Discover how SECO SMARC modules and Clea OS help industrial automation teams scale embedded edge computing, simplify development, and extend lifecycle management.
Automated industrial machinery and custom industrial control systems are long-term investments for companies in highly mechanized sectors like manufacturing, logistics, and energy. At the same time, their computing requirements continue to evolve as OEMs add more advanced HMIs, local processing, functional safety features, and remote connectivity. The key challenge is to scale these capabilities over time while preserving as much of the validated machine architecture as possible.
To meet these demands, developers of new industrial systems benefit from both a simplified approach to computing hardware integration and a consistent software framework across product generations. Not only does this enable easier design upgrades over extended product lifecycles, but it also dramatically improves scalability, lifecycle management, and operational continuity by standardizing how teams approach industrial embedded edge computing.
Why constant redesigns are not scalable for industrial applications
Traditionally, industrial systems place processors in monolithic designs where hardware and software components are tightly coupled. While this approach has its advantages, such as easier traceability and greater customization, redesigns often require extensive retesting and validation. Changing the main processor to improve device performance or solve supply chain issues can result in long delays to market readiness, creating scalability issues when trying to stay ahead of competitors.
Still, many machine-specific elements, such as mechanical structures, robotic arm assemblies, validated I/O schemes, and application-specific interfaces, may remain relatively stable as computing requirements evolve. Engineering overhead can therefore be reduced by moving to modular design architectures where computing resources are isolated from application-specific parts of the systems—and can be easily replaced with less disruption as market and business conditions evolve.
A proven approach to modular design is the use of system-on-modules (SOMs), embedded computing platforms that house processing, memory, and other essential computing resources within a self-contained, usually compact board. SOMs are then mounted on custom carriers that provide the hardware baseline on which industrial machines and control systems are built. By reusing carrier boards across multiple machine generations—and similar product families—engineers can greatly simplify redevelopment by minimizing disruption to validated architectures.
SOM-based design can also leverage commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) computer-on-modules (COMs) and software frameworks to standardize and scale development. Moreover, open COM standards offer interoperability between solutions of the same type, mitigating vendor lock-in for reliable long-term sourcing, easier lifecycle management, and greater system maintainability when compared to monolithic redesigns.
SMARC as a long-term solution to advancing expectations
Industrial automation systems and controllers require robust computing platforms with a broad range of I/O to support everything from motor and actuator arrays to cameras, microphones, displays, and connections to other machines. Smart Mobility Architecture (SMARC) is an open COM standard that is well suited to support these requirements, with additional benefits for long-life industrial designs:
- A sturdy MXM3 COM-to-carrier edge connection provides reliable operation in vibration-prone environments, saving vertical space while easing COM replacements.
- Standardized, narrow power envelopes and typically low thermal design power (TDP) reduce the chances of major power or thermal modifications when redesigning existing systems for different SMARC COMs.
- Compact 50 x 82 mm footprint options ease installation and retrofits for space-constrained systems like all-in-one human-machine interfaces (HMIs) and programmable logic controllers (PLCs).
As one of the founding members of SGET (Standardization Group for Embedded Technologies), the organization that oversees the SMARC standard, SECO provides a reliable source for engineers to get started with SMARC. SECO’s offerings include the SOM-SMARC-ASL and SOM-SMARC-TWL, which are based on Intel Atom® x7000RE processors (codename: Amston Lake) and Core™ i3 and N Series processors (codename: Twin Lake) respectively.
For industrial system designers, the choice of processor platform should be aligned with the target workload and operating conditions. SOM-SMARC-ASL supports Intel Time Coordinated Computing (TCC), which helps reduce latency and improve deterministic behavior for time-sensitive workloads typical of manufacturing and packaging lines. SOM-SMARC-TWL, by contrast, permits higher burst performance for more complex media processing workloads—for example, machine-vision inspection. Both modules are designed to support reliable long-term operation with soldered RAM, while IBECC support helps improve data integrity and memory reliability where available. For harsher operating conditions, SOM-SMARC-ASL provides industrial temperature support from -40°C to +85°C, while SOM-SMARC-TWL is positioned for commercial temperature deployments from 0°C to +60°C.
While the processor platforms differ between SECO’s SMARC modules, it is the standard itself that dictates the available interfaces. Depending on the selected module configuration and carrier design, this can include USB, serial, audio, camera, and display connectivity to support use cases such as automated inspection and advanced controller HMIs.
Ethernet connectivity across SECO’s SMARC platforms depends on the selected module configuration and carrier implementation, supporting integration into industrial and edge-networked systems. For applications requiring deterministic, low-latency communication, SOM-SMARC-ASL supports Time Sensitive Networking (TSN), helping enable reliable coordination between controllers, sensors, and connected edge devices.
When scaling development from prototyping to deployment, SECO’s DEV-KIT-SMARC provides a COTS carrier board that enables rapid SMARC module interfacing with legacy and modern industrial I/O through physical serial and USB connections. As well as streamlining testing with validated control surfaces or camera systems, for example, this carrier can also be reused with different SMARC modules without redesign. This makes DEV-KIT-SMARC a practical demonstration of the benefits of SOM-based design for long product lifecycles.
Completing the industrial deployment ecosystem
Alongside its hardware products, SECO offers a comprehensive software ecosystem. Designed specifically for industrial embedded devices, Clea OS is a secure, production-ready operating system that enables custom, modular Linux images thanks to its Yocto-based architecture. Clea OS is further supported by the Clea Astarte and Clea Edgehog modules for data orchestration and fleet management, respectively.
By providing a complete framework for edge-to-cloud integration, SECO simplifies fleet maintenance for industrial OEMs. For example, telemetry data acquisition supports predictive maintenance at scale to prevent unplanned machine downtime. Similarly, centralized over-the-air (OTA) update systems accelerate performance improvements and security patching across large numbers of devices to maintain operational continuity and compliance over extended deployment lifecycles.
Since SECO’s Clea software framework is supported across many embedded computing platforms—not just SMARC—developers can repurpose code for different product families. For manufacturers, standardization across hardware and software simplifies edge computing integration efforts for next-generation industrial automation and control equipment. By choosing SECO as a long-term technology partner, industrial design teams can move to faster, more scalable development that promotes long-term deployment success.
For the full range of SECO SMARC modules, head to seco.com and learn more about how this open COM standard can benefit industrial designs.