BrainChip Unveils Second-Generation Akida Platform for Edge AI Advancements
By
Niharika Singh
-
October 8, 2023
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In an era marked by an insatiable appetite for artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, BrainChip, a pioneer in neural network processors, has taken a significant stride towards empowering edge devices with unprecedented processing power. The company’s latest unveiling, the second-generation Akida platform, represents a groundbreaking leap in the realm of Edge AI, delivering the potential to liberate devices from cloud dependency.
The initial glimpse of BrainChip’s original Akida neuromorphic processing technology at the Linley Fall Processor Conference in 2019 paved the way for a journey that materialized in the form of development kits for the general public in 2021. In March 2023, there was an announcement of Akida 2.0, a refinement promising support for Temporal Event-Based Neural Network (TENN) acceleration and optional vision transformer hardware. This enhancement not only amplifies the platform’s capabilities but also lightens the computational load on the host processor. BrainChip classified Akida 2.0 into three distinct product classes: Akida-E, prioritizing energy efficiency; Akida-S, designed for seamless integration into microcontroller units and systems-on-chips; and Akida-P, a high-performance range supplemented by optional vision transformer acceleration.
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Now, BrainChip has initiated an “early access” program, granting access to the Akida 2.0 intellectual property (IP) and promising an “order of magnitude” improvement in compute density through TENNs support. This transformative leap is a testament to the inevitable shift towards Multimodal Edge AI, a trend intensifying the demands on intelligent computing at the Edge. Researchers laud this development, emphasizing that BrainChip’s second-generation Akida aligns precisely with the critical requisites of performance, efficiency, accuracy, and reliability necessary to expedite this transition.
Central to the Akida 2.0 platform are the TENNs, offering a staggering “order of magnitude” reduction in model size and computational requirements. This leap in efficiency augurs well for the acceleration of AI adoption and holds the promise of rendering Edge AI solutions more accessible and easy to deploy.
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As BrainChip opens the gateway to the Akida 2.0 IP, eager innovators and tech enthusiasts are encouraged to reach out to the company’s sales department for further details. While pricing remains undisclosed at this juncture, the launch timeline for hardware development kits based on the second-generation platform is yet to be confirmed.
In conclusion, BrainChip’s introduction of the second-generation Akida platform is poised to redefine the landscape of Edge AI. With TENNs at its core, this innovation addresses the pressing need for enhanced performance, efficiency, and reliability in Edge computing.