According to some characteristics, it bypasses even the acclaimed Raspberry Pi 5 — for example, it has much more memory. Mass production is just around the corner, but processors for it are not released due to sanctions.
Russian response to Raspberry Pi
Russian developers have created a full-fledged single-board computer called MP21, assembled on the basis of the Elbrus-2C3 processor, representatives of Rostec State Corporation told CNews. Specialists of the Brook INEUM, which is part of the Roselektronika concern from Rostec, were responsible for the development of the new product.
The MP21 differs from most modern single-board computers in a non-standard form factor for this class of devices. While the new Raspberry Pi 5, as well as many Radxa and Orange Pi devices have dimensions of 86x56 mm (in terms of the size of a bank card), the domestic MP21 is noticeably larger, although it is still a very compact solution. Its dimensions are 95x95 mm.
By the time the material was released, the MP21 photos were not publicly available. Rostec refused to request his photos.
According to representatives of Rostec, the MP21 is being prepared for mass production, but they did not disclose the start date, as well as the planned production volumes. The CNews editorial board has addressed these questions to representatives of the state corporation and is awaiting a response.
Better than Raspberry Pi
As representatives of Rostec told CNews, by the time the material was released, MP21 was "the smallest solution" based on Elbrus-2S3. "The original Russian architecture of Elbrus-2C3 makes it possible to use it at facilities with high information security requirements," they added.
The list of options for the new Russian single-board card includes the ability to install up to 8 GB of RAM. And as the main system drive, according to the developers, it uses a full-fledged SSD, the capacity of which varies from the basic 60 GB to 480, depending on the selected configuration. The SSD is integrated into the board and comes with its own separate heat sink for heat dissipation.
In terms of the amount of RAM, the Russian MP21 can be compared with the latest Raspberry Pi 5, which premiered in September 2023. This single-board PC also has 8 GB of RAM in its arsenal, and also only in the top configuration-the minimum amount is 4 GB. The standard used is LPDDR4X-4267.
However, Raspberry Pi 5, despite the fact that this is already the fifth generation of this computer, none of the complete sets have not only SSD, but even regular flash memory. You have to use either external plug-ins or microSD drives that are not included in the package. In this regard, the MP21, which has a regular solid-state drive, wins an absolute victory.
The MP21 is made in a shell-less design and consumes about 40 watts of energy. It is stated that the computer can withstand 40-degree frost and heat +55 degrees Celsius. The developers noted that such endurance allows "using it in on-board computers of aviation equipment."
The "heart" of the new Russian MP21 single-board computer is the Elbrus-2S3 processor. This is a development of the MCST company based on the sixth version of the proprietary Elbrus architecture, inside which there are two general-purpose MCST Elbrus cores, one core of the MCST MGA 2D graphics accelerator and six cores of the 3D graphics accelerator.
The chip is available in three versions with peak frequencies up to 1.6, 1.8 and 2 GHz. Which of them is installed in MP21 – Rostec did not specify, it is only known that in this case the minimum processor frequency is 1.6 GHz.
The CPU has 2 MB of L2 cache on each of the two cores, two channels of DDR4-2400 RAM with ECC error correction code (only DDR4 ECC modules are supported), supports connecting up to three monitors simultaneously, has two HDMI channels (up to 4096x2160 pixels, 60 Hz), 16 external PCI Express 3.1 lines, a pair of 2.5 GBase-T / 1000Base-T controllers, four SATA 3.0 channels on one AHCI controller, and as many USB channels 3.0/2.0/1.0 on a single XHCI controller.
In the description for the processor on the MCST website, it is separately noted that "mass production is being prepared in 2022." The release of Elbrus-2C3, most likely, the developers intended to entrust the Taiwanese company TSMC, which previously produced the vast majority of Elbrus.
However, in February 27, 2022, the production of all "Elbrus", as well as "Baikal" processors at TSMC factories, as reported by CNews, was stopped. How many copies were released, whether the MCST found a new vendor (for example, it may be the Chinese company SMIC), and how many copies of Elbrus-2C3 Rostec had for the production of its MP21 single-board computer was not known at the time of the material's release.
