Final Score: Jetson Nano – 3 | Odroid XU4 – 2
The opening quarterfinal of the Mini Computer World Cup brought two ARM-based giants face-to-face: Jetson Nano, NVIDIA’s AI-focused board, and Odroid XU4, a compact powerhouse known for server performance and retro gaming. This clash highlighted AI acceleration versus raw parallel processing.
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Pre-Match Overview
Jetson Nano is built around a 128-core Maxwell GPU and a quad-core ARM Cortex-A57 CPU, with 4 GB RAM and excellent CUDA support. It’s ideal for AI inference, robotics, and computer vision, offering high efficiency in deep learning workloads.
Odroid XU4, powered by the Samsung Exynos5422 (big.LITTLE octa-core CPU), delivers USB 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet, and superb multitasking for servers and emulation. It excels in media streaming, network-intensive tasks, and parallel processing.
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Match Highlights
The first half saw Odroid XU4 score early in network performance. Its Gigabit Ethernet and optimized I/O allowed faster file transfers and server response times, making it a favorite for NAS and cloud setups.
Jetson Nano equalized with its AI acceleration. Running real-time object detection through TensorRT, it outperformed Odroid by nearly 40% in inference speed, showing why it dominates robotics applications.
In the second half, Jetson Nano pulled ahead again in GPU benchmarks. CUDA cores provided superior performance in computer vision tasks and OpenCL rendering, giving it a 2-1 lead.
Odroid XU4, however, refused to give up. Leveraging its octa-core architecture, it tied the score in multithreaded CPU workloads, outperforming Jetson in tasks like software compilation and server-side scripting.
The deciding moment came in power efficiency under load. Jetson Nano maintained stable thermals and better performance-per-watt while running complex AI models, allowing it to secure the winning goal at 3-2.
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Performance Summary:
GPU & AI: Jetson Nano’s CUDA acceleration dominated deep learning tasks.
CPU & Multitasking: Odroid XU4 excelled in server and compilation workloads.
Networking & I/O: Odroid had the edge with faster throughput.
Thermals & Power Efficiency: Jetson Nano delivered better sustained performance per watt.
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Final Verdict:
Jetson Nano wins 3-2, advancing to the semifinals as the AI-centric powerhouse. Odroid XU4’s versatility and server performance earned respect, but it couldn’t overcome Jetson’s specialized GPU acceleration and efficiency.