Jetson AGX Xavier – Lifetime, Failure Mode, and Reliability Beyond 5 Years

Robotics & Edge Computing Jetson Systems Jetson AGX Xavier
1

Hello,

We are currently using the NVIDIA Jetson AGX Xavier in an embedded system for a long-life application.

From available documentation, we understand that the module is typically specified with an operating lifetime on the order of ~5 years under defined conditions. However, our system-level requirements extend significantly beyond this timeframe.

We would like to better understand the long-term reliability characteristics of the Xavier platform:

  1. Does the ~5-year lifetime represent a validated operating window, or a strict wear-out limit?

  2. What are the primary expected failure mechanisms over time (e.g., thermal cycling, electromigration, memory wear, etc.)?

  3. Beyond the rated lifetime, is the expected behavior characterized by:

    • gradual performance degradation, or

    • increased probability of sudden failure?

Thank you for the support.

3

I am checking with the reliability team.

4

Thank you for forwarding the questions. I look forward to hearing back from you and your team!

5

It means after 5 years, the product will exit useful lifetime/random failure phase and enter wear-out phase. The failure rate will increase, but it does not necessarily mean the unit must be replaced strictly after 5 years, if your application is not mission critical (automotive or eVTOL) or if you have redundancy in system design.

These failure mechanisms may be expected over time: solder ball cracks due to thermal mismatch from daily temp swing and ON/OFF temp swing, solder crack under big components like 2R2 inductors from shock due to heavy set-down or repeated high-G vibration.

I am clarifying with the team on this one.

12

It can be both. Damage can accumulate over time also.