Use Linux on the NXP FRDM i.MX 93 board
Introduction
Set up the board
Set up a Linux user and connect to WiFi
Transfer files to the board
(Optional) Enable Persistent WiFi
Next Steps

  Log an issue

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In this section, you’ll learn what makes the NXP FRDM i.MX 93 board a useful ML development platform, then you’ll boot the board and log in.

Why this board is useful for ML on Arm

The NXP FRDM i.MX 93 board is a practical way to validate ML workloads on real Arm hardware early in your workflow.

It combines:

  • An Arm Cortex-A55 application processor for Linux-based development
  • An Arm Cortex-M33 microcontroller for real-time tasks
  • An Arm Ethos-U65 NPU (neural processing unit) for on-device inference acceleration

The following image highlights the i.MX 93 SoC and the NPU location on the board:

Image Alt Text:NXP FRDM i.MX 93 Board SoC Highlighted alt-textArm Ethos-U65 NPU location

Connect to the serial console and log in

To log in, you connect to the board over a USB-to-UART serial console using picocom. Use a package manager to install it.

    

        
        

brew install picocom
  

    

    

        
        

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y picocom
macOS

On macOS, you might need an extra USB-to-UART driver depending on which USB serial bridge the board exposes. You can get the drivers from Silicon Labs Downloads page .

The next step is to establish a USB-to-UART (serial) connection. Connect the board’s debug (DBG) USB-C connector to your computer.

Find the board’s serial device:

If you see more than one candidate device, use this quick method to identify the right one:

  1. Run the command once with the board disconnected.
  2. Connect the DBG USB-C cable.
  3. Run the command again and use the new device that appeared.
    

        
        

ls /dev/tty.*
  

    

    

        
        

ls /dev/ttyUSB* /dev/ttyACM* 2>/dev/null

Connect to the board using the picocom command by updating the serial device identifier.

    

        
        
sudo picocom -b 115200 /dev/tty*

You will see the below output on a successful connection.

    

        
        picocom v3.1
...
Terminal ready

Now you’re ready to log in to Linux on the board. Connect the board’s POWER USB-C connector to your laptop and toggle the OFF/ON switch if it’s set to off. You should see one red and one white light on the board. In the picocom terminal window, the board will print boot logs. The last line should end with a login prompt.

    

        
        
...
[  OK  ] Reached target Graphical Interface.
                Starting Record Runlevel Change in UTMP...
[  OK  ] Finished Record Runlevel Change in UTMP.

NXP i.MX Release Distro 6.6-scarthgap imx93frdm ttyLP0

imx93frdm login:

Type root to log in as root (no password is needed).

(Optional) Run the built-in NXP demos

If you connect the board to a display, you can see ML demos and application output directly on the device. This is useful when you want quick visual confirmation that your model runs on the target hardware. As per the setup instructions in NXP’s getting started guide :

  • Connect the board to a monitor via HDMI.
  • Connect a mouse to the board’s USB-A port.

The demos will then show up automatically.

Image Alt Text:NXP board built-in ML demos alt-textNXP board built-in ML demos

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