Jetson AGX Orin Battery Runtime Calculator

The compute module

NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin 64GB is the largest module in NVIDIA's Orin embedded line. It combines a 2,048-core Ampere GPU with 64 Tensor Cores, a 12-core Arm Cortex-A78AE CPU and 64 GB of LPDDR5 memory with 204.8 GB/s of bandwidth. NVIDIA rates it at up to 275 TOPS (INT8, with sparsity) and lets you choose its power budget between 15 W and 60 W through preset modes (15 W, 30 W, 50 W and MAXN). The 60 W default on this page is the top of that range, the right worst case if you run a large detector such as YOLOv10 continuously at high resolution.

On a drone the module needs a carrier board, cameras and cooling, all of which add weight and some power. The developer kit is a desk-sized reference design; flying platforms normally use a smaller third-party carrier board.

How endurance is estimated

The 0.82 factor reserves 18% of the pack. Lithium-polymer cells age quickly when drained flat and their voltage sags under load near the end, so pilots commonly land with 20% or more remaining. The tooltip on the result says 80%; the formula actually uses 82%.

Worked example: a 6S pack with the defaults

22.2 V is the nominal voltage of six lithium cells in series (6 × 3.7 V). A 1.6 C continuous load is gentle for most LiPo packs, which are typically rated for many times that. Packs built from cylindrical lithium-ion cells have lower discharge ratings, so check the cell datasheet if you use them.

How much the AI payload costs in flight time

With these numbers, running the module flat out costs about three and a half minutes compared with no compute at all. Propulsion dominates. The module's weight, and the weight of its cooling, carrier board and cameras, also raises the hover power, and the calculator does not model that unless you increase the motor figure yourself.

Getting a realistic motor figure

• Hover power depends on all-up weight, propeller size and efficiency, and air density. Take it from your motor and propeller manufacturer's thrust tables at the throttle needed to hover, or from flight logs.
• A larger battery adds weight as well as energy. For example, a 22,000 mAh pack with hover power rising to 560 W gives 38.8 minutes, a smaller gain than the extra capacity suggests.
• Wind, climbing, fast forward flight and cold weather all raise consumption. Plan missions with margin on top of the 18% reserve.

Choosing a power mode for detection

Lower power modes reduce the clock speeds and the number of active cores, so the same model runs at a lower frame rate. Whether 30 W is enough depends on your detector size, input resolution and required frames per second. Measure with your own model exported to TensorRT, and note the frame rate in each mode before choosing. Using a smaller YOLO variant or lower input resolution often saves more power than a lower power mode.

Limitations

• Assumes constant power for the whole flight; real draw varies with manoeuvres and wind.
• Ignores voltage sag, battery ageing and temperature, which reduce usable capacity, especially in cold conditions.
• Does not include ESC, camera, radio or gimbal power unless you add it to the motor or compute figures.
• This is a planning aid, not airworthiness guidance; follow your aviation authority's rules for reserves and operations.