Tiny but powerful—single-board computers are powering the future of factories, smart homes, and AI at the edge. Curious how? Read on!
Have you ever considered how SBCs have changed the ways we think about computing? It is very interesting that such small devices can integrate an entire computer system within a single board. They close off space concerns as well as provide noteworthy advantages like reducing costs, energy use, and size as compared to traditional computers.
Their range of use in the market serves as a main reason for their acceptance. From industrial automation and robotics to smart home devices SBCs are used in an array of modern educational tools. Their small footprint allows for easy integration into a multitude of products and their low power consumption aids designs focused on conserving energy. Models like the Raspberry Pi have become quite popular among educators, learners, and enthusiasts because it provides an introduction to programming, electronics, and system design.
It is astounding how the growth of SBCs fuel has kept rising alongside advancements in embedded systems and edge computing. There is a growing adoption of IoT technologies and automation in automobiles, healthcare, and consumer electronics, and these SBCs are ideal for such applications. They offer sufficient computing capabilities for instantaneous analysis and control of data with less bulky requirements than traditional computers. As these technologies are embraced by more industries, the SBCs have become a very important tool for innovation and solving problems
Compact Yet Powerful
Even though single-board computers (SBCs) are compact in size, they are capable of handling complex tasks in various fields. The majority of them utilize low-power processors and energy-efficient architectures, typically consuming no more than 5 to 10 watts. The SBCs are perfect for remote battery-operated systems, edge computing, and IoT setups. They are equipped with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, USB ports, GPIO pins, which helps them to easily connect with peripheral and sensor for data gathering, commanding, and sample communication.
SBCs usually act as an IoT gateway, gathering local data from devices using UART, I2C, SPI, and then transmitting it into the cloud through wired or wireless connection. This enables real time data collection and analysis in smart homes, logistics services and industrial automation. In factories, SBCs can also gather data through CAN or EtherCAT interfaces to various equipment and control systems.
Raspberry Pi (SC1112) exemplifies this, serving as a control computer in projects ranging from smart greenhouses to industrial monitoring. In agriculture, it gathers soil and weather information to optimize irrigation. In the manufacturing sector, it monitors the machines and sends alerts to the operators. It is a versatile, low-power SBC, making it efficient for prototyping and real life deployments.
Even if these approaches won’t (conceptually speaking) provide answers to every problem from a theoretical computer science point of view, clusters of SBCs provide a tangible platform for investigating parallel and distributed computing phenomena.
Clusters of SBCs offer a low-cost supercomputer alternative, providing a clear way to investigate parallel and distributed computing, if not skeleton high-end performance.
SBCs, controlling sensors and performing tasks like image recognition, motion planning, and language processing, hold more than basic microcontroller capabilities, striding within the robotics and drone domains. Their capacity by making high-performance computation effortless renders them a primary pick for engineers and hobbyists constructing intelligent machines.
By enabling hands-on projects, SBCs impact the education sector from teaching coding to electronics. They control machines and enhance operations in the manufacturing industry. As the building blocks of modern consumer technology, SBCs power media players, gaming consoles, and smart home hubs. They’re also widely used in the automation of real-time data sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, and logistics.
The Role of SBCs In Industrial Automation
Industrial automation is applied both within factories and in the outdoors, specifically in chemical, oil, and gas plants. These settings pose a multitude of equipment design challenges.
Excessive indoor heat and outdoor cold are two temperature extremes that are common. Machinery can also impose mechanical stress due to shock and vibration. Unlike humans who operate on a shift basis, systems need to be guarded with automation systems as skeletal staff must run on 24/7. Risk is increased with the advent of Industry 4.0 where IT and operations technology are integrated, heightening vulnerability to cyberattacks. Along with these factors, cost and development time also need to be minimized.
The right SBC needs to be chosen carefully because all the issues can be tackled using SBCs. These devices are energy-efficient computers constructed on a single circuit board or microprocessor, which means they’re compact. Reduced component count through streamlined design strengthens reliability and reduces heat output, which are pivotal in harsh industrial surroundings.
SBCs are used in embedded systems for machine control, process management, environmental monitoring and other specialized tasks in industrial settings. Their small size coupled with robust design ideal for space constrained and demanding surroundings makes them perfect.
For instance, SBCs are able to manage sensors used to measure and monitor temperature and humidity. In pharmaceuticals, they assist in maintaining consistency of the product through precise chemical dosing. They also facilitate predictive maintenance and trace real-time movement of goods throughout the supply chain.
The CC-SB-WMX-KK8D and CC-SBP-WMX-JN58 are examples of SBCs that fit such applications. Both support harsh operating conditions and continuous operation, due to their wide temperature ranges and multiple options for connecting peripheral devices. With these SBCs that are fully compliant with mandatory standards, development becomes easier with these reputable vendors.
Another noteworthy alternative is the Analog Devices Inc./Maxim Integrated TMCM-0960-MOTIONPY V21 which is capable of performing sophisticated motion control tasks, thereby making it ideal for precise automation in industrial robotics, material handling, and motor control systems.
The growing role of SBCs in IoT solutions
The selection of an SBC for IoT deployments depends on processing power and energy efficiency together with memory capacity, connectivity options, software compatibility requirements, and overall cost. Strong processing capabilities in SBCs allow immediate data processing at the edge which minimizes the need for cloud systems. Remote or resource-limited environments require devices with minimal power requirements. The ability to manage and analyze large volumes of data requires adequate memory and storage capacity. Models from Seeed Technology (114110147 & 102110767) serve as examples of SBCs that provide powerful solutions for IoT applications.
SBCs can connect to sensors and other devices through their Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Ethernet options. Software and operating system compatibility results in seamless integration. Advanced SBCs come with higher prices but deliver improved performance and greater long-term benefits.
