It's official: mini-ITX is making a “huge splash” in the single-board computer (SBC) market, according to embedded-industry analyst firm VDC. Sales of the small, low-power, low-heat boards with rich PC I/O have grown at a compound annual rate of 22.5 percent over the last four years, VDC figures.

Mini-ITX embedded motherboard shipments (US$ in Millions)
(Source: VDC)

The finding will probably not surprise longtime LinuxDevices readers, who have watched Mini-ITX start out as a demonstration form-factor, and then become popular among do-it-yourselfers and as a consumer motherboard for small-format PCs, before eventually winding its way into embedded applications. Today, it is a well-established embedded form-factor, with industrial-quality boards and complete systems available from vendors that include Kontron, Ampro, Acrosser, Liantec, and of course Via, among many others.

According to VDC, demand for mini-ITX in the embedded board market is being driven by applications requiring small, rugged systems with minimal power and cooling demands. Examples include ATM and gaming kiosks, digital signage, industrial control, communications codecs, mesh network boxes, and mobile video recording/transmitting devices for law enforcement.

VDC calls mini-ITX's rise in the embedded board market “unexpected,” while citing a number of reasons for the form factor's success:

• Low-power, low-heat characteristics enable passive cooling, for added reliability in harsh environments
• Ample board real estate for integrated I/O
• Smaller than traditional ATX
• Standardized mounting holes compatible with ATX cases
• 20-pin ATX power connect compatible with ATX power supplies
• Panel I/O shield and PCI slot similar to ATX boards

Eric Heikkila, director of VDC's embedded hardware and systems practice, stated, “The PC similarity of the Mini-ITX form factor was initially the reason hardcore embedded designers looked down on using it, but the resemblance has proved to be an enabler of the form factor being widely used.”

Additional details are available in VDC's full report on the embedded motherboard market, which costs $6,000. More details, and an order form, can be found here.

 
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