Russian response to Raspberry Pi
Russian developers have created a full-fledged single-board computer called MP21, assembled on the basis of the Elbrus-2C3 processor, representatives of Rostec State Corporation told CNews. Specialists of the Brook INEUM, which is part of the Roselektronika concern from Rostec, were responsible for the development of the new product.
The MP21 differs from most modern single-board computers in a non-standard form factor for this class of devices. While the new Raspberry Pi 5, as well as many Radxa and Orange Pi devices have dimensions of 86x56 mm (in terms of the size of a bank card), the domestic MP21 is noticeably larger, although it is still a very compact solution. Its dimensions are 95x95 mm.
By the time the material was released, the MP21 photos were not publicly available. Rostec refused to request his photos.
According to representatives of Rostec, the MP21 is being prepared for mass production, but they did not disclose the start date, as well as the planned production volumes. The CNews editorial board has addressed these questions to representatives of the state corporation and is awaiting a response.
Better than Raspberry Pi
As representatives of Rostec told CNews, by the time the material was released, MP21 was "the smallest solution" based on Elbrus-2S3. "The original Russian architecture of Elbrus-2C3 makes it possible to use it at facilities with high information security requirements," they added.
The list of options for the new Russian single-board card includes the ability to install up to 8 GB of RAM. And as the main system drive, according to the developers, it uses a full-fledged SSD, the capacity of which varies from the basic 60 GB to 480, depending on the selected configuration. The SSD is integrated into the board and comes with its own separate heat sink for heat dissipation.
In terms of the amount of RAM, the Russian MP21 can be compared with the latest Raspberry Pi 5, which premiered in September 2023. This single-board PC also has 8 GB of RAM in its arsenal, and also only in the top configuration-the minimum amount is 4 GB. The standard used is LPDDR4X-4267.
However, Raspberry Pi 5, despite the fact that this is already the fifth generation of this computer, none of the complete sets have not only SSD, but even regular flash memory. You have to use either external plug-ins or microSD drives that are not included in the package. In this regard, the MP21, which has a regular solid-state drive, wins an absolute victory.
The MP21 is made in a shell-less design and consumes about 40 watts of energy. It is stated that the computer can withstand 40-degree frost and heat +55 degrees Celsius. The developers noted that such endurance allows "using it in on-board computers of aviation equipment."
The "heart" of the new Russian MP21 single-board computer is the Elbrus-2S3 processor. This is a development of the MCST company based on the sixth version of the proprietary Elbrus architecture, inside which there are two general-purpose MCST Elbrus cores, one core of the MCST MGA 2D graphics accelerator and six cores of the 3D graphics accelerator.
The chip is available in three versions with peak frequencies up to 1.6, 1.8 and 2 GHz. Which of them is installed in MP21 – Rostec did not specify, it is only known that in this case the minimum processor frequency is 1.6 GHz.
The CPU has 2 MB of L2 cache on each of the two cores, two channels of DDR4-2400 RAM with ECC error correction code (only DDR4 ECC modules are supported), supports connecting up to three monitors simultaneously, has two HDMI channels (up to 4096x2160 pixels, 60 Hz), 16 external PCI Express 3.1 lines, a pair of 2.5 GBase-T / 1000Base-T controllers, four SATA 3.0 channels on one AHCI controller, and as many USB channels 3.0/2.0/1.0 on a single XHCI controller.
In the description for the processor on the MCST website, it is separately noted that "mass production is being prepared in 2022." The release of Elbrus-2C3, most likely, the developers intended to entrust the Taiwanese company TSMC, which previously produced the vast majority of Elbrus.
However, in February 27, 2022, the production of all "Elbrus", as well as "Baikal" processors at TSMC factories, as reported by CNews, was stopped. How many copies were released, whether the MCST found a new vendor (for example, it may be the Chinese company SMIC), and how many copies of Elbrus-2C3 Rostec had for the production of its MP21 single-board computer was not known at the time of the material's release.
