Ingenic Tassadar Platform: Unlocking the Future Potential of Battery-Powered Camera Market

"The ability to operate at low power levels has been essential for the proliferation of portable electronics and the Internet of Things."
—Riordan, M., & Hoddeson, L. (1997). Crystal Fire: The Birth of the Information Age. W. W. Norton & Company.

From the transistor revolution at Shockley Labs to the precision layout of integrated circuits, low power consumption has always been a fundamental challenge in electronic engineering—it defines the direction of breaking physical limits and shapes the underlying logic of technological inclusivity. Today, the AIoT wave has elevated this challenge to new heights: battery-powered cameras, with milliwatt-level power optimization, are redefining the boundaries of perception. By achieving leaps in "energy efficiency density," they continue the unspoken rule of Moore's Law—true innovation begins with reverence for every joule of energy.

Battery-Powered Cameras: Evolution from Niche to Mainstream Market
In recent years, battery-powered cameras have rapidly evolved from an innovative niche product to a core segment of the AIoT visual market. In the early stages, Ingenic's Zeratul platform broke technical barriers with its standard Linux system, driving the industry's transition from 0 to 1. It has empowered global brands such as Xiaomi, 360, TP-Link, Wyze, Anker, Ezviz, and Lechange to bring their products to market.

(Image above shows 2024 product launches)

Today, this market is experiencing explosive growth:

Rapid Growth: Nearly 40% annual compound growth rate, covering AIoT, security, outdoor exploration, and more.

Category Diversification: Expanding from battery-powered IP cameras and smart doorbells to solar-powered 4G cameras, smart locks, hunting cameras, bird-watching cameras, and other specialized fields.

Technological Advancements: Innovations such as full AI integration, multi-camera fusion, black-light full-color imaging, and AOV are emerging continuously.

At the same time, more industry brands, platforms, and ODM manufacturers are increasing their investment in battery-powered IPC products, transitioning from single products to complete series-based product lineups.

However, behind this prosperity, the industry faces three major challenges:

Increasing Functional Complexity: The overlay of AI algorithms leads to larger firmware, slowing down device responsiveness.

Balancing Power Consumption and Performance: High performance and long battery life are difficult to achieve simultaneously, leading to user "battery anxiety."

Management Redundancy: The surge in multi-category, multi-specification SKUs has increased R&D and maintenance costs.

Tassadar: Redefining the "Impossible Triangle" of Battery-Powered Devices
Addressing industry pain points, Ingenic has launched the next-generation battery-powered platform, Tassadar. Through foundational architectural innovations, it achieves a breakthrough balance between performance, power consumption, and development efficiency:

1. Fast First Frame (TTFF): Instant Response in Complex Scenarios
Regardless of system complexity, Tassadar's Time To First Frame (TTFF) remains constant, completely eliminating the impact of firmware size on startup speed:

Note: TTFF (Time To First Frame) refers to the time from cold start to outputting the first stable frame, directly affecting the completeness of captured information.

2. Fast Start and Continuous Streaming: Zero Frame Loss with Small Memory
Traditional solutions rely on large caches to address frame loss, but Tassadar optimizes the underlying system mechanisms, ensuring continuous streaming and stable image quality even on small-memory chips, reducing hardware costs.

Tassadar's rapid response capability stems from an "invisible black technology"—the RISC-V co-processor. Starting with the T31, each generation of Ingenic's T-series chips integrates a RISC-V core. This co-processor acts as the device's "second brain," automatically handling background tasks (e.g., network connection, sensor calibration) during startup, allowing the main system to focus on image output. Even with complex Linux systems, Tassadar achieves startup in milliseconds through its "dual-core parallel" mechanism.

3. Integrated SDK: Multiplicative Effect on Development Efficiency
By integrating battery-powered IPC and conventional IPC SDKs, customers can reuse 90% of core modules, enabling "one-time development, multi-category deployment." This reduces maintenance costs by nearly 30% and significantly shortens product iteration cycles.

Additionally, Tassadar inherits the mature ecosystem of the previous Zeratul platform, including Wi-Fi, sensors, PIR (passive infrared sensors), and other solution resources, allowing customers to quickly integrate peripheral solutions for diverse product needs.

Currently, the Tassadar SDK, initially launched with the T32, has been released and is undergoing evaluation and development by various brand customers. It continues to improve and innovate, with gradual market deployment expected in the near future.

Conclusion: Technological Inclusivity, Returning Innovation to Its Essence
The birth of Tassadar is not just a technological upgrade but a return to the essence of AIoT terminals—delivering stronger performance with lower power consumption and enabling broader scenarios with higher integration.
In the future, Ingenic will continue to deepen its focus on the low-power domain, collaborating with partners to unlock the limitless potential of visual terminals.