Android Automotive 14.0.0_2.1.0 fails to boot on Verdin i.MX95 EVK — missing Verdin SM/M33 firmware support

Technical Support
1

Hello Toradex Support team,

I’m building NXP’s Android Automotive source release (automotive-14.0.0_2.1.0, LF_v6.6.23 BSP) for the i.MX95 Verdin EVK (board label: iMX95 Verdin EVK V1.3A) using the evk_95_car2 lunch target, following NXP’s UG10176 Android Automotive User’s Guide.

Hardware:

  • Toradex Verdin i.MX95 SoM on the Verdin i.MX95 EVK carrier board (co-developed NXP/Toradex reference board)
  • Silicon revision: i.MX95 A1

What I’ve done:

  1. Built the full Android image set for evk_95_car2 successfully (kernel, U-Boot, all partitions).
  2. Flashed via UUU using: sudo ./uuu_imx_android_flash.sh -f imx95 -e -u verdin -d verdin (both slots, using the Verdin-specific spl-imx95-verdin.bin, bootloader-imx95-verdin.img, dtbo-imx95-verdin.img, vbmeta-imx95-verdin.img files that are present in the source tree).
  3. Confirmed via UART (ttyUSB2) that U-Boot SPL, ATF (BL31), and Trusty all boot correctly, and the correct Verdin kernel DTB is loaded (verified by MD5 match against imx95-19x19-verdin-car2-lt8912.dtb after reordering TARGET_BOARD_DTS_CONFIG in device/nxp/imx9/evk_95/BoardConfig.mk).

The problem:
Despite the correct Verdin U-Boot, bootloader, DTBO, and kernel DTB all being confirmed in place, the Android kernel consistently fails with:

init: Wait for partitions returned after 10003ms
init: partition(s) not found after polling timeout: boot_a, dtbo_a, init_boot_a, metadata, super, vbmeta_a
init: Failed to create devices required for first stage mount
init: InitFatalReboot: signal 6

This happens because the eMMC/USDHC controller’s regulators never come up — the kernel log shows persistent ‘platform firmware:scmi: deferred probe pending’ along with numerous ‘regulator-*: deferred probe pending’ messages that never resolve.

Root cause found:
I traced this to the System Manager (M33) firmware in vendor/nxp-opensource/imx-sm. This firmware is what exposes power domains, clocks, and regulators to Linux via SCMI. Searching the entire imx-sm source tree, I found:

  • Only two SM configs exist: mx95evk and mx95evk-android
  • Zero references to ‘verdin’ anywhere in the imx-sm source tree
  • device/nxp/imx9/evk_95/AndroidUboot.sh’s SM firmware selection logic only branches on PRODUCT_IMX_CAR_M7 / trusty / rpmsg / uuu — never on board variant (verdin vs plain EVK)

This means the same generic mx95evk-android SM firmware (built for NXP’s own plain EVK board’s regulator/GPIO wiring) is used regardless of whether Verdin-specific U-Boot/DTBO/kernel-DTB files are flashed. Since the SM firmware doesn’t know about the Verdin carrier board’s actual regulator wiring, it never correctly initializes them, and every SCMI-dependent consumer (including the eMMC controller path) stays permanently in deferred-probe state — regardless of correct DTB/bootloader selection on the Linux/U-Boot side.

I also found an NXP Community thread (community.nxp.com/t5/i-MX-Processors/i-MX95-Verdin-EVK-software-support/m-p/1943701) where another user hit an identical issue with the same Android Automotive demo image, and NXP Support’s response was: ‘We don’t support the board that you are using due to we don’t provide the software for this board, please contact to Toradex Support for this case.’

Questions:

  1. Does Toradex maintain a patched/extended version of NXP’s imx-sm (System Manager) firmware with proper Verdin regulator/board configuration for Android Automotive builds?
  2. If so, could you point me to the source/patches needed, or a getting-started guide for building Android Automotive specifically for Verdin i.MX95 (as opposed to NXP’s plain EVK)?
  3. If Toradex does not maintain such a patch, could you confirm whether there’s a known-working Android Automotive release for this board, or advise on the recommended path (e.g., Linux/Yocto instead) for this hardware?

Happy to provide full boot logs, build logs, or run additional diagnostics if helpful.

Thank you for your time.

2

Hi, I’m the Toradex AI Assistant.

I might make mistakes or occasionally get you wrong. Our support team will step in if needed.

I need to clarify an important point about your setup and the support scope for the i.MX 95 Verdin EVK.

Support Scope for i.MX 95 Verdin EVK

The i.MX 95 Verdin EVK is a partnership product between Toradex and NXP with shared ownership on support(1). According to the official support documentation, there are key differences in what is supported compared to standard Toradex System on Modules:

  • Ownership: NXP and Toradex partnership (not solely Toradex)(1)
  • BSP: From NXP (not from Toradex)(1)
  • Torizon OS: Community Support - Limited(1)
  • Documentation: Limited/Private (NXP + Toradex)(1)
  • Ecosystem Driver: NXP and Toradex(1)

Android Automotive Support

Based on the available documentation, Android Automotive is not mentioned as a supported operating system for the i.MX 95 Verdin EVK. The documented support appears to focus on:

  • Yocto-based Linux BSPs (provided by NXP)
  • Torizon OS (with limited/community support)

The NXP Community response you referenced aligns with the support structure: since the BSP comes from NXP(1), and Android Automotive is an NXP-maintained distribution for i.MX 95, the System Manager (M33) firmware configuration would fall under NXP’s domain for this evaluation kit.

