BRN Discussion Ongoing

[Diogenese]

@Tothemoon24 your post is exciting. Oculi's technology is the same technology developed at John Hopkin's university as descibed in your post. Brainchip is currently engaged with Oculi. @chapman89 post today shows that Oculi has entered into a strategic agreement with Global Foundaries (as we all know, Brainchip recently taped out the Akida 1500 on Global Foudaries technology). Oculi's new chip will be used in smart devices and homes, industrial, IoT, automotive markets and wearables including AR/VR. Prophesee is an Oculi competitor. No wonder NDAs are so well guarded.

No one can tell me that Akida is not being used by Oculi.

It's happy days. Perhaps we will get an update on this next week in either the podcast that comes out at 6am on Monday!! or In our annual report due out sometime next week.

Oculi eyes computer vision revolution - Global University Venturing

Charbel Rizk has spun Oculi out of Johns Hopkins to commercialise technology that gives computer vision the capabilities of the human eye.

globalventuring.com

Oculi Forms strategic partnership with GlobalFoundries to advance edge sensing technology

Oculi is putting the "Eye" in AI OCULI SPU - Sensing and Processing Unit BALTIMORE, MD, UNITED STATES, February 15, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Oculi today announced a strategic partnership with GlobalFoundries Inc. (GF) (Nasdaq: GFS), a global leader in feature-rich semiconductor manufacturing...

www.8newsnow.com

BrainChip Tapes Out AKD1500 Chip in GlobalFoundries 22nm FD SOI Process

BrainChip, the world’s first commercial producer of ultra-low power, fully digital, event-based, neuromorphic AI IP, today announced that it has achieved tape out of its AKD1500 reference design on GlobalFoundries’ 22nm fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD-SOI) technology.

www.design-reuse.com

Hi Salde,

On your hypothesis, you still need a processor, because Akida1500 doesn't have one.

 

[Slade]

Hi Salde,

On your hypothesis, you still need a processor, because Akida1500 doesn't have one.

Hi @Diogenese
I am not a vegetarian.
I will leave the technical side to you
I am not saying that the Akida 1500 chip has anything to do with Oculi's new chip. But what I am saying is that there is a very high probability that Oculi is using Akida IP.

 

[Fullmoonfever]

Hi Salde,

On your hypothesis, you still need a processor, because Akida1500 doesn't have one.

Is there any connection through Xylinx SOC?

We did some early work with them didn't we?

 

[Colorado23]

Not sure if anyone has looked at ACOEM before https://www.acoem.com/en/acoem-experience/artificial-intelligence-in-networks/
Was pitched recently, their dustrover which measures state of haulage road to allocate resources more effectively. On closer inspection, their website mentions edge computing.

 

[Diogenese]

Is there any connection through Xylinx SOC?

We did some early work with them didn't we?

View attachment 29881

We used their COTS FPGA for a Studio accelerator 6 years ago.

 

[Fullmoonfever]

We used their COTS FPGA for a Studio accelerator 6 years ago.

Cheers.

Thought seen mentioned by LTHs previously.

That snip from a 2021 slide.

 

[Tothemoon24]

https://www.fierceelectronics.com/electronics/globalfoundries-success-proves-ltas-are-here-stay

 

[Slade]

Hypothetical question. Could taping out Akida 1500 on Global Foudries be enough evidence that Akida works on GF technology for Oculi to have the confidence to proceed with developing their own chip incorporating Akida IP through GF?
I feel there is too many coincidences (at least in my head) to ignore.

 

[JB49]

41.50 is where anil mentions we've "directly worked with" oculi

 

[Diogenese]

Hypothetical question. Could taping out Akida 1500 on Global Foudries be enough evidence that Akida works on GF technology and thus give Oculi the confidence to develop their own chip through GF that incorporates Akida IP?
I feel there is too many coincidences (at least in my head) to ignore.

You want coincidences?

Check out the NASA SBIR for 22nm FD-SoI NN sans processor.

 

[Slade]

41.50 is where anil mentions we've "directly worked with" oculi

Thank you @JB49
Just to add, It has also been confirmed in an email that Brainchip is engaged with Oculi (not Oculii).

 

[Fullmoonfever]

You want coincidences?

Check out the NASA SBIR for 22nm FD-SoI NN sans processor.

