DeepComputing Opens Pre-Orders for the SpacemIT K1 RISC-V-Powered DC-ROMA RISC-V Pad II Tablet
Targeting the developer on the go, DeepComputing's latest design takes the guts of a DC-ROMA II laptop and puts it in a tablet chassis.
RISC-V specialist DeepComputing has unveiled a new portable computing gadget, powered by the SpacemIT K1 system-on-chip: the DC-ROMA RISC-V Pad II tablet computer.
"DeepComputing is excited to announce the official launch of the DC-ROMA RISC-V Pad II, a groundbreaking product designed to empower the RISC-V community with an advanced mobile terminal experience," the company crows of its latest announcement. "By leveraging the open-standard RISC-V architecture, this innovative product delivers unmatched convenience and flexibility for developers seeking a robust platform for RISC-V native development."
The DC_ROMA RISC-V Pad II is built around the SpacemIT K1 eight-core RISC-V system-on-chip, which includes an Imagination BXE-2-32 graphics processor and an "AI Fusion Computing Engine" neural network coprocessor delivering a claimed two tera-operations per second (TOPS) of compute at INT8 precision for on-device machine learning and artificial intelligence (ML and AI) workloads. To this, DeepComputing has added up to 16GB of LPDDR4 memory and 128GB of eMMC 5.1 storage.
The hardware, which includes a 6Ah battery for on-the-go use, is housed in a tablet chassis behind a 10.1" IPS display with a 1920×1200 resolution, connected to the mainboard over a MIPI Display Serial Interface (DSI) connection and offering ten-point capacitive touch. There's a front-facing two megapixel camera, and a rear-facing five megapixel autofocus camera — plus a USB Type-C port pulling double-duty as a USB 3.0 On-The-Go (OTG) port and DisplayPort connector for an external display, with a 3.5mm jack for analog audio.
The tablet is only the latest RISC-V-powered portable computing device to be unveiled by DeepComputing, after it launched the original DC-ROMA laptop and opened pre-orders for the more powerful DC-ROMA II back in June this year. The company has also partnered with Framework to build a RISC-V-powered "Mainboard" single-board computer compatible with its eponymous modular laptop range, based on the StarFive JH7110 quad-core RISC-V system-on-chip. The company has also announced other devices based on the same architecture, including the DC-ROMEO: a RISC-V-powered remote-control car.
Like the company's previous releases, the tablet is designed to run Canonical's Ubuntu Linux 24.04 — and is likely compatible with the image already developed for the DC-ROMA II laptop, which uses the same SpacemIT K1 chip. Models with 16GB of RAM, meanwhile, are claimed to be "Android upgradeable," using a build of the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) 15. "With native RISC-V development and compilation capabilities," DeepComputing claims of its target audience for the device, "the DC-ROMA RISC-V Pad II can provide the same level of development environment and experience as the DC-ROMA RISC-V Laptop II, ensuring a consistent and efficient development environment."
DeepCOmputing has opened pre-orders for the tablet starting at $149 for a "basic" model with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of eMMC storage, $199 for a "standard" model with 8GB/64GB, $249 for an "advanced" model with 16GB/64GB, and $299 for a "premium" model with 16GB/128GB. All pre-orders require a 20% deposit, and as yet DeepComputing has not announced a release date for the hardware.