Alp SDK · v0.17.0 · released 2026-10-13

One declarative file. Heterogeneous build.

Same C/C++ API across Alif, Renesas, DeepX. Set the module SKU; the SDK produces a dual-image build for every heterogeneous SoM — Yocto on the A-cluster, Zephyr on the M-class companion, IPC stitched in. It runs on every E1M edge AI module and implements the open E1M standard.

View on GitHub ↗Full docs ↗

§ One file, every module

The same board.yaml drives every E1M build.

One declarative config. Swap the module SKU and the build target re-routes — same C/C++ API on the other side. No per-module forks, no parallel BSP trees.

→ Single schema across Alif, Renesas, DeepX
→ Per-core cores.<id> scoping — apps + peripherals inline
→ Silicon facts live in the SoM preset, not your project
→ Pin routing in SoM + carrier preset YAML — apps use E1M_<NAME> aliases
→ Build, flash, debug — three commands

Click the card to pause.

tan · zsh3 commands

$ tan build # som.sku: E1M-V2N101
  → resolving E1M-X V2N preset · ok
  → building a55_cluster (yocto) · 4m 12 s
  → building m33_sm     (zephyr) · 8 s

$ tan flash
  → device: E1M-X V2N (s/n a3-12)
  → rootfs + m33 image · 100% (38 s)

$ tan monitor --port /dev/ttyUSB0
  → a55_cluster boot banner · console live

board.yamlalp-sdk · v0.17.0

# One declarative file. Heterogeneous build.
som:
  sku:    E1M-V2N101
  hw_rev: r2

preset:   e1m-x-evk

cores:
  a55_cluster:
    app:          ./linux
    image:        alp-image-edge
    peripherals:  [ethernet, usb, emmc]
    libraries:    [mbedtls, nlohmann_json]
    iot:          { wifi: true, mqtt: true }
  m33_sm:
    app:          ./m33
    peripherals:  [adc, pwm, i2c, gpio]
    libraries:    [cmsis_dsp]

ipc:
  - kind:         rpmsg
    endpoints:    [a55_cluster, m33_sm]
    carve_out_kb: 512

diagnostics:
  log_level:      info

# run via the tan CLI front door:
build:   tan build    # som.sku: E1M-V2N101
flash:   tan flash
reflash: tan flash    # core: a55_cluster

running onE1M-X V2N·4 TOPS

See all 5 modules ↗

§ The Alp SDK stack

Write once, run on any E1M module.

Alp SDK is the unification software layer for Alp Lab edge AI modules. A single C/C++ API works across every E1M SoM — present and future — wrapping each vendor's SDK on top of the chosen OS (Zephyr / Yocto / bare-metal). Single-OS or heterogeneous, the application surface stays identical.

AI Framework

On-device inference

On-device runtimes

TFLM → Ethos-U Alif AEN (U55 all E3..E8; U85 on E4/E6/E8 — Transformer)DRP-AI3 runtime (Renesas V2N)DEEPX dx_rt (.dxnn) (V2M family)TFLM → CPU reference kernels

Model families

classificationdetection (YOLOv5/v8 on DEEPX + DRP-AI3)segmentationkeyword-spottingpose

Offline training only

TensorFlowPyTorch

trained model → deployable inference

Dev Tooling

Build, orchestrate, flash

v0.17.0

board.yaml v2tan CLI (build · run · flash · generate)tan doctor (host preflight)tan monitor (serial console)tan new-som (porting kit)west alp-quality (gate profiles → JSON/SARIF/JUnit)alp_orchestrate.py (fan-out + system-manifest)alp_project.py (per-core emit)portable-API conformance suiteVS Code extensionprogram_eeprom.pyper-OS dependency bootstrap

board.yaml → per-core build + flash

Alp SDK

One unified <alp/*.h> API

Peripherals

GPIO / I²C / SPIUART / PWM / ADCCAN / RTC / WDT / USB

Audio

PDM in (mics)I²S out + ampTAS2563

Camera

OV5640CAM_MUX

Inference

dispatcherEthos-U / DRP-AIDEEPX / CPU

IoT / BLE

Wi-Fi 6MQTTBLE 5.4

Security

MbedTLSPSA CryptoOPTIGA TM

Display / GUI

SSD1306 / 1331LVGLGPU2D / Dave2D

HW Info

EEPROM manifest (authoritative)hw_rev + serial<alp/hw_info>

DSP / Power

alp_dsp_* chain (FFT, FAC, IIR)<alp/power.h>

Heterogeneous IPC (v0.6 NEW)

