Advantech DS-354 for AI-Enabled Retail Wayfinding and Queue

Project Overview

Shopping centers and large retail venues need to help visitors find destinations while giving operations teams visibility into busy service areas. This application design pairs Advantech DS-354 with interactive wayfinding software and compatible video analytics applications. A single compact platform provides multi-display output and local AI computing resources for visitor information, promotional content, and queue insights. Application Retail wayfinding kiosks, digital advertising displays, and people-counting or queue-analysis applications in shopping centers and large retail venues.

Customer Challenges

Combining information and promotional screens. A kiosk may need an interactive directory alongside advertising or service information. The computing platform must support multiple displays and the peripherals used by the application. Understanding congestion near service areas.

Operations teams need timely information about queue length and visitor flow. Camera-based analytics require suitable computing resources, compatible inference software, and integration with the venue’s operational tools. Installing and maintaining compact kiosks. Equipment must fit within limited enclosure space and operate for extended opening hours. Distributed kiosks also need remote service capabilities to limit routine on-site maintenance.

Solution Design

The venue’s directory and content management systems supply store listings, maps, and promotional assets to applications running on DS-354. Touch interfaces allow visitors to search for destinations, while connected displays present wayfinding or advertising content according to the configured layout. Compatible IP cameras provide video to an analytics application running on DS-354.

The application processes configured people-counting or queue-analysis models locally and can send aggregate metrics to an operations dashboard. Any use of analytics to change displayed content requires integration between the analytics application and the content management software.

Integrated Computing for Display and AI Workloads

DS-354 combines AMD Ryzen™ Embedded 8000 Series processors with up to eight Zen 4 CPU cores and 16 threads, integrated AMD Radeon™ RDNA 3 graphics, and an AMD XDNA™ NPU delivering up to 16 TOPS of AI performance. Up to 96 GB of DDR5-5600 memory provides capacity for signage and analytics applications. NPU acceleration depends on the selected models and compatible software runtime, which must be validated during integration.

Four HDMI outputs include one HDMI 2.1 FRL port supporting resolutions up to 8K and three HDMI 2.1 TMDS ports supporting up to 4K at 60 Hz. These outputs allow a kiosk or display group to present an interactive directory, promotional content, and service information through separate application layouts.

Connectivity for Kiosk Integration

One Gigabit Ethernet port and one 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port support network connections for venue systems and compatible cameras. USB-C, USB, RS-232, and audio interfaces support integration with touch interfaces and other kiosk peripherals. M.2 expansion accommodates NVMe storage and optional wireless or AI acceleration modules.

The fanless chassis measures 180 × 177 × 38 mm and accepts 12–24 VDC input. DS-354 supports −20 to 60°C operation with 0.7 m/s airflow for installations requiring a wider operating range. Enclosure protection and thermal design must match the installation environment. EdgeBMC out-of-band management can provide an additional hardware-level service option, with configuration and supported functions confirmed for the project.

Expected Business Value

For visitors. Interactive maps and clearly presented service information support navigation, while separate displays provide space for promotional content.

For venue operators. People-counting and queue metrics can help staff identify busy areas and assess service demand. Processing video locally allows the application to forward selected metrics rather than requiring continuous video transmission for every analytics task.

For system integrators. Integrated display and AI capabilities provide a platform for combining wayfinding with local analytics. The final design can be sized against the required display layouts, camera streams, and validated inference workload. For more information about DS-351 and DS-354 configurations, availability, and project requirements, please contact your local Advantech sales representative or visit www.advantech.com.