AAEON UP WCL: A Credit-Card-Sized Wildcat Lake SBC with 24GB LPDDR5
AAEON's UP WCL packs Intel Wildcat Lake Core Series 3, up to 24GB LPDDR5, 256GB UFS, and a 17 TOPS NPU into an 85x56mm single-board computer.
A Credit-Card-Sized SBC That Means Business
AAEON just announced the UP WCL, and the headline spec is right there in the dimensions: an 85 x 56mm footprint, roughly the size of a credit card. What makes this single-board computer notable is the silicon underneath. The UP WCL is built on Intel's new "Wildcat Lake" Core Series 3 platform, offered in three confirmed tiers: the Core 3 304, Core 5 320, and Core 7 350, scaling up to a hexa-core configuration.
For an SBC this small to carry desktop-class Intel cores is genuinely impressive, and it puts the UP WCL in a different weight class from the ARM boards I usually cover here.
Memory, Storage, and the NPU Numbers
The confirmed specs are dense. The UP WCL supports up to 24GB of LPDDR5 memory and up to 256GB of UFS storage on board. That UFS choice is worth flagging: it keeps the storage soldered and compact rather than relying on a removable card, which fits the credit-card form factor.
For the AI crowd, there's an integrated NPU rated at roughly 17 TOPS, with AAEON quoting around 40 TOPS of platform-level AI performance once you factor in the CPU and GPU contributions. In analysis terms, that gap between the 17 TOPS NPU figure and the ~40 TOPS platform number is the difference between the dedicated neural accelerator and the whole-chip throughput, so read those two numbers as measuring different things. Either way, this is a capable edge AI board for local inference workloads.
Ports, Power, and Connectivity
The I/O is well-rounded for a board this size. Confirmed connectivity includes:
- HDMI 2.1 for high-resolution display output
- 2.5GbE wired networking
- Three USB 3.2 Type-A ports
- An M.2 E-Key slot for adding WiFi and Bluetooth
Typical power draw lands in the 30-36W range. That's higher than a fanless ARM SBC, but reasonable given the x86 horsepower and the platform AI capability you're getting in return.
Software and Availability
AAEON lists support for Windows 11 LTSC and Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, covering both the industrial Windows deployments and the Linux maker crowd. There's also a larger sibling: a UP Nexus WCL variant in the UP Squared Pro form factor was announced alongside the credit-card board, for builders who want the same Wildcat Lake silicon with more expansion room.
Availability is slated for late Q3 2026. Pricing has not been announced yet, so I won't guess at a figure. If the cost lands sensibly, the UP WCL could be a standout for compact x86 edge AI projects where ARM boards run out of headroom.
Sources: CNX Software — "UP WCL – A credit card-sized Wildcat Lake SBC with up to 24GB LPDDR5, 256GB UFS" — June 18, 2026.