<alp/rpc.h> framed RPMsg over OpenAMP<alp/system_ipc.h> auto-generated endpoint IDs<alp/mproc.h> mailbox · shared mem · hwsem

80 Tier-1 chip drivers + Tier-2 community

lsm6dsobmi323bmp581icm42670ina236tmp112tcal9538rv3028c724c128cc3501essd13xx…

User libraries (board.yaml libraries:)

ETLfmtnlohmann_jsondoctestLVGLMbedTLSCMSIS-DSPLittleFS

<alp/*.h> calls · RPMsg IPC bridges M-class ↔ A-class

Operating System

Per-core slice (cores: in board.yaml) · heterogeneous = peers on same SoM

Zephyr · M-class cores

Yocto · A-class cores

Bare-metal · no-RTOS

Bare-metal

per-core OS slice

Vendor SDK

We wrap each one

Alif Ensemble (AEN)Renesas RZ/V2NDEEPX DX-M1

wrapped vendor HAL

Hardware + HAL

E1M open-standard form factor

E1M (35×35 mm) SoMsE1M-X (45×65 mm) SoMsE1M-EVK carrierE1M-X-EVK carriervendor HALs

Standalone firmware against <alp/...> headers, or alp-studio codegen — same API surface either way.

§ Release notes

What just shipped.

Alp SDK ships regular tagged releases. Each release is signed, tagged on GitHub, and documented with a migration note if anything moves.

Full changelog on GitHub ↗

v1.0after first pilotPlanned
Silicon-verified release · ABI freeze
- HiL bring-up sweep across AEN + V2N101 + V2M101
- ABI snapshot frozen — backwards-compat guarantee
- Concurrent multi-NPU (DRP-AI3 + DEEPX) proven on V2M101
- Mender OTA E2E on V2N101 fleet of N ≥ 3 boards
- 4 vertical reference apps end-to-end verified
v0.17.02026-10-13 · releasedShipped
DEEPX DX-M1 and DRP-AI3 inference on E1M-X V2N-M1 · 12.1" LVDS display · tan-cli 0.7.0
- DEEPX DX-M1, DRP-AI3 and ONNX Runtime CPU inference running on E1M-X V2N-M1 silicon
- Riverdi 12.1" LVDS display on the E1M EVK (SN65DSI83 bridge driver)
- Camera drivers: OV5647, IMX296, IMX335, OV9281; V4L2 camera backend on V2N
- Alif STOP / STANDBY low-power modes with RTC and timer wake on E1M-AEN
- tan-cli 0.7.0, 33 new examples; ABI changes in the CHANGELOG
v0.16.02026-08-23 · releasedShipped
CC3501E Wi-Fi firmware v0.3.0 · ONNX Runtime on Cortex-A55 · tan-cli 0.6.0
- Signed CC3501E companion firmware v0.3.0 with OTA promote
- ONNX Runtime CPU inference backend for the Cortex-A55 (opt-in)
- Inference latency accessor: alp_inference_last_invoke_latency_us()
- E1M-AEN flash-path fixes and supply-chain hardening of CI
- Simulator removed: build for hardware or run under native_sim
v0.15.02026-08-07 · releasedShipped
E1M-AEN801 dual-core flash fix · DRP-AI3 from <alp/inference.h> · Yocto backends
- E1M-AEN801: M55-HP and M55-HE images no longer overwrite each other
- RZ/V2N DRP-AI3 NPU available through <alp/inference.h>
- Linux backends for display, I3C, storage and USB
- Security and memory-safety fixes across tan and the AEN drivers

Earlier releases (13)