You mean this one

BRN Discussion Ongoing

Global Foundries Dresden Follow, Like, Share ! The Brainchip post has 37 likes, I think we could show this post a bit of serious love. 100 likes by the end of the day, should be a fairly achievable goal and give us all an opportunity to make a positive contribution to the cause...

thestockexchange.com.au

 

[Diogenese]

You mean this one

BRN Discussion Ongoing

Global Foundries Dresden Follow, Like, Share ! The Brainchip post has 37 likes, I think we could show this post a bit of serious love. 100 likes by the end of the day, should be a fairly achievable goal and give us all an opportunity to make a positive contribution to the cause...

thestockexchange.com.au

Thanks Fmf,

My short term memory is somewhat deficient.

 

[Fullmoonfever]

Thanks Fmf,

My short term memory is somewhat deficient.

Welcome.

Spikes not working at the mo....it is Fri

 

[Slade]

Hypothetical question. Could taping out Akida 1500 on Global Foudries be enough evidence that Akida works on GF technology for Oculi to have the confidence to proceed with developing their own chip incorporating Akida IP through GF?
I feel there is too many coincidences (at least in my head) to ignore.

My reason for the question is the paragraph below that was written in the Akida 1500 tape out article:

"The tape-out was completed using GlobalFoundries’ 22nm fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD-SOI) technology and is being described as a milestone in validating BrainChip’s IP across different processes and foundries, providing its partners with varied global manufacturing options."

The Brainchip/Global Foudries tape out was announced on 29th Jan 2023.
Two days ago, Oculi, whom Brainchip is working with, announced that they are using Global Foundries to help them produce their latest chip (did the Akida 1500 tape out on Global Foudries technology give them what they needed to go ahead with their own GF chip?):

Oculi say this about their future chip:
"Oculi’s new vision is ideal for edge applications such as always-on gesture/face/people tracking and low-latency eye tracking, while alternative solutions are too slow, big, and power inefficient. GF is an excellent partner to enable us to quickly get our product to our customers."

 

[JDelekto]

My reason for the question is the paragraph below that was written in the Akida 1500 tape out article:

"The tape-out was completed using GlobalFoundries’ 22nm fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD-SOI) technology and is being described as a milestone in validating BrainChip’s IP across different processes and foundries, providing its partners with varied global manufacturing options."

The Brainchip/Global Foudries tape out was announced on 29th Jan 2023.
Two days ago, Oculi, whom Brainchip is working with, announced that they are using Global Foundries to help them produce their latest chip (did the Akida 1500 tape out on Global Foudries technology give them what they needed to go ahead with their own GF chip?):

Oculi say this about their future chip:
"Oculi’s new vision is ideal for edge applications such as always-on gesture/face/people tracking and low-latency eye tracking, while alternative solutions are too slow, big, and power inefficient. GF is an excellent partner to enable us to quickly get our product to our customers."

I don't think it's just Oculi that were interested in seeing Akida performing on GlobalFoundries' 22FDX platform. It's a popular platform for efficient industrial and consumer applications and has had several years to mature and gain adoption by the industry.

I think this latest tape-out of AKD1500 and the choice to create the next batch of reference chips using the GlobalFoundries tech is likely the linchpin that will get signed IP contracts with some unnamed customers.

What I am hoping for at this point is that said customers have been working on prototypes of whatever products they are choosing to bring to market, and refactoring time from prototype to consumer good will be dramatically shortened, pending the successful testing of this generation of Akida.

While companies may still choose to remain tight-lipped through NDAs in order to retain a competitive advantage in the present, I do think that the day will come when BrainChip's technology will become a lot more mainstream and companies will start to advertise its use in order to attract consumers. I like to call that the "Intel Inside" effect.

 

[Fullmoonfever]

My reason for the question is the paragraph below that was written in the Akida 1500 tape out article:

"The tape-out was completed using GlobalFoundries’ 22nm fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD-SOI) technology and is being described as a milestone in validating BrainChip’s IP across different processes and foundries, providing its partners with varied global manufacturing options."

