Seeing, understanding, and responding: low-power CNN, VLM and SLM workloads on Raspberry Pi 5

What happened

A 3W NPU (a chip built specifically to run AI models) from Sixfab and DEEPX expands the possibilities for vision and compact language AI at the edge. It adds 25 TOPS of dedicated AI acceleration at approximately 3 W of typical sustained NPU power, while leaving the Raspberry Pi’s CPU (the general-purpose processor at the centre of a computer) free for camera handling, application logic, connectivity and device control.

Most edge AI/ML workloads belong on the CPU, but accelerators are important for the small minority of workloads that the CPU can’t accommodate. Raspberry Pi has made AI development accessible to millions of engineers, students and makers.

The next step is moving from a model that runs once, in a demo, to an intelligent system that keeps watching, understanding and responding — without depending on a constant cloud connection. The Sixfab AI HAT+ for Raspberry Pi 5 is a third-party AI accelerator board built around the DEEPX DX-M1M NPU.