v0.14.02026-07-29 · releasedPortable I3C controller class · bootstrap facts as data · the hw_rev / SDK-version gate finally exists
v0.13.02026-07-24 · releasedCC3501E BLE GATT on real AEN silicon · Yocto power backend · Kconfig LSP feed
v0.12.02026-07-22 · releasedADR-0020 — the SDK is plans-only, tan is the sole build executor
v0.11.02026-07-16 · releasedCorrectness release — the Yocto image bakes end to end
v0.10.12026-07-14 · releasedBootstrap fix — west alp-build resolves after setup
v0.10.02026-07-14 · releasedPortable display path · GD32 OTA hardening · reproducible releases
v0.9.02026-07-06 · releasedPortable-surface consistency · the alp CLI single front door
v0.8.12026-06-24 · releasedSilicon-accuracy doc sweep — two SoM families now carry evidence
v0.8.02026-06-24 · releasedE1M-AEN801 (Alif Ensemble E8) silicon bring-up · second verified SoM family
v0.7.02026-06-12 · releasedProduction Yocto image · per-core OS topology contract
v0.6.02026-06-06 · releasedHeterogeneous-OS orchestration · first silicon evidence on V2N
v0.5.02026-04Wave-2 DSP / power / 2D-accelerator surfaces
v0.4.02026-03 · prep mergedYocto first-class · secure boot + OTA prep

Full notes for these cuts live in the repo's CHANGELOG.md — see “Full changelog on GitHub” above.

§ Two ways to consume

Hand-written firmware, or generated from a GUI.
Both first-class.

The standalone path isn't a studio escape hatch — anything alp-studio can emit, you can write by hand against the same <alp/...> headers.

Standalone firmware

Hand-written C against `<alp/...>`

Write a Zephyr, Yocto, or bare-metal app directly. Pick instance IDs by hand from <alp/e1m_pinout.h> — ALP_E1M_I2C0, ALP_E1M_PWM3, and so on. Your app stays portable across every E1M-conformant SoM. Capability validation runs at runtime in *_open; alp_last_error() tells you why an open failed.

Firmware quickstart ↗

alp-studio codegen

GUI configurator that emits the same C

Studio reads block manifests, runs the pin allocator over the active SoM's manifest, and emits C that calls the same <alp/...> API the hand-written path uses. Pin-allocation correctness for free, with drop-in dropdowns for every MPN and board.

Open Alp Studio ↗

§ Get started

git clone https://github.com/alplabai/alp-sdk
cd alp-sdk
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/alplabai/tan-cli/main/install.sh | sh
# Windows: irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/alplabai/tan-cli/main/install.ps1 | iex
tan bootstrap --sdk-root "$PWD"              # west + Zephyr workspace + Python deps
tan doctor                                   # host sanity check
tan init --name my-app --destination .. --sdk-root "$PWD"
cd ../my-app
tan build                                    # default target E1M-AEN801

Full docs at docs.alplab.ai ↗

§ Develop in VS Code

Alp IDE brings a real language server for board.yaml, the full tan build surface, flash + debug, an SDK manager, and a project wizard into your editor — no terminal jumping.

· Inline diagnostics, completion, hover, and quick-fixes on board.yaml — an in-process language server, evaluated per keystroke rather than by shelling out
· New Project wizard — pick the SoM and SDK release, scaffold against the active SDK or a pinned release
· SDK Manager: link and activate SDK checkouts per project — active version in the status bar
· Build, image, flash, clean, and run under native_sim all delegate to the external tan CLI (ADR-0020); the extension resolves and manages its own pinned copy of the binary. Plain west flash and west update stay as direct west calls — they have no tan equivalent yet
· Zephyr alp.conf, device tree overlays, CMake args, and Yocto config generated from the project’s board.yaml
· Debug orchestration: project-state inspection, doctor + preflight checks, debug profiles, and exportable support bundles

Current build: v0.7.1, published to the stable VS Code Marketplace channel — no pre-release opt-in needed. It pins tan 0.7.0 and requires an alp-sdk checkout at v0.10.0 or newer.

Get the extension ↗View on GitHub ↗

§ Examples

Real applications. Clone, build, run. Our exhibition showcase, Trace Runner, is an SDK example too — a body-controlled game on one E1M-AEN803.

AI / Edge ML

E1M-AEN (E1M-AEN801)

ai-camera-viewer

CSI camera → on-device inference → display preview. Smallest end-to-end vision loop.

One declarative file. Heterogeneous build.

The same board.yaml drives every E1M build.

Write once, run on any E1M module.

What just shipped.

Hand-written firmware, or generated from a GUI. Both first-class.

Hand-written C against <alp/...>

GUI configurator that emits the same C

§ Get started

§ Develop in VS Code

§ Examples

AI / Edge ML

Robotics

IoT

Display / HMI (LVGL)

Audio

Production & multi-processor

Peripherals (cross-family)

Hand-written firmware, or generated from a GUI.
Both first-class.

Hand-written C against `<alp/...>`