2025/08/09 –, TR411
When working with open source software on embedded boards, developers often face unique challenges that are not encountered in PC or cloud environments. Many embedded boards are powered by SoCs (System-on-Chip), and unless developers can fully utilize the SoC’s built-in peripheral functions, it becomes difficult to build compelling applications using open source technologies.
This is especially true for recent applications involving on-device AI inference for image recognition. Developing such applications on embedded hardware with open source tools remain a non-trivial task.
To address these challenges, Renesas has collaborated with Retronix, a company based in Taiwan, to develop the Sparrow Hawk board, which became commercially available in August 2025. The board is equipped with an AI accelerator capable of 30 TOPS of performance and supports multi-camera input, enabling open source developers to create sophisticated AI- based image processing applications. Sparrow Hawk is designed specifically with open source developers in mind: it eliminates the need for paper-based NDAs and paid software licenses, providing a frictionless and accessible development experience.
In this session, we will introduce the hardware architecture of the Sparrow Hawk board and walk through its open source friendly software development environment. Attendees interested in embedded AI application development will gain practical insights and technical details to accelerate their own projects.
Embedded SW developer or Embedded AI application developer
難易度:Intermediate
Hisao Munakata is a Senior Director in the SoC Software Enablement Department, HPC SoC Business Division, HPC Product Group at Renesas Electronics Corporation. He leads the development of open source software solutions for the R- Car series of automotive SoCs.
Renesas has long adopted an "Upstream First" policy as the core of its open source development strategy. Under Munakata’s leadership, the team has actively contributed key components—such as device drivers and device tree files—needed to run R-Car platforms to the mainline Linux kernel at kernel.org. As a result, Renesas currently ranks 11th globally in cumulative patches merged into the Linux kernel over the past 20 years.
Thanks to these efforts, the R-Car platform is able to run the latest mainline Linux kernel—generally without the need for additional patches—providing developers with a robust and up- to-date environment.
In addition to his work with the Linux community, Munakata also actively participates in industry consortia such as Automotive Grade Linux (AGL) and the Connected Vehicle Systems Alliance (COVESA), striving to serve as a bridge between the open source community and the automotive industry.