SoC Vs SoM : System On Chip Vs System On Module

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SoC vs SoM (System on Chip vs System on Module)
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SoC vs SoM System on Chip vs System (h
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SoC Vs SoM System On Chip Vs System On
MTaoblde ouf lCeontent

• What is System on Chip, SoC?
• Motivation
• Building Blocks of an SoC
• Advantages of SoC
• What is System on Module, SoM?
• Motivation
• SoM An Answer to Developers Woes
• Advantages of SoM
• SoC vs SoM
• What Is System On Chip, SoC?
• A System on Chip or SoC is a key component in
  Embedded Systems today. An SoC refers to a
  single chip or IC with a completely electronic or
  computer system fabricated.
• It usually integrates a CPU, GPU, DSP, memory,
  I/Os, and external interfaces such as USB and
  analog input and output blocks. This way, an SoC
  has everything needed to function like an
  independent system except for a power supply. It
  can be soldered on a motherboard with power
  circuitry and relevant external interfaces.

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SoC vs SoM (System on Chip vs System on Module)
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Like any other computer system, an SoC can
perform various functions, including but not
limited to Arti cial Intelligence, Machine
Learning, IoT, wireless communication, and image
processing. Examples like the popular Raspberry
Pis BCM2835, ESP8266 chip, NVIDIAs Tegra K1,
Qualcomms Snapdragon 820, and NXPs I.MX series.
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SoC vs SoM (System on Chip vs System on Module)
Motivation The main motivation behind the
development of SoC technology is to make power e
icient, cost-e ective, and miniaturized systems.
An SoC is an ansOwexr teo alllttheesehc questions
because it essentially reduces a design
containing multiple processing elements and
microchips into one single chip. This way, not
only does it reduce the device size but also e
ectively reduces the power consumption. SoC is
the main driving force behind the arrival of
smart digital devices such as smartphones,
tablets, laptops, and many more.
Building Blocks Of An SoC At times, an SoC is
referred to as the processor or controller in an
embedded application, but it is much more than
that. An SoC typically has the following building
blocks . Depending on the application, single
or multiple processing elements such as a
microprocessor, microcontroller, or DSP. .
On-chip memory elements such as Flash, EEPROM, or
RAM. Or memory access control for external or o
-chip memory. . GPU for graphical processing. .
External communication interfaces such as USB,
Ethernet, and I2C, etc.
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2/24/23, 109 PM SoC vs SoM (System on Chip vs
System on Module)
. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or any other
application-speci c protocol for wireless
communication. . Application-related hardware
such as video encoder/decoder. . Voltage
regulator, ADC/DAC, Clock, PLL, etc
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. Internal interface bus.
Advantages Of SoC . Software and hardware
co-design and IP core reusability. . Power e
iciency, small size, and reduced cost. . Reduced
latency as a single chip is responsible for all
tasks and hence e icient performance.
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2/24/23, 109 PM SoC vs SoM (System on Chip vs
System on Module) . Reduced e ort for software
developers as they dont have to worry about
designing underlying functional hardware. What
Is System On Module, SoM? Oxeltech Much like an
SoC, a System on a Module or SoM integrates the
core components of an embedded processing
system, such as processor, memory, and
peripherals, in one place. However, unlike an
SoC, an SoM provides this functionality on a PCB
or a module rather than a single chip. In this
regard, an SoM is a board-level system.
Typically, it is a small board that has many ICs
or chips incorporated into it. These ICs usually
include an SoC and its supporting components such
as memory, clock, power management, and other
application-related parts such as ADC/DAC, GPS,
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, audio codec modem,
etc. However, an SoM is not the complete product
but a part of the product. It is connected to an
external board or the base board through pins,
edge connectors, or solder tabs. It serves as
the thinking board or the main processing element
for the speci ed application. Some examples
include Xilinxs Kria, Googles Coral SoM,
ESP32-WROOM-32, Microchips SAMA5D27, etc.
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SoC vs SoM (System on Chip vs System on Module)
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Motivation The key motivation behind the design
of SoMs is to ease embedded hardwares highly
complex design procedure and ful ll the
processing requirements of high-end applications
like AI. The use of SoC does make things simpler
as the designer doesnt have to put e ort into
each aspect of the circuit, and a lot of
functionality comes into the chip. However, the
designer still needs to have a detailed
understanding of the SoC chip, including each
pins function, the thermal properties of the
SoC, and the pad design.