The Brainchip/Global Foudries tape out was announced on 29th Jan 2023.
Two days ago, Oculi, whom Brainchip is working with, announced that they are using Global Foundries to help them produce their latest chip (did the Akida 1500 tape out on Global Foudries technology give them what they needed to go ahead with their own GF chip?):

Oculi say this about their future chip:
"Oculi’s new vision is ideal for edge applications such as always-on gesture/face/people tracking and low-latency eye tracking, while alternative solutions are too slow, big, and power inefficient. GF is an excellent partner to enable us to quickly get our product to our customers."

Just found an article from yesterday which outlines Oculi and GF producing 3 chips but the first is using their 55LPx whereas AKD1500 is in 22FDX.

Maybe @Diogenese can impart some wisdom as to the outcome here?

Get the feeling maybe no crossover as yet?

Maybe the AKD1500 will be testing etc for the stated next iterations of the SPU.

Smart vision startup Oculi turns to GF for next chips

Oculi, a fabless company seeking to add intelligence to image sensors at the pixel level, has partnered with chipmaker GlobalFoundries Inc.

www.eenewseurope.com

Under the agreement GlobalFoundries will manufacture the SPU (sensing and processing unit) S12 software-defined vision sensor in its 55LPx manufacturing process. The chip is intended to be used for applications in smart devices and homes, industrial, IoT, automotive markets and wearables including AR/VR.

The SPU S12 will be the first of three sensors to follow on from the SPU S11 which Oculi offers on a series of PCB-based platforms.

For outline of GF chips.

Industrial IoT | GlobalFoundries

Bring forth Industry 4.0 with GF From agriculture to manufacturing, intelligent connectivity and AI are leading the way in the […]

gf.com

Industrial MCUs using 22FDX® with eNVM
GlobalFoundries® (GF®) 22FDX® solutions, featuring low power, adaptive body bias, analog scaling and robust eNVM capabilities, enable integrated, area and power-optimized industrial MCUs. Solution options include eMRAM, low-cost charge trap technology (CTT) and CB-RAM embedded memory for faster TTM and wakeup times.

Pumped up, power-efficient performance
22FDX® offers best-in-class performance at the industry’s lowest operating voltage for bulk CMOS technologies (0.4 V) and 1 pA/µm for ultra-low standby leakage. It features an eMRAM NVM with >100x lower write power* that enables frequent, power-saving shutdowns to help designers extend battery life while boosting processing capability.

More function, in less space
22FDX® solutions enable designers to develop RF front-end modules (FEMs) with outstanding PA efficiency, LNA noise figure, and switch insertion loss benefits. These FEMs, baseband and eMRAM elements can be integrated into a single IIoT SoC that helps designers combine the features needed to meet goals, while significantly reducing overall area—and costs.

Design, made simple
The 22FDX® portfolio of silicon-proven, MCU-optimized IP, along with a broad range of services and solutions available through GF and the FDXcelerator™ partner program, can help designers reduce development time and have confidence in first-time-right results in hardware.

Industrial MCUs using 55LPX and 40LP with eNVM and 28SLP-ESF3
GlobalFoundries® (GF®) 55LPX and 40LP with eNVM and 28SLP-ESF3, built on bulk CMOS platforms, are optimized for range of power-performance and cost-sensitive MCU applications, including automotive, baseband SoCs, mobile multimedia, digital TVs/STBs, IoT and industrial. The solutions enable designers to leverage logic, analog, RF, ULP SRAM/logic combinations, high-K metal gate technology and high reliability, along with on-board memory (eNVM) for faster wakeup times, reduced system cost and improved security:

55LPx features high reliability (automotive-grade IP) and high-density, low-power SRAM
GF’s 40LP is the only 40 nm automotive grade 0 offering in the industry
28SLP is optimized for power, performance and die cost, when flexible mixed-technology options for RF and ultra-low power are required
ESF3 eFlash adds robust quality and reliability, offering zero failure rates in harsh temperature conditions
High voltage? No problem.

55LPx solutions are excellent fits for analog and power devices operating at 30 V and beyond; it is optimized for integrated analog, power and mixed-signal applications such as PMICs for mobile devices, audio amplifiers and applications requiring dense digital, analog and power elements.

 

[Tothemoon24]

VVDN strengthens its services portfolio with the addition of Automotive Engineering and Manufacturing Services for global markets

/PRNewswire/ -- VVDN Technologies, a global provider of embedded product engineering, manufacturing and digital services and solutions company, announced that...

www.prnewswire.com

 

[Fullmoonfever]

Just found an article from yesterday which outlines Oculi and GF producing 3 chips but the first is using their 55LPx whereas AKD1500 is in 22FDX.

