HiKey 970 JTAG connector

The board has female JTAG connector so i wonder why? Most of JTAG debuggers are expecting a male header on the board as usually JTAG debuggers connected to the board via ribbon cable with female connectors. I can rebuild the connector but i am curious, what kind of JTAG debugger was kept in mind while installing female connector on this board?

I don’t have direct knowledge but I’d be very surprised if this isn’t just a mistake as the board design evolved.