The Arduino line of open source electronic prototyping platforms is getting some major upgrades. Earlier today, the first Intel-powered Arduino was announced, and it will be available by the end of November.

Arduino has also announced the Arduino Tre, based on the Texas Instruments Sitara AM335x ARM Cortex-A8 processor. Texas Instruments said that with the Tre's 1GHz processor, it is the "most powerful Arduino to date" and the first that will be able to run "full Linux." It will be available in spring 2014 from arduino.cc and other distributors, with pricing not yet announced.

"For the first time ever, Arduino users can use the full capabilities of Linux and gain access to a variety of new on-board connectivity options to develop a range of powerful, advanced applications while leveraging the simplicity of the Arduino software experience," the Texas Instruments announcement said. "The Sitara-processor-powered Arduino Tre serves as a network hub that can connect to millions of classic Arduino nodes, enabling customers to be at the forefront of the Internet-of-Things era."

This also removes the requirement for Arduino to be programmed with a separate PC. "Arduino users no longer need a PC, but can access the full capabilities of Linux as well as a variety of connectivity options, including Ethernet, XBee wireless radios, USB and CAN," Texas Instruments said. "As a result, users can implement more advanced applications with high-resolution LCD displays, hardware-accelerated 3D graphics and increased connectivity. The AM335x processor also includes two on-chip 200 MHz 32-bit Programmable Real-time Unit (PRU) microcontrollers, which can be used for innumerable real-time applications including motor control and pulse width modulation."

Arduino released its own announcement, saying the Tre will provide "up to 100 times more performance" than the Arduino Leonardo or Uno.

"This performance opens the doors to more advanced Linux-powered applications. The Sitara-processor-based Linux Arduino can run high-performance desktop applications, processing-intensive algorithms, or high-speed communications," Arduino said.

The announcement did not provide a direct comparison to the Arduino Due, which is a year old and was the first ARM-based Arduino with an ARM Cortex-M3 CPU. Arduino also did not compare the Tre's performance to the new Arduino Galileo, which has a 400MHz Intel Quark processor, or say whether Galileo will be able to run Linux as well. We've asked Arduino for further details.

(UPDATE: Intel has answered this question, saying in an FAQ, "Intel Galileo runs Linux out of the box. It comes in two flavors; the default is a small Linux. If you add an SD card to your kit, you can add a more fully-featured Linux." Thanks to commenter MrPippy for pointing this out.)

The Tre is actually "two Arduinos in one," the "Sitara-processor-based Linux Arduino, plus a full AVR-based (Atmel microcontroller) Arduino, while leveraging the simplicity of the Arduino software experience," Arduino's announcement said. "The integration of the AVR Arduino enables the Arduino Tre to use the existing shield ecosystem so that innovators can expand the Arduino Tre to develop a wide range of high-performance applications such as 3D printers, gateways for building automation and lighting automation, telemetry hubs that collect data from nearby sensors wirelessly, and other connected applications that require host control plus real-time operations."

Arduino designed the Tre in partnership with one of its ostensible rivals, the BeagleBoard.org foundation. The Tre is also the first Arduino board manufactured in the US. Previous Arduinos were made in Italy.

Despite now using both Intel and ARM processors, Arduino isn't giving up on the Atmel microcontrollers that have historically powered its products. Arduino said it is working with Atmel on future products.