NUREMBURG, Germany, Mar 16, 2026 – Arduino announced the upcoming launch of its edge AI platform, Arduino VENTUNO Q, ahead of Embedded World. The platform builds on the legacy of the Arduino UNO family and targets edge AI development. VENTUNO Q takes its name from the Italian word for twenty-one. The launch comes as Arduino prepares to mark the 21st anniversary of its foundation later this month.
At the Edge of Intelligence: Where AI Acts
VENTUNO Q combines AI processing with real time control for edge systems that process data and control physical devices. The board uses a dual brain architecture similar to Arduino UNO Q. It integrates the Qualcomm Dragonwing IQ8 Series for traditional and generative AI workloads with a STM32H5 microcontroller for low-latency actuation and motor control. NPU acceleration provides up to 40 dense TOPS of compute capability. The platform includes 16 GB RAM to support concurrent inference and multitasking, along with expandable 64 GB of storage.
“With VENTUNO Q, AI can finally move from the cloud into the physical world. This platform makes it possible to build machines that perceive, decide, and act – all on a single board.” said Fabio Violante, VP & GM, Arduino, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “Our goal is to make advanced robotics and edge AI accessible to every developer, educator, and innovator. VENTUNO Q is the natural evolution of Arduino’s mission, and a major step toward bringing real‑world intelligence to everyone.”
“VENTUNO Q reflects our shared commitment to make edge AI more powerful and more accessible,” said Nakul Duggal, EVP and Group GM, automotive, industrial and embedded IoT, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “By uniting Arduino’s developer ecosystem with the power of Dragonwing processors, we are making advanced edge AI available to millions of developers worldwide. This platform paves the way for a fresh surge of creativity and innovation, where devices and solutions can instantly comprehend their surroundings and respond, all at the edge.”
With VENTUNO Q, users will be able to prototype and build solutions for a variety of fields, running autonomous AI agents offline. For example:
- AI-powered systems: Offline AI voice assistants running LLM models; mirrors that respond to gestures; tourist kiosks, healthcare desks, or transport hubs that use automatic speech recognition (ASR) and text-to-speech (TTS) on the edge.
- Robotics and motion control: Pick-and-place robotic arms guided by vision; service robots that recognize and follow designated users across dynamic environments; autonomous robots that navigate environments using Visual SLAM and path optimization.
- Edge AI vision and sensing systems: Security systems that detect hazardous behavior; traffic monitoring devices that process traffic data; automated quality inspection systems that use local VLMs to detect defects or missing components.
- Education & research: VENTUNO Q can be used to teach topics from computer vision to generative AI. The platform also supports development of functional prototypes for edge AI applications.
A Unified Development Experience that Removes Barriers
VENTUNO Q integrates AI processing and real time control on a single board for edge AI applications. The main processor runs Ubuntu and Linux Debian with upstream support. A microcontroller runs Arduino Core on Zephyr OS to manage time-critical tasks.
The board works with the Arduino App Lab environment. Engineers can use Arduino sketches, Python scripts, and AI models including local LLMs, VLMs, automatic speech recognition, gesture recognition, pose estimation, and object tracking running offline through Qualcomm AI Hub. The platform also connects with Edge Impulse Studio for projects that require custom AI models. More AI frameworks will be supported soon.
Designed to Democratize Innovation
VENTUNO Q can be connected to a PC or used as a single-board computer (SBC). Unlike general-purpose AI SBCs, it integrates control and AI processing for robotics and automation applications.
In addition to integrating a real-time MCU and an NPU-accelerated MPU, the hardware includes the below features:
- Industrial I/Os that include CAN‑FD, PWM, and GPIO for physical control.
- ROS 2-ready workflows and robotics use cases are baked into the platform.
- High-speed connectors for multiple MIPI‑CSI cameras (with the ability to process multiple feeds with AI), advanced audio, displays, and 2.5 Gb ethernet.
Combined with hardware compatibility – VENTUNO Q is compatible with UNO shields and carriers, Arduino Modulino nodes and Qwiic sensors, as well as Raspberry Pi Hats. These features support development of edge AI applications using a range of compatible hardware modules.
About Qualcomm
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, is a leading American semiconductor and wireless technology company headquartered in San Diego, CA. Established in 1985, the company specializes in designing and supplying integrated circuits and system software for wireless telecommunications. Its product portfolio includes Snapdragon processors, modems, and platforms utilized in smartphones, automotive systems, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and industrial equipment. Qualcomm operates primarily through two segments: Qualcomm CDMA Technologies (QCT), which focuses on semiconductor products, and Qualcomm Technology Licensing (QTL), which manages its patent portfolio. The company serves a global clientele across various industries, including mobile, automotive, computing, and industrial sectors, leveraging its expertise in 5G, AI and low-power computing to drive innovation and connectivity worldwide.