While the technology industry’s attention is often focused on powerful data centres, the real transformation of the visual infrastructure is taking place much closer to the user – directly inside the screen. At the upcoming ISE 2026 in Barcelona, Sharp Display Solutions Europe intends to prove that the future of professional displays does not belong to closed systems, but to open architecture and edge computing.
Key to this strategy is the new SDM MPi5 kit, the fruit of a collaboration with Raspberry Pi Ltd. Based on the Compute Module 5, this device bridges the gap between the flexibility known from the Linux ecosystem and the rigorous requirements of the corporate sector. Using the Intel Smart Display Module (SDM) standard, Sharp enables the seamless integration of ARM compute units into the M2 and P6 series of professional monitors.
For business decision-makers managing critical infrastructures – such as airport information systems (FIDS) or complex wayfinding networks – this move means, above all, greater control. Unlike off-the-shelf, integrated System-on-Chip (SoC) solutions, the MPi5’s modular SDM design allows the computing unit to be easily replaced without having to dispose of the entire panel. This not only saves operating costs, but also responds to growing pressures regarding sustainability and product life cycle.
The most significant element of the new platform, however, is its readiness to support artificial intelligence. Thanks to integration with Hailo accelerators via the M.2 socket, the system can process advanced image analytics locally. This allows for functions such as anonymous crowd counting or real-time content personalisation, without the need to send data to the cloud. In an era of tightening privacy regulations, this privacy-by-design architecture is becoming an important competitive advantage.
Eben Upton, CEO of Raspberry Pi, rightly points out that the collaboration with Sharp signals a growing business appetite for energy-efficient ARM solutions in professional environments. Offering additional storage space for large libraries of content and the ability to support a second, independent video stream via HDMI, the SDM MPi5 kit becomes more than a player – it’s a standalone point of contact with the client.
Sharp reminds us that hardware still matters, as long as it is flexible enough to keep up with the pace of innovation in AI.
