Qualcomm Dragonwing Q-2390 and IQ-2390: A Real-Time RISC-V MCU Inside a Mainstream IoT SoC

Published: 2026-09-02 | Category: RISC-V MCU | Reading time: ~5 min

Qualcomm Technologies announced two new Dragonwing processors on 1 September 2026, ahead of IFA 2026. Both parts — the Dragonwing Q-2390 and the Dragonwing IQ-2390 — share the same compute base: a quad-core Qualcomm Kryo CPU, a Qualcomm Adreno 704 GPU, and a real-time RISC-V microcontroller on the same die.

That third element is the part worth attention. A tier-one mobile and IoT vendor now ships RISC-V silicon as the deterministic real-time companion inside a commercial, broadly available application processor — not as a research project, and not as an FPGA soft core.

What Qualcomm actually announced

The two processors split along market lines rather than architecture lines.

The Q-2390 extends the Dragonwing Q2 Series into commercial and consumer IoT. It integrates application compute, on-device AI, camera and display interfaces, LTE Cat 4 cellular, GPS, wired and wireless connectivity, security, and a wide I/O set into a single package. Qualcomm lists retail point-of-sale systems, kiosks, access control devices, smart appliances, smart agriculture, home robots, fitness equipment, and enterprise terminals as target applications.

The IQ-2390 is the first part in the new Dragonwing IQ2 Series, an industrial edge AI family sitting alongside the existing IQ10, IQX, IQ9, IQ8 and IQ6 Series. It adds machine-vision acceleration, AI acceleration, and dual Gigabit Ethernet with Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN). Target designs are HMIs, PLCs, industrial gateways, machine-vision systems, building-automation controllers, and energy-management equipment.

The RISC-V MCU: what we know — and what we don't

What the announcement states: it is a real-time RISC-V MCU, present on both parts, alongside the Kryo application complex and the Adreno 704 GPU.

What the announcement does not state — and is therefore Not disclosed in this draft:

• RISC-V ISA base and extension set (RV32/RV64, I/M/A/F/D/C, or a profile such as RVA2x / RVM2x)
• Clock frequency, core count, and pipeline configuration
• Vector extension support (RVV) and vector length
• Process node, die area, and power envelope of the MCU subsystem
• Memory map, interrupt controller type, and whether the MCU runs from dedicated TCM or shared SRAM
• Toolchain and debugger support (OpenOCD / J-Link / vendor IDE), SDK licence terms

Engineers evaluating the platform should treat the MCU as an unspecified block until Qualcomm publishes the technical reference manual. The architecture-level implication still holds regardless of the detail: the application cores handle Linux or Android, and the RISC-V core handles deterministic, timing-critical work.

Q-2390 vs IQ-2390: one base, two envelopes

The −30 °C to +115 °C range on the IQ-2390 is the single most consequential number in the announcement. A 145-degree span covers most factory-floor and outdoor enclosure requirements without additional thermal management, which is usually where industrial designs lose their BOM advantage.

Three operating systems, three software paths

Qualcomm states support for Linux, Android, and Zephyr OS.

The practical split is familiar: Linux for gateway and controller products, Android for consumer devices with a touchscreen, and Zephyr for the low-power and real-time side. For teams shipping a product family, the shared Kryo + Adreno 704 + RISC-V base means driver work, board support, and higher-level frameworks can be reused across a consumer SKU and an industrial SKU.

The OS list is also the clearest signal about the MCU's role: Zephyr has first-class RISC-V support and is the natural host for the real-time side of a heterogeneous Linux-plus-MCU design.

Ecosystem partners already designing on the platform

Partner activity reported alongside the announcement includes Fibocom's SC236 smart module on the Q-2390 for payment terminals and industrial handhelds, SECO's two reference boards (Compact Vision 5 and an SBC) with Clea lifecycle-management software, and an Engicam system-on-module based on the IQ-2390. Treat these as partner announcements rather than Qualcomm specifications.

Availability timeline and what to plan for

Both parts are being demonstrated at IFA 2026. An early-access programme is already open with selected customers. General-availability evaluation kits are expected in early 2027.

That is roughly a twelve-month gap between announcement and evaluation hardware — plan for architecture review, RTOS and driver prototyping, and mechanical and thermal design, not 2026 production silicon.

Why this matters for RISC-V engineers

The significance is less about raw capability and more about supply posture. RISC-V in a Qualcomm IoT SoC means the real-time control plane runs on an open, royalty-free ISA with multiple IP sources, from a vendor with long-term industrial lifecycle commitments — a concrete alternative for teams weighing single-architecture risk.

It also normalises the heterogeneous pattern that much of the embedded industry is converging on: a heavyweight application complex for UI, networking and AI, plus a small deterministic open-ISA core for motor control, safety monitoring, sensor aggregation, and fast boot.

Sources

1. Qualcomm — "Qualcomm Introduces Dragonwing Q-2390 and IQ-2390 Processors, Expanding Access to Intelligent Connected Devices" (official news release, 1 September 2026): https://www.qualcomm.com/news/releases/2026/09/-qualcomm-introduces-dragonwing-q-2390-and-iq-2390-processors--e
2. Mango Developer — "Qualcomm launches Dragonwing Q-2390 and IQ-2390 to push edge AI into consumer and industrial gear" (partner and availability detail; secondary source): https://mangodeveloper.com/articles/qualcomm-launches-dragonwing-q-2390-and-iq-2390-to-push-edge-ai-into-consumer-and-industrial-gear
3. IT之家 via Tencent News — Chinese-language coverage of the announcement (1 September 2026; secondary source): https://new.qq.com/rain/a/20260901A0D3DI00

Verification notes

• Every specification in this draft is taken verbatim from the Qualcomm news release or is explicitly marked Not disclosed.
• Partner product names (Fibocom SC236, SECO Compact Vision 5, Engicam SOM) come from the secondary source in item 2 and should be confirmed against partner announcements before publication.
• No TOPS figure, process node, or clock speed has been published for either part. Do not add estimates.