indie Launches Edge AI SoC to Power Smarter Perception Systems for Automotive and Humanoids

indie (Nasdaq: INDI), an automotive solutions innovator, today announced the release of iND881, its next-generation edge artificial intelligence (AI) system-on-chip (SoC), incorporating an AI compute engine to power smart cameras for automotive and robotic applications. By coupling AI compute with indie's market-leading low-latency multi-camera image signal processor (ISP), the iND881 offers designers an efficient solution for developing intelligent cameras.

The iND881, engineered for low power and real-time responsiveness, delivers heterogeneous compute capabilities tailored for demanding edge perception tasks. Its architecture combines a Neural Processing Unit (NPU), a highly versatile Digital Signal Processor (DSP), and quad-core ARM® Cortex-A53 CPU. The NPU accelerates AI workloads; the DSP handles classical signal processing tasks; and the CPU supports both an industry-standard high-level OS and legacy code-base applications. The iND881 is exceptionally beneficial for automotive systems, including advanced driver assistance features such as driver and occupant monitoring (DMS/OMS) and smart eMirrors with blind-spot detection. The iND881 also supports smart-camera deployments in robotics and broader physical AI automation applications, including autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), where advanced multi-modal perception is essential for accurate sensing and navigation.

The device features a low-latency H.264 encoder for multi-channel video compression and streaming, paired with a high-dynamic-range ISP capable of handling multiple camera inputs with sub-1?ms processing latency. Together, these features enable rapid perception and decision-making in safety-critical systems across vehicles and robots (including humanoids). The device also supports other sensor modalities—including infrared (IR), thermal, time-of-flight (ToF), Radar, and LiDAR—providing robust perception in complex environments. Built on the proven iND880 platform, the iND881 includes a hardware security module (HSM) for cybersecurity and offers software reuse through a unified software development kit (SDK), simplifying development and accelerating time-to-market. The iND881 is a truly adaptable solution for edge AI applications where low power, flexible compute, and uncompromising safety are paramount.

The iND881 can be combined with emotion3D's production-validated DMS/OMS perception stack to form a single hardware-and-software solution. The platform can be deployed as a fully pre-integrated hardware-software package with the iND881, or used independently as a standalone perception software offering, providing greater flexibility to meet customer architectural requirements. This integrated approach helps significantly reduce third-party IP complexity and development risk through hardware co-design, with no hidden incompatibilities. By leveraging emotion3D's proven history with leading Tier 1s and OEMs, customers gain a streamlined path to validation and accelerated time-to-market at an attractive price point.

"With the launch of iND881, we are not only expanding our portfolio but realizing the exciting and expansive opportunities in edge AI markets such as automotive and humanoid robotics," said Fred Jarrar, senior vice president, product line and business management at indie. "By offering our industry-leading SoC solution as an independent platform or combining it with indie's emotion3D AI perception software, we are truly differentiating ourselves as a complete solutions provider, while providing customers the flexibility to choose their preferred design approach."

The iND881, which is ASIL-B compliant and automotive qualified, is sampling now and will be demonstrated in indie's booth at AutoSens and InCabin USA 2026.

About indie

Headquartered in Aliso Viejo, CA, indie is empowering the automotive revolution with next-generation semiconductors, photonics, and perception software platforms. We focus on developing innovative, high-performance, and energy-efficient mixed-signal SoCs and system solutions for ADAS and adjacent industrial applications, including humanoid robotics, and quantum technology. Our sensors span all major modalities (Radar, Computer Vision, LiDAR, and Ultrasound), accelerating the proliferation of automated vehicle safety and sensing features. As a global innovator, we are an approved vendor to Tier 1 partners, and our solutions can be found in marquee automotive OEMs worldwide.

Please visit us at www.indie.inc to learn more.