ST x SingTown Technology | Jointly Launching OpenMV N6, Defining a New Benchmark for Embedded Machine Vision

As the official founding team of OpenMV, SingTown Technology and ST, leveraging over a decade of deep collaboration, continue to drive innovation in embedded machine vision technology. Recently, SingTown Technology launched the OpenMV N6 machine vision smart camera module based on the STM32N6 chip. By achieving an optimal balance between AI computing power and low power consumption, it provides high-performance and user-friendly solutions for fields such as robotics, industrial inspection, and intelligent surveillance.

The collaboration between SingTown Technology and ST commenced in 2015. Together, they developed the world's first embedded machine vision product, the OpenMV Cam, based on the STM32F4, pioneering the field of embedded image recognition products. Subsequent iterations have progressively adopted the STM32F7/H7 series chips, continuously pushing the boundaries of performance.

The OpenMV N6, launched in 2025, is equipped with the latest STM32N6 chip. It not only fully leverages the powerful performance of this chip and the mature STM32 ecosystem, but also provides developers with a high-performance, low-power, and easy-to-develop machine vision solution. This helps customers achieve innovative applications in fields such as robotics, AI machine vision, and industrial inspection.

Analysis of Core Technological Highlights of OpenMV N6

Featuring exceptional AI performance and underlying optimisation

The OpenMV N6 is the first machine vision module powered by MicroPython. It features the STM32N6 as its main controller, equipped with an 800MHz Cortex-M55 core and a 600 GOPS Neural-ART Accelerator (NPU), significantly enhancing AI processing performance. The underlying algorithms are deeply optimised for the STM32N6's NPU, enabling the YOLOV8N model to run at over 30 FPS at a resolution of 256×256. It supports AI tasks such as gesture recognition, image segmentation, and object detection.

Furthermore, the STM32N6 integrates 4.2MB of RAM, dual 64-bit AXI memory buses, an H.264 encoder, and a JPEG codec engine, significantly enhancing video processing and data transmission efficiency. This hardware architecture enables it to efficiently handle the massive data within neural networks when running machine learning algorithms, delivering AI performance 600 times greater than STM32 chips without an NPU.

It is noteworthy that the OpenMV N6, built upon the MicroPython framework, significantly lowers the development threshold. Engineers can rapidly debug applications without the need for frequent firmware compilation. Coupled with its on-device visual processing capabilities, it eliminates the privacy risks associated with uploading data to the cloud, thereby advancing embedded vision technology into broader application scenarios.

Multifaceted Visual Capabilities and Hardware Expansion

The OpenMV N6 module supports a variety of high-end camera modules, including:

480FPS High Frame Rate 1-Megapixel Colour Global Shutter Camera

5-megapixel HDR camera

Lepton Infrared Thermal Imaging and RGB Colour Image Fusion Mode

It can meet the professional requirements of industrial temperature measurement, dynamic target tracking, robotics, and other scenarios.

In terms of interface configuration, it integrates

2.4GHz Wi-Fi b/g/n

Bluetooth LE 5.1 Module

Gigabit Ethernet Interface (PoE Power Supply Board also available)

Equipped with a USB-C high-speed port (480Mb/s)

32MB Flash (400MB/s)

64MB PSRAM (800MB/s)

Supports JTAG and STLINK programming

Comprehensive adaptation to embedded development requirements.

Designed for low-power applications

The OpenMV N6 demonstrates outstanding performance in power consumption control, with a minimum power draw of just 1mA. In deep sleep mode, battery life can extend up to one year, and no additional cooling device is required. Its hardware interfaces support Ethernet PoE power supply boards and 3.7V lithium battery charge-discharge management. It has already achieved large-scale application in scenarios such as logistics robots and intelligent security terminals. Its fanless design not only simplifies the development of 3D-printed enclosures but also aligns with the integration demands for miniaturisation and low power consumption in industrial equipment.

In the future, SingTown Technology will also launch OpenMV products based on the STM32MP2 processor platform.OpenMV MP2, further expanding the application boundaries of high-performance MPU scenarios. The new solution will continue the technical route of "high performance + low power consumption + easy development". Through the continuous iteration of the STM32 platform, it will provide more flexible machine vision solutions for fields such as industrial automation and smart transportation, promoting the extension of embedded vision technology to broader application scenarios.