# Xerxes Home Lab adds Jetson carrier boards, NVMe, and PoE to open-source rack ecosystem

> **Key takeaway:** Rapid Analysis expands its open-hardware rack platform with NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano support, M.2 NVMe via PCIe Gen 3, and a Rockchip RK3566 compute module as a Raspberry Pi CM5 alternative.

**Published:** 2026-10-29T03:43:23+00:00 
**Source:** LinuxGizmos 
**Category:** open-hardware 
**Canonical URL:** https://fosswire.org/news/xerxes-home-lab-adds-jetson-carrier-boards-nvme-and-poe-to-o.html 

## Summary
Australian firm Rapid Analysis has launched a Kickstarter campaign expanding its Xerxes Home Lab platform with three new hardware offerings. The Xerxes Pi 2026 carrier board (120 × 40 mm) adds M.2 PCIe NVMe storage, Gigabit Ethernet, and PoE+ power options for Raspberry Pi CM4/CM5 and compatible modules, with PCIe Gen 2 ×1 speeds on CM5. The larger Xerxes Nano (120 × 60 mm) targets NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano and Turing RK1 compute modules with M.2 NVMe, OCuLink external PCIe, and up to three PCIe Gen 3 lanes. Both boards fit into open-source 3D-printable rack enclosures ranging from six-slot mini racks to 12-board 19-inch configurations.

The company also introduced the Xerxes Compute Module X, an 8GB Rockchip RK3566-based module with four Cortex-A55 cores at 1.8 GHz, Mali-G52 GPU, and 1 TOPS NPU, designed as a pin-compatible CM5 alternative using dual 100-pin mezzanine connectors. The module omits wireless and eMMC to reduce cost. Rapid Analysis plans open-source management software for Windows, macOS, and Linux, with rack designs already available on Printables and MakerWorld.

## Carrier board specifications and open-hardware design
- **Xerxes Pi 2026 storage and power:** M.2 PCIe slot enables NVMe storage on CM4/CM5 configurations with PCIe Gen 2 ×1 speeds; power selectable between USB-C and PoE+ with dedicated boot-mode jumper and PWM fan connector.
- **Xerxes Nano Jetson/PCIe expansion:** Supports NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano and Turing RK1 modules via M.2 NVMe and OCuLink for external PCIe devices; M.2 connector configurable for up to three PCIe Gen 3 lanes depending on final hardware.
- **RK3566 compute module:** Xerxes Compute Module X uses Rockchip RK3566 with quad Cortex-A55 at 1.8 GHz, Mali-G52 GPU, 1 TOPS NPU, and 8GB RAM; omits Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and eMMC to target cost-sensitive drop-in CM5 replacement scenarios.
- **Mezzanine and display interfaces:** Both carrier boards provide I²C, I²S, SPI, UART; Pi 2026 adds CSI camera and HDMI display access through mezzanine connector with serial debug port.
- **Open-source rack ecosystem:** 3D-printable enclosures include six-slot mini racks, twelve-board 19-inch racks, and mixed four-Pi-plus-one-Nano configurations published on Printables and MakerWorld with ready-to-assemble kit options.

## Why it matters
The Xerxes platform addresses growing demand for locally-hosted, rack-dense home lab infrastructure by combining Raspberry Pi compatibility with NVIDIA Jetson AI acceleration in a unified open-hardware mechanical ecosystem. The RK3566 module's pin compatibility with CM5 provides distributors and integrators a second-source option amid ongoing Raspberry Pi supply constraints, while the published rack designs and promised cross-platform management software reduce vendor lock-in for homelab operators and small-scale embedded deployers.