New Product: Industrial Edge AI Platform “PLECO E5/E4

Low-code Development and Rapid PoC Accelerate On-Site Deployment

PiLink Corporation will begin selling two models in its PLECO series of edge AI platforms optimized for industrial applications: the PLECO E5, a high-performance model based on the Raspberry Pi 5 (Compute Module 5), and the Raspberry Pi 4 (Compute Module 4) based low-cost model “PLECO E4” will be available from June 1, 2026.

PLECO is an industrial edge AI platform integrating AI, industrial control, and communication functions. It supports no-code/low-code development and can be deployed with the same architecture from prototyping and PoC to mass production implementation.

PLECO Development Background

AI applications in manufacturing are rapidly shifting from the cloud to the field (edge), and demand for real-time performance, stability, and security is increasing in factories and infrastructure facilities. On the other hand, system development has been hampered by issues such as high initial installation costs, the need for specialized hardware, and limited scalability, which have hindered the spread of AI. PLECO is a Raspberry Pi-based product developed as a platform that solves these issues and revolutionizes the introduction of edge AI for manufacturing sites in Japan and overseas.

Product Overview

PLECO is an industrial edge AI platform integrating AI, industrial control, and communication with Raspberry Pi Compute Module as its core. Two models are available for selection according to application and performance.

Product Lineup

Main Features

Raspberry Pi 5 compatible layout board

PLECO’s greatest feature is that half of the main board is designed with almost the same connector layout and 40 GPIO pins as Raspberry Pi 5. This allows PLECO to use many of the various Raspberry Pi HATs on the market without modification.

Flexible modular structure

PLECO also implements M.2, miniPCIe, and other expansion interfaces on the board. Optional LTE communication module, NVMe SSD, AI accelerator, and UPS module can be added according to your application!

UPS Module
UPS Module with Supercapacitor Backup Support Retains power for a certain period of time in the event of a power failure, and can safely stop the OS and applications through GPIO linkage.
Backup time depends on power consumption, but as a rule of thumb, it is maintained for approximately 10 seconds or longer.

High-speed POC and mass production deployment with Raspberry Pi HAT ecosystem

By combining HAT modules, various functions can be added depending on the application and use.
PLECO’s scalability to take advantage of the open ecosystem of HATs for Raspberry Pi and its ability to seamlessly and quickly deploy the process from prototyping, demonstration, and mass production on the same platform are key features of PLECO.

No-code/low-code x Fast development with generative AI

PLECO employs a Python and OSS-based development environment to support software development workflows that leverage generative AI. A wide variety of applications such as facility monitoring, data processing, AI inference, and control logic can be quickly built with no/low code.

PLC integration (CODESYS support)

Compatible with CODESYS, PLC control using ladder/ST language and AI/IoT processing can be integrated on the same platform. It realizes gradual system upgrading while maintaining affinity with existing facilities.

Various installation methods

A wide variety of installation methods are available to support a wide range of applications, from inside control panels to field terminals and KIOSK applications.

Catalog

Please refer to the PLECO catalog for more details.

exhibition

PLECO plans to exhibit actual equipment at the following exhibitions