Jetway has introduced the SMC-ARK1, a SMARC 2.1 system-on-module based on the Rockchip RK3588 processor. The hardware is designed for embedded and edge applications, featuring dedicated video encoding and decoding capabilities including AV1 support and an integrated NPU.
The SMC-ARK1 provides a high-density solution for edge transcoding and AI-driven surveillance by combining 8K video processing with dedicated hardware for AV1, a royalty-free codec seeing rapid adoption. By integrating a 6 TOPS NPU, Jetway targets the gap between low-power IoT chips and expensive discrete acceleration, enabling more efficient real-time analysis of multi-channel camera feeds. Within the streaming ecosystem, this shift toward powerful edge silicon allows operators to distribute processing tasks away from costly cloud infrastructure. Watch for Jetway's pricing disclosure as a signal of its competitiveness against established SMARC vendors like Advantech in the sub-18W power envelope.
The global SMARC module market is on a steady growth trajectory, valued at approximately $0.4 billion in 2025 and projected to double by 2034, per Market Intelo, June 2026. This expansion is heavily concentrated in the Asia-Pacific region, which commanded a 42.5% revenue share in 2025 due to a robust manufacturing base and the rapid adoption of edge computing in industrial and smart city applications. While the x86 architecture traditionally held the majority share, ARM-based modules are forecasted to grow at a faster compound annual rate of 7.2% through 2034, according to Fortune Business Insights, June 2026.
Rockchip's RK3588 has become a central component in this specialized hardware market. Advantech launched its own RK3588-powered SMARC 2.1 module, the ROM-6881, in June 2024, highlighting a 300% performance increase over the previous generation RK3399. The processor's 6 TOPS NPU is increasingly benchmarked as an alternative to entry-level NVIDIA Jetson modules, providing comparable real-time AI inference for vision tasks like YOLOv5s while operating within a 15W typical power budget, according to reports from ieeker and Bliiot in May 2026.
For streaming video providers, the adoption of chips like the RK3588 reflects a broader strategy to optimize costs by diversifying the technology stack away from hyperscale cloud services. In 2025, streaming overtook broadcast and cable in total U.S. viewership for the first time, reaching 44.8% of usage in May, according to Nielsen data reported by servers.com. As video is projected to account for 82% of global internet traffic in 2026, the demand for modular, high-performance edge transcoders with native 8K and AV1 support is becoming critical to managing high-resolution content delivery at scale.
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