Recommended Path Forward

Given your situation, I recommend:

  1. Contact Toradex Support directly through the Toradex Community to confirm whether:

    • Android Automotive is supported on the i.MX 95 Verdin EVK
    • Verdin-specific SM firmware configurations exist
    • There are any internal/private patches or configurations available for early access customers

  2. Consider Yocto/Linux-based development as the primary supported path for this hardware, as indicated in the support scope documentation(1)

  3. Evaluate migration path: If Android Automotive is a requirement, you may need to wait for the production Verdin iMX95 System on Module (not the EVK), which would have full Toradex support including BSP and documentation(1)

Key Distinction

The i.MX 95 Verdin EVK is positioned as an early access evaluation platform with limited quantities and support(1), whereas the upcoming Verdin iMX95 System on Module will have:

  • Full Toradex support
  • Toradex-provided BSP
  • Toradex-quality documentation
  • Volume availability(1)

Your technical analysis of the SM firmware gap is thorough and accurate. However, since this is a partnership product with NXP providing the BSP(1), the resolution likely requires coordination between both companies or may not be available until the production SoM release.

Best regards,
Toradex AI Assistant.

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3

Dear Toradex Support Team,

Thank you for the clarification regarding the support scope of the i.MX95 Verdin EVK.

I would like to ask one specific technical question to determine whether I should continue investigating this Android Automotive port or conclude that the required platform support is not available.

While debugging the Android Automotive LF_v6.6.23 BSP (automotive-14.0.0_2.1.0), I traced the boot failure to the System Manager (M33) firmware used by the SCMI subsystem. In the public NXP imx-sm source tree, I found only the following board configurations:

  • mx95evk

  • mx95evk-android

I found no Verdin-specific System Manager configuration or regulator topology definitions.

On the Verdin i.MX95 EVK, the kernel remains permanently blocked in deferred probe for SCMI-dependent regulators and the eMMC path, resulting in Android init failing to locate boot_a, dtbo_a, init_boot_a, metadata, super, and vbmeta_a.

Could you please clarify the following:

  1. Does Toradex maintain or provide a Verdin-specific imx-sm (System Manager/M33) firmware configuration for the i.MX95 Verdin EVK?

  2. Has Toradex validated any Android or Android Automotive release on the i.MX95 Verdin EVK?

  3. If no Verdin-specific System Manager firmware exists, can Toradex confirm that Android Automotive on the i.MX95 Verdin EVK is currently unsupported due to the lack of board-specific SM firmware support?

A confirmation either way would be extremely helpful, as it will determine whether I continue debugging the BSP or switch to the supported Yocto/Linux software stack.

Thank you for your assistance.

4

Based on the available documentation, I can provide you with a definitive answer regarding Android Automotive support on the i.MX95 Verdin EVK.

Android Automotive Support Status

Android Automotive is not officially supported on the i.MX95 Verdin EVK(1). The documented operating systems for this platform are:

  • Yocto-based BSPs (provided by NXP)(1)
  • Torizon OS (Community Support - Limited)(1)
  • FreeRTOS (Supported by NXP)(2)

Android is listed as “Supported via Partners” for other Toradex modules(2), but there is no specific mention of Android or Android Automotive validation for the i.MX95 Verdin EVK in the official documentation.

System Manager (M33) Firmware

Your technical analysis is correct. The i.MX95 Verdin EVK uses a partnership model where:

  • BSP: From NXP (not Toradex)(1)
  • Ecosystem Driver: NXP and Toradex(1)
  • Documentation: Limited/Private (NXP + Toradex)(1)

Since the BSP and low-level firmware come from NXP(1), and you’ve confirmed that NXP’s public imx-sm source tree contains no Verdin-specific configuration, this strongly suggests that Verdin-specific System Manager firmware for Android Automotive does not exist in the current public release.

Recommended Action

Given that:

  1. The i.MX95 Verdin EVK is positioned as an early access evaluation platform(1)
  2. The BSP is provided by NXP(1)
  3. Android Automotive is not listed among the supported operating systems(1)(2)
  4. NXP Support has explicitly stated they don’t provide software support for the Verdin EVK variant (as you referenced)

I recommend switching to the Yocto/Linux software stack, which is the officially supported and documented path for this hardware(1)(2).

Alternative Path for Android

If Android support is a hard requirement for your project, you may want to:

  1. Wait for the production Verdin iMX95 System on Module (not the EVK), which will have full Toradex support including Toradex-provided BSP and documentation(1)
  2. Consider the SMARC iMX95 or Aquila iMX95 modules when they become available, which will have complete Toradex software support(3)(4)

The key distinction is that the EVK is a partnership evaluation product with shared/limited support(1), while the production System on Modules will have comprehensive Toradex support including BSP, tooling, and full documentation(1).

To confirm Android Automotive support status definitively, I recommend reaching out to Toradex Support through the Toradex Community to inquire about any private/NDA documentation or early access programs that might not be publicly documented.

Best regards,
Toradex AI Assistant.

Did you like my answer? :+1: :-1:

If I answered your question, please tick the “Solution” checkbox.

For follow-up questions to me, please use @ToradexAI in your post.