Yocto for NXP i.MX95 - NXP i.MX95 Technical Guide

Q: Which image should I build for Verdin i.MX95?

Use tdx-reference-minimal-image for a minimal command-line image or tdx-reference-multimedia-image to evaluate the graphical and multimedia components listed above.

NXP i.MX95 Technical Guide from RidgeRun

Contents Pin

Yocto support for NXP i.MX95 (also searched as imx95) depends on the board vendor’s board support package (BSP). NXP provides an i.MX Yocto BSP for its development boards, while vendors such as Toradex provide BSP layers and manifests for their own modules. This guide explains the main NXP and Toradex Yocto layer groups, then follows the Toradex Verdin i.MX95 path for setup, image building, and flashing.

Yocto support for NXP i.MX95

The Yocto Project provides tools and metadata for building custom embedded Linux distributions. OpenEmbedded supplies core build infrastructure and BitBake executes the build tasks. Board support comes from BSP layers, recipes, and configuration maintained by NXP and hardware vendors.

There is no single board-independent i.MX95 build configuration. Select the BSP, manifest, machine configuration, and image recipe for the exact development board or System on Module (SoM). The NXP i.MX Yocto Project User’s Guide documents NXP’s BSP and NXP board configurations. Toradex maintains a separate BSP and manifest for Toradex modules, including Verdin i.MX95.

Core Yocto layers for NXP i.MX95

Yocto builds combine layers from the Yocto/OpenEmbedded project, the processor vendor, and the board vendor. The lists below explain their roles; they do not mean every layer is included in every build. Use the manifest for the selected board and BSP release as the source of truth for the layers and revisions in a particular build.

Yocto Project and OpenEmbedded layers

Poky is the Yocto Project reference distribution. It brings together OpenEmbedded build infrastructure, BitBake, and core metadata used to build Linux distributions.
meta-openembedded is a collection of layers that provides additional recipes and packages for embedded Linux systems.

NXP i.MX layers

NXP’s meta-imx release layer sits on top of the FSL Yocto Project Community BSP layers and provides release-validated recipes, board configurations, and i.MX-specific updates. NXP documents these main component layers in its i.MX Yocto BSP:

meta-imx-bsp provides the primary i.MX BSP content, including board-specific support, kernel, U-Boot, firmware, and multimedia components.
meta-imx-sdk provides NXP distribution and SDK-related changes.
meta-imx-ml provides machine-learning frameworks, demos, and accelerators.

The wider FSL community layer family includes:

meta-freescale provides support and configuration for NXP i.MX processors.
meta-freescale-3rdparty adds support for third-party boards based on NXP i.MX processors.
meta-freescale-distro provides example distributions and image recipes for i.MX platforms.

The exact NXP and community layer set varies by release and target board. See the NXP i.MX Yocto Project User’s Guide and the NXP meta-imx repository for the current NXP BSP structure and supported machines.

Toradex BSP layers for NXP modules

For Toradex modules, the Toradex manifest selects the BSP layers and revisions. The main Toradex layers include:

meta-toradex-bsp-common contains BSP support shared across Toradex modules.
meta-toradex-nxp provides BSP support for Toradex modules based on NXP SoCs, including Verdin i.MX95.
meta-toradex-demos provides recipes used by Toradex reference images and the image recipes themselves.
meta-toradex-distro provides distribution configuration and recipes for Toradex reference images.

The Toradex BSP Reference Documentation describes the layers, manifests, supported modules, and image recipes. Check the manifest for the BSP release you are building; do not assume the same layer versions or set apply to every release.

Choose the Yocto BSP for your i.MX95 board

Yocto BSP selection by i.MX95 board
Target board or module	BSP documentation to start with	Scope of the RidgeRun workflow covered in this wiki
NXP i.MX95 EVK or FRDM board	NXP i.MX Yocto Project User’s Guide and the board’s NXP getting-started guide	NXP’s machine configuration and image instructions required differ from the Verdin-specific procedure covered in this wiki.
Toradex Verdin i.MX95	Toradex BSP Reference Documentation	The setup, image-building, flashing, and access links below cover Verdin i.MX95.
Other Toradex i.MX95 modules	Toradex documentation for the exact module and BSP release	Confirm the module’s machine configuration and carrier support before reusing any Verdin-specific steps.

NXP’s current meta-imx documentation lists machine configurations such as imx95-19x19-lpddr5-evk for the EVK and imx95-15x15-lpddr4x-frdm and imx95-19x19-lpddr5-frdm-pro for FRDM boards. Toradex documents separate machine configurations for its i.MX95 modules, including verdin-imx95, aquila-imx95, and toradex-smarc-imx95. Machine names can change between BSP releases, so verify them against the selected release. The RidgeRun build procedure linked below is for Verdin i.MX95; use the matching Toradex instructions for other modules.

Yocto build workflow for Verdin i.MX95

Follow these RidgeRun pages in order:

Prepare the build host and Yocto environment: Set up the Yocto environment for Verdin i.MX95.
Build a reference image: Build a Yocto image for Verdin i.MX95.
Install and boot the image: Flash the image to the board.
Log in to the running system: Access the Verdin i.MX95 system.

The Toradex manifest pins the layer repositories to a selected BSP release. Use the manifest and configuration expected by the setup instructions so that the layers, machine configuration, and image recipes match.

Which Toradex Yocto image should I build?

Toradex provides reference images for evaluation and development. Choose the image based on the functionality needed for testing:

Toradex reference images for Verdin i.MX95
Image	Intended use
`tdx-reference-minimal-image`	Minimal command-line system for headless evaluation or as a starting point for a custom image.
`tdx-reference-multimedia-image`	Graphical and multimedia evaluation, including Weston/Wayland, Qt, GStreamer, and V4L2 components.

Toradex describes these as reference/evaluation images, not production-ready images. Review the current Toradex image documentation before using one as a product starting point.

How does Torizon OS relate to Yocto?

Torizon OS is a Toradex Linux distribution built on Toradex BSP layers and Yocto/OpenEmbedded. It is a separate workflow from directly building Toradex reference images with BitBake. Use the Torizon OS guide for pre-built Torizon images, containers, and the Torizon development workflow.

RidgeRun validation for Verdin i.MX95

As of June 2026m, RidgeRun tested the Yocto Scarthgap build with Toradex manifest version 7.6.0 which comes with Linux kernel version 6.6.52, details of the environment setup can be found in our Yocto Environment page.

FAQ

Which Yocto layers are used for NXP i.MX95?: The layer set depends on the target board and BSP release. NXP’s BSP uses the meta-imx release layer with NXP and community layers. Toradex modules use the Toradex manifest and Toradex BSP layers. Check the manifest for the exact build.
Can I use the Verdin i.MX95 commands for an NXP EVK?: No. The RidgeRun commands linked here use the Toradex Verdin i.MX95 BSP. Review https://developer.ridgerun.com/wiki/index.php/RidgeRun_Yocto_Developer_Guide/Installing_Yocto and NXP’s instructions to use the correct machine configuration for an NXP EVK.
Which image should I build for Verdin i.MX95?: Use tdx-reference-minimal-image for a minimal command-line image or tdx-reference-multimedia-image to evaluate the graphical and multimedia components listed above.

References

Info

Information in this section references the official Toradex Embedded Linux documentation and the Yocto Project documentation.

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