Maybe @Diogenese can impart some wisdom as to the outcome here?

Get the feeling maybe no crossover as yet?

Maybe the AKD1500 will be testing etc for the stated next iterations of the SPU.

Smart vision startup Oculi turns to GF for next chips

Oculi, a fabless company seeking to add intelligence to image sensors at the pixel level, has partnered with chipmaker GlobalFoundries Inc.

www.eenewseurope.com

Under the agreement GlobalFoundries will manufacture the SPU (sensing and processing unit) S12 software-defined vision sensor in its 55LPx manufacturing process. The chip is intended to be used for applications in smart devices and homes, industrial, IoT, automotive markets and wearables including AR/VR.

The SPU S12 will be the first of three sensors to follow on from the SPU S11 which Oculi offers on a series of PCB-based platforms.

For outline of GF chips.

Industrial IoT | GlobalFoundries

Bring forth Industry 4.0 with GF From agriculture to manufacturing, intelligent connectivity and AI are leading the way in the […]

gf.com

Industrial MCUs using 22FDX® with eNVM
GlobalFoundries® (GF®) 22FDX® solutions, featuring low power, adaptive body bias, analog scaling and robust eNVM capabilities, enable integrated, area and power-optimized industrial MCUs. Solution options include eMRAM, low-cost charge trap technology (CTT) and CB-RAM embedded memory for faster TTM and wakeup times.

Pumped up, power-efficient performance
22FDX® offers best-in-class performance at the industry’s lowest operating voltage for bulk CMOS technologies (0.4 V) and 1 pA/µm for ultra-low standby leakage. It features an eMRAM NVM with >100x lower write power* that enables frequent, power-saving shutdowns to help designers extend battery life while boosting processing capability.

More function, in less space
22FDX® solutions enable designers to develop RF front-end modules (FEMs) with outstanding PA efficiency, LNA noise figure, and switch insertion loss benefits. These FEMs, baseband and eMRAM elements can be integrated into a single IIoT SoC that helps designers combine the features needed to meet goals, while significantly reducing overall area—and costs.

Design, made simple
The 22FDX® portfolio of silicon-proven, MCU-optimized IP, along with a broad range of services and solutions available through GF and the FDXcelerator™ partner program, can help designers reduce development time and have confidence in first-time-right results in hardware.

Industrial MCUs using 55LPX and 40LP with eNVM and 28SLP-ESF3
GlobalFoundries® (GF®) 55LPX and 40LP with eNVM and 28SLP-ESF3, built on bulk CMOS platforms, are optimized for range of power-performance and cost-sensitive MCU applications, including automotive, baseband SoCs, mobile multimedia, digital TVs/STBs, IoT and industrial. The solutions enable designers to leverage logic, analog, RF, ULP SRAM/logic combinations, high-K metal gate technology and high reliability, along with on-board memory (eNVM) for faster wakeup times, reduced system cost and improved security:

55LPx features high reliability (automotive-grade IP) and high-density, low-power SRAM
GF’s 40LP is the only 40 nm automotive grade 0 offering in the industry
28SLP is optimized for power, performance and die cost, when flexible mixed-technology options for RF and ultra-low power are required
ESF3 eFlash adds robust quality and reliability, offering zero failure rates in harsh temperature conditions
High voltage? No problem.

55LPx solutions are excellent fits for analog and power devices operating at 30 V and beyond; it is optimized for integrated analog, power and mixed-signal applications such as PMICs for mobile devices, audio amplifiers and applications requiring dense digital, analog and power elements.

Another good reason vs 28nm CMOS.

22FDX® can help designers maximize battery life by reducing power up to 70% compared to 28 nm bulk CMOS solutions.

 

[Deadpool]

Hypothetical question. Could taping out Akida 1500 on Global Foudries be enough evidence that Akida works on GF technology for Oculi to have the confidence to proceed with developing their own chip incorporating Akida IP through GF?
I feel there is too many coincidences (at least in my head) to ignore.

I think we all need to have another beer or 2 and contemplate is dilemma Sladious