For a quadcopter where the compute budget is about 15 W, which Jetson production module gives the most AI TOPS without its max power envelope going over 15 W?

Question

Rapidflare · Accepted Answer

The best fit is the **Jetson Orin Nano 8GB**. In its default mode it delivers **40 TOPS** with a power envelope of **7–15 W**. Of all our Jetson production modules whose maximum power stays at or below 15 W, it has the highest AI performance.

**Production modules with a maximum power envelope of 15 W or less**

| Module | Power envelope (default) | Max AI performance (default) |
|---|---|---|
| **Jetson Orin Nano 8GB** | 7–15 W | **40 TOPS** |
| Jetson Orin Nano 4GB | 7–10 W | 20 TOPS |
| Jetson Nano | 5–10 W | not listed in the catalog |
| Jetson TX2 | 7.5–15 W | not listed in the catalog |
| Jetson TX2 4GB | 7.5–15 W | not listed in the catalog |
| Jetson TX2 NX | 7.5–15 W | not listed in the catalog |

**Things to know for a 15 W budget:**
- **Super mode goes over your budget.** The Orin Nano 8GB reaches 67 TOPS in Super mode, but that mode's power envelope goes up to 25 W. The 4GB version also goes up to 25 W in Super mode. To stay at or under 15 W, use the default-mode figures above.
- **How the TOPS are measured:** the Orin figures are INT8 sparse.
- **Why the Xavier NX 8GB and Orin NX 8GB aren't in the table:** both have a maximum power envelope of 20 W, so they're over your limit. The Xavier NX 8GB's product summary does say "10–15W", but its listed power envelope is 10–20 W, so I've gone by the higher figure.
- **Lifecycle status:** the Jetson TX2 and TX2 4GB are marked end-of-life (EOL).

Jetson module with the most AI TOPS within a 15 W maximum envelope

Sources

Module	Power envelope (default)	Max AI performance (default)
Jetson Orin Nano 8GB	7–15 W	40 TOPS
Jetson Orin Nano 4GB	7–10 W	20 TOPS
Jetson Nano	5–10 W	not listed in the catalog
Jetson TX2	7.5–15 W	not listed in the catalog
Jetson TX2 4GB	7.5–15 W	not listed in the catalog
Jetson TX2 NX	7.5–15 W	not listed in the catalog