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SoC vs SoM (System on Chip vs System on Module)
Oxeltech
To take care of this, an SoM o ers a module with
a really small form factor that can be connected
to a baseboard, simplifying the whole procedure
while keeping power budgets low and making them
suitable for a wide range of applications. SoM
An Answer To Developers Woes The design and
development of an embedded system can be tedious,
especially when you have to design a customized
board. Manufacturing and testing delays make
time constraints much tighter. An SoM makes the
whole design procedure smoother. All you need to
do is to choose an SoM that suits your
requirements, integrate it with your main device
and you are good to go. Developers can use all
this saved time to concentrate on their
application software, signi cantly cu ing down
the time-to-market and the overall costs.
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2/24/23, 109 PM SoC vs SoM (System on Chip vs
System on Module) Although it appears that an SoM
is similar to an evaluation board like Arduino,
what makes it much more than that is the idea
that an SoM can also be used in the nal product
without losing reliability or performance. Oxelte
ch
On top of that, SoMs o er greater performance e
iciency, reliability, and scalability to the
design. A dvantages Of SoM . No need for a deep
understanding and experience in hardware, making
it ideal for software developers. Some SOMs also
come with drivers so the developer can
completely focus on the application layer. .
Makes the design process for hardware developers
faster, more e icient, and more resource e
icient. FPGA performance and exibility can be
achieved without going through the slow and
tedious process of PCB design and manufacturing.
. Interchangeability and easy to upgrade. An
upgraded version of SoM with the same form
factor can easily replace the older unit without
changing the underlying hardware completely. .
The simpli ed life cycle of the product. . High
performance, reliability, and scalability. .
Reduced time-to-market
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SoC vs SoM (System on Chip vs System on Module)
Oxeltech
SoC Vs SoM As discussed, SOC and SOM both serve
the basic purpose of making embedded design
procedures easier and smoother for
developers. They are intended to enable
developers to work on high-end applications such
as AI and IoTs and design and produce embedded
systems to meet the stringent design requirements
of this day and age. These requirements include
lesser time-to-develop, reduced cost, lower power
consumption, lower latency, and high
performance. An SoC is essentially a chip with
all the embedded components needed for a speci c
function, such as processing elements, memory,
I/Os, and other peripherals, integrated into
that chip. An SoM integrates these same
components on a single board with a small form
factor that can easily be connected to a main
board or baseboard.
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2/24/23, 109 PM SoC vs SoM (System on Chip vs
System on Module) Still, there are some ways in
which SoMs outperform SoCs, as follows .
Designing and manufacturing a propriety SoC is a
very expensive process and can cost millions of
dollars. Therefore, it is only a ordable by
mOajxorecolmtpeancieshlike Apple and Samsung.
However, SMEs can use SoCs developed by these
companies that are best suited to their needs. .
Although SoC makes the task of the developer
easier by taking care of all the applications
inside the chip, there is still a need to be
aware of the detailed functionality of the chip,
its pin con guration, thermal properties for
soldering, and pad structure. An SoM, on the
other hand, makes you completely independent of
these tasks as its just a plug-and-play sort of
device. . SoMs also o er greater exibility as a
developer can use multiple SoMs with di erent
SoCs on the same baseboard. This way any
application can be tested on di erent
architectures just by swapping the SoMs. . SoMs
o er interchangeability in design as the
components from the SoM can be easily
interchanged whenever a newer improved version of
the component is available with the same form
factor. There will be no need to make any changes
to the rest of the circuit or to change it
completely. However, in the case of SoC, there is
only one way to upgrade, and that is to replace
the chip. . SoMs can be recycled by using the
older SoM boards in cheaper designs. . The same
SoM can be used in the nal product used during
the development and testing phase without any
loss of reliability. . SoM performs well in
terms of performance e iciency, power
consumption, speed, reliability, and
scalability. In a nutshell, due to a signi cant
rise in demand for embedded electronic devices in
AI, industrial IoT, and smart cities, there is a
strong need for a ributes such as e icient usage
of power with high performance and plug n play
features. System on Module, SoM appears to be a
good choice of device to meet such
needs. Muhammad Umair wrote the Article from
OxelTech (h ps/ oxeltech.de/). If you are facing
any problems in dealing with problems regarding
the System on Chip (h ps/ oxeltech.de/en/hardware
-design-and-simulation/) in your design, you are
most welcome to get in touch. Team Oxeltech
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