
Software and Linux Ecosystem Updates
A major trend is the steady progress toward mainline Linux kernel support. Over recent releases, Rockchip platforms have seen:
- Improved upstream support for display, PCIe, and USB
- Better device‑tree coverage
- More stable DRM and VPU drivers
This progress benefits developers using Yocto, Debian, Ubuntu, and Buildroot, reducing reliance on heavily modified vendor kernels.
Android and AOSP Updates
Rockchip continues to maintain strong Android support across its product lineup, which is especially relevant for manufacturers of Android TV boxes, tablets, AI terminals, and smart displays. The Neural Processing Units (NPUs) remain a core differentiator, particularly on the RK3588 series. Recent updates include:
- Improved SDK stability
- Expanded model compatibility (ONNX, TensorFlow Lite, etc.)
- Performance tuning for vision‑based AI workloads
These enhancements make Rockchip platforms increasingly attractive for edge AI inference, such as facial recognition, object detection, and smart surveillance.
New RK3688
The upcoming RK3688 SoC boasts a robust 12‑core CPU setup with ARM’s latest Cortex‑A730 and Cortex‑A530 cores arranged in a big.LITTLE architecture:
- 8 performance cores (Cortex‑A730) for intensive computing tasks
- 4 efficiency cores (Cortex‑A530) for background activities
- Dynamic frequency scaling across all cores
- Advanced branch prediction and out‑of‑order execution
In contrast, the RK3668 features 10 cores (4 Cortex‑A730 + 6 Cortex‑A530), consuming less power and targeting workloads that don’t require peak CPU performance. Both chips are expected to be manufactured on a modern process, likely around 4 nm.