Sixfab's AI HAT+ Adds 25 TOPS of DEEPX Edge AI to the Raspberry Pi 5

Edge AI on the Raspberry Pi just got more accessible. Sixfab has launched the AI HAT+, a PCIe expansion board that solders a DEEPX DX-M1 neural processing unit directly onto a Raspberry Pi 5 HAT+, bringing serious vision-AI acceleration to makers without the fuss of a separate M.2 module.

Two Variants, Two Price Points

The AI HAT+ comes in two flavors. The entry model pairs the DEEPX DX-M1ML NPU with 512MB of LPDDR4X for 13 TOPS at $63, while the step-up version uses the DX-M1M with 1GB of LPDDR4X to hit 25 TOPS at $90. Both connect over a PCIe FFC cable and draw power straight from the Pi 5's 40-pin header — no extra power connector required.

Genuinely Low-Power Edge Inference

What stands out on the spec sheet is the power efficiency. The NPU peaks at just 2.5–3W, the full system runs at 13–15W under load, and idle draw sits around 0.5–1W. Sixfab recommends a 27W power supply for headroom. For battery-backed cameras, robotics, and always-on sensors, those numbers are exactly what an edge-AI accelerator should look like — meaningful compute without a meaningful power bill.

A Practical Software Stack for Makers

Hardware is only half the story, and Sixfab has done the software homework. The board runs on Raspberry Pi OS (Trixie) and ships with the company's dxrt-runtime, a ready-to-use Model Zoo, and a path to compile your own ONNX models down to the DEEPX DXNN format. That means you can start with pre-built object-detection and segmentation models, then graduate to custom networks as your single-board computer project matures.

Why This Single-Board Computer Upgrade Matters

Local, on-device inference keeps camera feeds and sensor data private, cuts cloud costs to zero, and removes network latency from the loop. By soldering the accelerator directly to the HAT+ and pricing it from $63, Sixfab makes capable Raspberry Pi 5 edge AI approachable for hobbyists, classrooms, and small businesses alike. It's the kind of accessible, well-engineered SBC accessory that turns a maker's weekend idea into a working prototype. The AI HAT+ is available now through the Sixfab store.

Sources: CNX Software (June 1, 2026); LinuxGizmos (June 2026).