SBCs enable multiple IoT capabilities such as collecting data and processing information together with storage solutions and communication functions. The compact configuration and adaptable nature of these devices make them perfect for edge computing applications that manage data locally to decrease network traffic and improve response speeds.
IoT architecture typically consists of three layers: The IoT system includes three layers which are the perception layer that handles sensors and data collection, the network layer responsible for data transmission, and the application layer which performs analysis and control. The application layer depends on SBCs to achieve real-time analysis and automated processes. These systems have the capability to establish direct connections with smart devices which enables them to serve multiple purposes.
AI at the edge
SBCs are central to advanced technologies in edge computing, particularly in Edge AI. These devices incorporate a CPU, memory, and I/O ports into a single circuit board, and their diminutive size makes them ideal for edge applications that have strict limits on space and power resources. For example, NVIDIA Jetson models 102110408 & 102110659 are capable of performing data processing AI algorithms locally, which minimizes latency and enables real-time data processing.
Bringing SBCs into Edge AI applications provides many advantages. For instance, SBCs process data on the device which significantly reduces data transport through the network, speeding up response times. This is critically important in real-time applications like autonomous vehicles or emergency response systems. Also, SBCs cut down on cloud bandwidth expenses by minimizing the amount of data transferred. The reduction in operating cost raises privacy and security too because confidential information that is not sent over potentially vulnerable networks is more secure on the device.
“As the usefulness of AI and ML grows, it is becoming easier to build simple AI prototypes with tiny-ML running on single-board computers. There is also a new shift in the industry towards more powerful chips that include AI processing features and larger memory.” said Dr. Satya Gupta, President of VSI (VLSI Society of India).
New Trends In SBCs
The technology has made SBCs more powerful and flexible. Cloud computing, blockchain, and IoT integration helps the business streamline its processes, reach more users, and improve the customer experience in real-time. These capabilities have opened new opportunities for many industries from retail and logistics to finance and manufacturing and many more.
“With new trends in single board computers coming up you can say it is the beginning of many technologies like Blockchain and cloud computing. The major shift is from basic IoT to Industrial IoT (IIoT). This is made possible by a technology called Lora radio that permits low power long distance communication,” added Somnnath Bera, Ex. General Manager, NTPC.
The move toward custom-tailored ergonomic treatments based on someone’s genetic predisposition or environmental factors is precision medicine, one of the most crucial trends in healthcare. Here, SBCs contribute by facilitating data collection, analysis and device integration. Moreover, powering everything from customer support to predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, AI, is gradually taking control of virtually every aspect of business operations.
There is another emerging concern regarding sustainable business practices. More companies are adopting green technologies and socially responsible business practices to cut operational costs and waste while appealing to customers concerned about environmental impact. These initiatives are often SBC driven, especially from the perspective of energy monitoring system and automation process support.
Today’s SBCs are equipped with various types of processors, which include integrated GPUs. These SBCs are equipped with X86 and X86-64 processors, usually found in personal computers, as well as ARM processors, gaining popularity in industrial and mobile handheld devices. Most SBCs are mounted on Linux based operating systems such as Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, and even Android; as well as FreeBSD and Windows CE.
Due to their small physical size, minimal energy consumption, and multitasking capabilities, SBCs are essential parts of modern technology. They streamlined the design process by integrating a processor, memory, storage, and connectivity in a single printed circuit board. These features make them the perfect candidate industries like healthcare, automation, education, and agriculture. With IoT and AI growing, SBCs are helping developers build systems that are smart, quick, and able at the edge. With better processing power and connectivity, they are taking the place of big systems in both common uses and special fields. The move to edge computing, industrial IoT plus green tech will just make SBCs more important in future years.
As AI and ML find their way into an increasing number of products and use cases, running tiny AI/ML models on the SBCs will be a big help in enabling prototypes with edge AI capabilities. Tiny-ML and many other similar models are catching on for just this sort of use case.
Most of the early SBCs were ARM or custom processors. There are many RISC-V based SBCs in the SBS space now as things are evolving with plenty of choices. Another trend that we observe is the availability of much more powerful processors with AI capabilities and memory to construct prototypes using SBCs for serving AI on edge use cases.
SBCs have transformed the edge of digital systems, shrinking what once required bulky desktops into palm-sized platforms capable of managing sensors, running models, and automating critical processes. SBCs have grown from hobbyist projects to the core of industrial automation, smart agriculture, medical monitoring, and even real-time robotics. They bridge the gap between raw sensor data and decision-making—right where it’s needed. With trends pointing toward AI, green technologies, and industry-specific custom solutions, SBCs are not just tools—they’re becoming the scaffolding of next-generation computing. As their power climbs and demands fall, SBCs are proving that small machines can drive big changes.
Components Featured in This Article: Specs & Links to Purchase
| S.NO. | Component Name | Specs | Brand | More Info | Image |
| 1 | SC1112 | 2.4GHz quad-core processor, 8GB of RAM | Raspberry Pi | See Details | |
| 2 | CC-SB-WMX-KK8D | 4 processing cores | Digi | See Details | |
| 3 | CC-SBP-WMX-JN58 | 528MHz, single-core processor | Digi | See Details | |
| 4 | TMCM-0960-MOTIONPY V21 | 1-core, ARM Cortex-M4 | Analog Devices Inc./Maxim Integrated | See Details | |
| 5 | 114110147 | 6-core, 8GB of RAM | Seeed Technology Co., Ltd | See Details | |
| 6 | 102110767 | 4 processing cores, 8GB of RAM | Seeed Technology Co., Ltd | See Details | |
| 7 | 102110408 | 1.43GHz quad-core processor | NVIDIA | See Details | |
| 8 | 102110659 | 6-core CPU, 16GB of RAM | NVIDIA | See Details | |
