Edge AI can now think and act fast. Discover how it is making factories, hospitals, and buildings smarter without needing the cloud.
Edge AI developers often struggle with high latency, limited processing power, and the difficulty of coordinating multiple AI models in real time. NXP Semiconductors’ new eIQ Agentic AI Framework tackles these challenges by enabling autonomous AI systems to make secure, low-latency decisions directly at the edge without relying on cloud connectivity.
The framework is built for both expert and novice developers. Experts can integrate complex multi-agent workflows into existing toolchains while novices can quickly build functional edge-native AI systems without deep technical knowledge. It supports multiple AI model types including vision, audio, time series, and control, allowing real-time coordination for applications such as industrial automation, robotics, smart building management, transportation monitoring, and healthcare. For example, it can adjust factory equipment to reduce safety risks, alert medical staff to urgent patient conditions, or autonomously control HVAC systems.
Deployment is simplified through hardware-aware model preparation and automated tuning. An intelligent scheduler distributes workloads across CPUs, NPUs, and integrated accelerators, maintaining consistent performance even in resource-constrained environments. The framework supports NXP’s i.MX 8 and i.MX 9 processors, Ara discrete NPUs, and adheres to open standards such as A2A Agent to Agent and Model Context Protocol MCP.
For rapid prototyping and flexible development, the company offers the eIQ AI Hub, a cloud-based platform that provides access to the full suite of edge AI tools including Time Series Studio, GenAI Flow, and the Agentic AI Framework while also allowing on-premise deployment.
The company is applying the framework in healthcare through collaboration with GE HealthCare, demonstrating anesthesia and neonatal solutions that combine medical expertise with edge AI. The partnership highlights how agentic AI can enable faster, safer, and more autonomous operations in critical environments.
