The global System on Module Boards market was valued at US$ 1798 million in 2024 and is anticipated to reach US$ 2235 million by 2031, witnessing a CAGR of 3.2% during the forecast period 2025-2031.
The global System on Module Boards market is expanding as embedded computing moves toward higher performance, lower power consumption, and faster time-to-market. A System on Module (SoM), also known as a Computer on Module (CoM), is a compact, self-contained computing board that integrates the core elements of a system — processor, memory, storage, power management, and key interfaces — onto a single module. This module is then mounted onto a carrier or baseboard tailored to the end application. By separating core compute from application-specific I/O, SoM boards let manufacturers accelerate product development, reduce design risk, and more easily scale performance across product lines. This approach is becoming essential in industrial automation, robotics, medical equipment, smart transportation, aerospace and defense, energy systems, and AI at the edge. The market for SoM boards is expected to grow steadily through 2031.
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Market Overview
System on Module boards sit between off-the-shelf embedded single board computers and fully custom SoC development. They provide an optimized balance: high integration, certified compute functionality, and long-term support — without the cost and lead time of designing a full processor board from scratch. This makes SoMs highly attractive to companies building specialized equipment that must be reliable, rugged, and certifiable, but that also needs differentiated I/O, sensors, or mechanical form factors.
SoM-based architectures are especially popular in industries where hardware lifecycles are long and redesigns are expensive. Instead of redesigning the entire electronics stack when processing requirements evolve, users can simply upgrade to a higher-performance compatible module.
Key Market Drivers
- Faster time-to-market and reduced engineering cost
In competitive industries, delays can kill product opportunities. System on Module solutions dramatically shorten development cycles because the CPU complex, memory routing, boot firmware, power management, and high-speed interfaces are already validated. Engineering teams can focus on application-specific carrier boards, enclosures, and certifications. This is especially valuable for startups and mid-size OEMs that cannot afford multi-year hardware design cycles. - Rising demand for edge AI and real-time processing
Manufacturers, logistics companies, medical device makers, and mobility platforms are increasingly running AI inference, computer vision, sensor fusion, and control logic at the edge. SoM boards featuring embedded GPUs, NPUs, FPGAs, or dedicated AI accelerators allow these workloads to run locally with low latency. This enables intelligent inspection, autonomous navigation, predictive maintenance, gesture control, and safety monitoring without relying on the cloud. - Industrial and mission-critical reliability
Harsh environments in energy, transportation, factory automation, mining, and defense require hardware that can tolerate shock, vibration, dust, electrical noise, and temperature extremes. Many SoM boards are offered in extended temperature variants, conformal-coated, and designed for long-term lifecycle support. This level of ruggedization and longevity is a major reason SoMs are preferred over consumer-grade compute modules. - Modular scalability across product families
A key benefit of SoM architecture is scalability. A manufacturer can design a single carrier board and then pair it with different performance tiers of SoM modules (for example, entry-level ARM modules for basic control and higher-end GPU-accelerated SoMs for machine vision). This strategy streamlines product portfolios and reduces qualification costs across multiple SKUs. - Regulatory and certification pressures
In sectors like medical devices, rail, avionics, and industrial safety systems, certification is expensive and time-consuming. Using proven, production-grade SoM hardware with documented compliance and longevity commitments helps OEMs meet regulatory requirements more efficiently. Long-term availability is especially important to industries that must maintain equipment in the field for 7–15 years.
Market Segmentation
The System on Module Boards market can be segmented by processor architecture, performance class, application, and end-use industry.
By processor architecture, key segments include ARM-based SoMs, x86-based SoMs, and increasingly RISC-V–based SoMs. ARM SoMs dominate low-power and portable edge devices, robotics, gateways, and IoT systems. x86 SoMs remain strong in industrial control, automation, machine vision, and applications that rely on legacy Windows or Linux/x86 software ecosystems. RISC-V SoMs are emerging in security-sensitive and customizable designs, where IP control and sovereignty are strategic.
By performance class, the market spans low-power microcontroller-class modules, mid-range application processor modules, and high-performance AI/vision SoMs with integrated GPUs or NPUs. High-performance AI-capable SoMs are one of the fastest growing categories due to autonomous robotics, automated inspection, and industrial analytics.
By application, key use cases include industrial automation and robotics control, machine vision and quality inspection, medical imaging and diagnostics equipment, transportation and telematics, defense and aerospace electronics, energy infrastructure monitoring, human-machine interfaces (HMI), retail kiosks and POS, and smart gateways for IoT and SCADA networks.
By end-use industry, demand is led by manufacturing, automotive and transportation, healthcare and medical devices, energy and utilities, retail and logistics systems, aerospace and defense, and smart cities/public infrastructure.
Regionally, Asia-Pacific is a major production and consumption hub thanks to strong activity in electronics manufacturing, robotics, and smart infrastructure. North America and Europe remain key due to advanced automation, medical and defense requirements, and the shift toward autonomous and semi-autonomous industrial systems.
Technology Trends
Several important trends are shaping the System on Module Boards market:
- AI acceleration at the edge: SoMs with integrated NPUs, GPUs, and vision accelerators are enabling advanced perception, classification, and predictive analytics directly on-device.
- Rugged, fanless, wide-temperature designs: To support industrial and defense use cases, vendors are developing thermally optimized, conduction-cooled, sealed systems that can survive extreme environments without active cooling.
- Secure boot and hardware-level cybersecurity: With more equipment connected to networks, customers expect TPM support, encrypted storage, secure boot, and tamper detection at the hardware level.
- High-speed connectivity: Native support for interfaces such as Gigabit and multi-Gigabit Ethernet, TSN (Time-Sensitive Networking), CAN/CAN-FD, PCIe, MIPI CSI/DSI for cameras and displays, and 5G modems is becoming standard.
- Long-term availability and revision control: Industrial buyers value suppliers that guarantee form factor stability and component availability for many years, reducing redesign cost and regulatory overhead.
Challenges and Opportunities
The market does face challenges. Supply chain volatility and component shortages can affect lead times. Thermal management in compact, sealed systems remains an engineering hurdle, especially for AI-heavy SoMs. There is also competitive pressure from increasingly capable single board computers, which sometimes promise similar functionality in a fixed form factor.
That said, the opportunity landscape is strong. The continued rise of intelligent machines, autonomous systems, predictive maintenance, remote diagnostics, and software-defined industrial infrastructure is driving long-term demand for modular, application-ready compute platforms. Vendors that deliver secure, rugged, AI-capable, and long-lifecycle SoM solutions paired with robust software support and documentation are positioned to lead the market through 2031.
QY Research established in 2007, focus on custom research, management consulting, IPO consulting, industry chain research, data base and seminar services. The company owned a large basic data base (such as National Bureau of statistics database, Customs import and export database, Industry Association Database etc), expert’s resources (included energy automotive chemical medical ICT consumer goods etc.
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