NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX - Introduction
 | The NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX documentation from RidgeRun is presently being developed. |
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Getting Started with NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX
When beginning development with the NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX platform, there are three essential hardware and software components that every developer must understand. Together, they provide the foundation for building powerful embedded AI, robotics, and edge computing solutions.
- System on Module (SoM): The SoM is the heart of the Jetson Orin NX. It integrates the key computing elements into a single compact package. Inside the SoM are the ARM CPU cores, an NVIDIA Ampere GPU with Tensor Cores, hardware accelerators, system memory, and high-speed interfaces. By concentrating all these resources on one printed circuit board (PCB), the SoM offers top-tier performance while maintaining a small form factor ideal for embedded systems and AI-driven devices.
- Carrier Board: The carrier board provides the physical interfaces that allow the SoM to connect with the outside world. These interfaces include USB, HDMI, Ethernet, CSI camera inputs, and other expansion connectors. Developers typically begin with the official NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX developer kit, which ships with a reference carrier board. This makes it easy to evaluate features and prototype quickly. Later, most projects move to a custom carrier board designed specifically to meet application requirements, whether for robotics, industrial automation, or AI at the edge.
- Board Support Package (BSP): The BSP is the software layer that makes the hardware fully accessible. It includes device-specific drivers and low-level system software that integrate with the Linux-based operating system. NVIDIA’s BSP is bundled with the JetPack SDK, which provides CUDA, cuDNN, TensorRT, multimedia APIs, and AI frameworks. Together, they enable developers to run accelerated workloads reliably on the Jetson Orin NX.
A Rich Development Ecosystem
The NVIDIA Jetson family, including Jetson Orin NX, is supported by an extensive ecosystem of carrier boards, software tools, documentation, and an active developer community. This ecosystem makes Jetson platforms a leading choice for engineers looking to deliver high-performance embedded AI applications with reduced development time.