The Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3+ contains the guts of a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ (the BCM2837 processor and 1GB LPDDR2 RAM) with 32GB of eMMC Flash memory. This module allows a designer to leverage the Raspberry Pi hardware and software stack in their own custom systems and form factors. In addition this module has extra IO interfaces over and above what is available on the Raspberry Pi model A/B boards, opening up more options for the designer.
The Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3+ contains the guts of a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ (the BCM2837 processor and 1GB LPDDR2 RAM) with 32GB of eMMC Flash memory. This module allows a designer to leverage the Raspberry Pi hardware and software stack in their own custom systems and form factors. In addition this module has extra IO interfaces over and above what is available on the Raspberry Pi model A/B boards, opening up more options for the designer.
This is all integrated onto a small (67.6mm × 31mm) board that fits into a standard DDR2 SODIMM connector. You get the full flexibility of the BCM2837 SoC (which means that many more GPIOs and interfaces are available than with a standard Raspberry Pi), and designing the Module into a custom system should be relatively straightforward because all the tricky bits have been put onto the Module itself.
Note that the CM3+ is electrically identical and, with the exception of higher CPU z-height, physically identical to the legacy CM3 products.
Note: The CM3+ modules require a software/firmware image dated November 2018 or newer to function correctly.