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Inside the ESP32-P4: USB, GUI, and Rust Support
At Embedded World 2025, Espressif demonstrated the power of the new ESP32-P4, a dual-core RISC-V MCU designed to handle tasks typically reserved for higher-end processors. A key feature on display was real-time USB processing — the board handled two USB cameras simultaneously, switching between them on the fly via a USB hub.
This capability highlights the chip’s suitability for video-driven applications. With support for high-speed USB input and hardware acceleration for media encoding such as H.264, the ESP32-P4 is a strong candidate for smart cameras, edge AI video processing, and interactive consumer devices.
Smooth GUI Acceleration with Embedded Wizard & Rust + Slint
Another highlight was the platform’s advanced graphical interface support. Using its integrated pixel accelerator, Espressif showcased a GUI demo running at 55 frames per second on a display over 1000 pixels wide. The interface, built with Embedded Wizard, rendered smoothly with visual effects and opacity layers intact.
In a second demo, developers used Rust and the Slint framework to build a responsive HMI, running on top of FreeRTOS. This opens the door to more flexible UI development and positions the ESP32-P4 as a capable option for modern embedded panels and appliance interfaces where responsiveness and visual quality matter.
Open Source Gaming, Developer Tools & Availability
The ESP32-P4 isn’t just for serious applications—it also has enough horsepower to run Quake 1 at 60 FPS. A full port is available through Espressif’s GitHub. For developers, there’s improved tooling support, with official CLion IDE integration and new setup documentation available via the Espressif developer portal.
Engineering samples of the ESP32-P4 are available now, with mass production expected by the end of Q3 2025. For those interested in experimenting with USB, GUI, or media-driven embedded projects, this release is worth tracking closely.
The ESP32-P4 builds on Espressif’s legacy with a new level of performance, targeting multimedia, HMI, and secure edge applications. With support for USB, Rust, and powerful display handling, it brings flexibility and modern workflows to embedded development. Learn more via the ESP32-P4 product page.
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Residing on the south coast of England, Rich has spent the last few years building Electomaker.io from the ground up. He is usually found behind a laptop coordinating the rest of the EM team and occasionally finding time to contribute articles to the blog. When not tapping away at a laptop, he can be found either paddleboarding, at the beach, playing golf (badly), or camping with his family.
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