Compute module alternatives or purchasable ARM chips?

Who would you recommend instead?  Qualcomm?  They've got some chips that at least have visible supply and price.

Good day,

In the vast majority of my designs I use NXP (Freescale/Motorola), as their pricing, long term availability, and support has been excellent... and noteworthy because I am a low volume customer.  Online NXP pricing can be completely out to lunch (much higher than reality) and so I would recommend you connect with your local distributor/rep for accurate pricing and leadtimes.  Speaking of leadtimes... again... I continue to have excellent availability.  For example I received my parts (low volume - single tray orders) in about 1/4 the time or faster than published lead times.  In the past when there were supply issues Freescale were able to find enough parts for me to complete my build quickly.

As for what parts I can recommend... sadly, I cannot, as this is very design specific along with possible manufacturing constraints and of course pricing.  In my case I am not overly price sensitive, as long term availability and reliability are worth more than $ savings.    The older iMX6Q parts tend to be easier to get, but are somewhat long in the tooth.  I have been considering the iMX8 series, but these tend to not have the mix of features I typically require and include a number of other items that are not needed and so burden the overall design.  I have looked at some of TI's offerings, but past experiences with product discontinuance quickly crossed them off my list.  Other vendors from Asia were also reviewed, but because most of these are used in consumer products means their long term availability will be at the mercy of consumer's interests... which tend to fade after 18-24 months. 

In your case... if you need to meet a lower price point and have a limited availability need and/or can purchase enough inventory for your product lifetime, then I guess any vendor's product that meets your needs would be fine.

Cheers,

Sam

Good day,In the vast majority of my designs I use NXP (Freescale/Motorola), as their pricing, long term availability, and support has been excellent... and noteworthy because I am a low volume customer. Online NXP pricing can be completely out to lunch (much higher than reality) and so I would recommend you connect with your local distributor/rep for accurate pricing and leadtimes. Speaking of leadtimes... again... I continue to have excellent availability. For example I received my parts (low volume - single tray orders) in about 1/4 the time or faster than published lead times. In the past when there were supply issues Freescale were able to find enough parts for me to complete my build quickly.As for what parts I can recommend... sadly, I cannot, as this is very design specific along with possible manufacturing constraints and of course pricing. In my case I am not overly price sensitive, as long term availability and reliability are worth more than $ savings. The older iMX6Q parts tend to be easier to get, but are somewhat long in the tooth. I have been considering the iMX8 series, but these tend to not have the mix of features I typically require and include a number of other items that are not needed and so burden the overall design. I have looked at some of TI's offerings, but past experiences with product discontinuance quickly crossed them off my list. Other vendors from Asia were also reviewed, but because most of these are used in consumer products means their long term availability will be at the mercy of consumer's interests... which tend to fade after 18-24 months.In your case... if you need to meet a lower price point and have a limited availability need and/or can purchase enough inventory for your product lifetime, then I guess any vendor's product that meets your needs would be fine.Cheers,Sam