SMARC without downtime: modules available for businesses that can’t have to wait for the memory market to stabilise

The memory market under pressure

Based on data analysis observations, the current tensions in the memory market are not temporary in nature. The issue concerns not only a general increase in prices, but also a shift in production capacity toward more profitable segments - such as HBM, memory for AI, and enterprise-class components. As a result, technologies described as “legacy”, including DDR4, LPDDR4, eMMC, and eMCP, have come under strong supply and cost pressure.

This is particularly important for the embedded industry. Many industrial, IoT, HMI, communication, and edge AI projects still use proven and mature types of memory. They are technically attractive, well supported in software, and sufficiently powerful for many applications. At the same time, these very components may now be more exposed to availability constraints than they were just a dozen or so months ago.

What does this mean for SMARC projects?

VAR SMARC development kit

The SMARC format is chosen wherever standardization and the ability to build embedded devices based on a ready-made SoM module are important. In practice, however, the availability of a module depends not only on the processor itself or the connector. The memory configuration - RAM and mass storage - is also crucial.

In the case of SMARC modules, particular attention should be paid to:

• the availability of variants with a specific RAM capacity,
• the availability of eMMC in the required capacity,
• differences between stock and custom configurations,
• the possibility of quickly starting evaluation and prototyping,
• confirmation of availability for later production volumes.

In practice, stock configurations are the best starting point primarily for evaluation and prototyping - they make it possible to begin work quickly without waiting for individual arrangements. For series production, the situation requires a separate analysis. For deliveries counted in hundreds or thousands of modules, availability may look different than in an online store: sometimes variants with larger memory may even be more readily available than standard stock configurations. That is why a production decision should always be confirmed for a specific configuration, volume, and delivery schedule.

Available modules despite the difficult situation in the memory market

In this context, availability information that we update directly with the manufacturer, Variscite, is important. VAR-SMARC-MX8M-PLUS is a SMARC-compliant module based on the NXP i.MX 8M Plus processor. Variscite describes it as part of a new family of modules compliant with the SMARC standard and as the first product in this portfolio.

However, the most important fact for companies planning new projects is that the module is not merely a product announcement. Our website shows configurations intended for evaluation and prototyping. As an official distributor, we present, among others, variants with 4 GB RAM and 32 GB eMMC - in both commercial and industrial versions.

This is an important signal for the market: despite the difficult situation in the memory area, selected Variscite SMARC configurations are available and can be used to quickly start a project.

VAR-SMARC-MX8M-PLUS as a starting point for new projects

VAR-SMARC-MX8M-PLUS may be an interesting choice for companies that want to start work on an embedded device without waiting for the memory market to stabilize. The module is based on the NXP i.MX 8M Plus processor and offers features useful in modern embedded applications, including AI/ML acceleration, communication interfaces, camera support, and wireless connectivity in selected configurations.

From a business perspective, the availability of the 4 GB RAM / 32 GB eMMC configuration is particularly important. This variant can meet the needs of many embedded projects while also being indicated by Variscite as a stock configuration for evaluation and prototyping.

As a result, designers and integrators can move more quickly to the stages of testing, application bring-up, interface validation, and system performance evaluation. In the realities of a strained component market, this possibility has not only technical but also business significance.

Availability is now an element of competitive advantage

VAR-SMARC-MX95

In embedded projects, a delay at the hardware stage can affect the entire product schedule: software development, testing, certification, mechanical integration, and production preparation. That is why the availability of the hardware platform is becoming one of the criteria for choosing a technology.

A ready-made SoM module can help reduce some project risks. Designing based on an SoM brings benefits such as shorter time-to-market, lower technical workload, long-term availability, technical support, simplified inventory management, and ensured component availability.

Under current conditions, these arguments gain additional importance. For companies developing advanced electronics, it is no longer only about design convenience. It is about maintaining the pace of work despite the changing situation in the component market.

SMARC technology available for current projects - further VAR-SMARC-MX95 modules available soon

Variscite is developing its SMARC product family. Alongside the available VAR-SMARC-MX8M-PLUS, the manufacturer is also announcing VAR-SMARC-MX95, based on the NXP i.MX95 and intended, among other applications, for more demanding edge AI, industrial, medical, and safety-critical applications.

Therefore, for companies that want to start work now, the key point of reference remains VAR-SMARC-MX8M-PLUS - an available SMARC module with specific stock configurations.

What should companies planning new devices do?

In the current situation, it is worth approaching the choice of an embedded platform more strategically. Instead of starting solely from the minimum required memory configuration, it is better to check which variants are actually available and can be quickly used in a prototype.

For designers, integrators, and OEM companies, this means several practical principles:

• choose manufacturers that are reliable when it comes to deliveries, such as Variscite,
• do not postpone decisions about RAM/eMMC memory until a late stage of the project,
• confirm custom configurations sufficiently in advance,
• treat availability as an element of risk assessment, alongside technical parameters and price.

Conclusion

The difficult situation in the memory market does not have to mean stopping embedded projects. It does mean, however, that the choice of a hardware platform should be more informed and more closely connected with the actual availability of components.

The example of VAR-SMARC-MX8M-PLUS modules shows that, despite pressure on the LPDDR4 and eMMC market, specific configurations of SMARC modules are available and can be used to quickly start evaluation and prototyping. At the same time, Variscite is able to manufacture and deliver modules also in mass quantities intended for series production, provided that the configuration, volume, and delivery schedule are properly planned.

For companies that do not want to wait for the memory market to fully stabilize, this may be a practical way to maintain the pace of development work: choose an available platform, start testing, and secure the project before component limitations translate into further delays.