BRN Discussion Ongoing

[Bravo]

Analysis tools to use COTS neuromorphic AI processor with MRAM in space​

Technology News | October 26, 2023
By Nick Flaherty
MEMORY & DATA STORAGE SPACE

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Green Mountain Semiconductor (GMS) in the US has won a grant to develop a neuromorphic AI processor for space applications using MRAM magnetic memory.​

The project, “A Radiation Hard Neural Processor With Embedded MRAM,” will see GMS develop an analysis tool to optimize circuit designs for reliability and radiation resistance to enable the use of off-the-shelf technology in space applications without the need for excessive design modifications to ensure radiation resistance.


As an initial step, GMS will use the tool to enhance its in-house designed memory neural processor, specially tailored for cube-sat format satellite payloads. The custom chip designer aims to incorporate radiation resistance into the design process to speed up the development of chips for use in orbit.

• NASA looks to BrainChip’s spiking neural network chip
• Power space board with MRAM starts production

“Through this project, GMS aims to empower companies seeking radiation-hardened solutions by creating a predictive tool for assessing radiation exposure on custom silicon designs,” stated Ryan Jurasek, VP Research & Development at GMS. “Our inaugural application of this tool will focus on optimizing our in-memory neural processor, designed using SOI process with MRAM integration, and intended for testing in a cube-satellite. GMS’s experience will shape the design and optimization of future products, both in space and beyond.”

Radiation testing of commercial products is often costly and raises questions about circuitry utilization and failure statistics particularly for MRAM memory. Moreover, off-the-shelf components are not inherently optimized for space applications in terms of size, weight, and power considerations. GMS aims to use its knowledge of emerging memory technologies and developing radiation-resistant solutions by design.

Analysis tools to use COTS neuromorphic AI processor with MRAM in space

Green Mountain Semiconductor (GMS) in the US has won a grant to develop a neuromorphic AI processor for space applications using MRAM

www.eenewseurope.com

 

[Drewski]

Tuning in from 40:34min - not very positive unfortunately, my apologies. However these guy's may shed a little light on the challengers facing Sean and his team presently.

 

[Xray1]

Hi ML,

The Board can only change or influence things which are within their control or sphere of influence.

What would you have the board do differently to avoid the 2nd strike?

Diogenese: you asked the following question ......

" What would you have the board do differently to avoid
the 2nd strike? "

The answer might be quite simple .....

IMO, by thus putting the "Renumeration Reports" currently on hold till such time as the Co actually brings in at the very least a "Break Even" revenue stream.

IMO, if the BOD and Management aren't even prepared to wait for such an event to take effect, then that will only cause me further concerns as to where things are really at with this Co and the take up of Akida IP as well as the actual formalisation of any contracts / Royalties.

In essence, it is also my view that this type of approach can equate to the BOD and Management of putting some of their own personal skin and $$$ into the Co as well as promoting a positive Co sentiment and s/holder satisfaction that things are expected to vastly improve in the not too far distant future.

 

[KKFoo]

Good afternoon, I have some questions for the technical experts in this forum,
1)If you use a Brainchip SNN to analyse the video output from a normal camera it can be used to detect only the changes in the frames and gives you something similar to Prophesee's DVS sensor output?
2) What are the differences between those 2 systems and what are Brainchip+camera advantages over Prophesee DVS sensor?
3) What happen when you use Brainchip SNN with Prophesee DVS sensor? How is it better than Brainchip+normal camera combination?
Appreciate if anybody can help to answer..Thanks

 

[chapman89]

Good afternoon, I have some questions for the technical experts in this forum,
1)If you use a Brainchip SNN to analyse the video output from a normal camera it can be used to detect only the changes in the frames and gives you something similar to Prophesee's DVS sensor output?
2) What are the differences between those 2 systems and what are Brainchip+camera advantages over Prophesee DVS sensor?
3) What happen when you use Brainchip SNN with Prophesee DVS sensor? How is it better than Brainchip+normal camera combination?
Appreciate if anybody can help to answer..Thanks

From Rob Telson-

1. BrainChip has developed an AI Neural Network Accelerator. It can operate independently as a NPU (Neural Processing Unit) or as a companion to a CPU. We license our technology as IP which will be designed into a broader SoC (System on a Chip).
2. The importance of our IP is that eventually over time more and more devices and applications will demand intelligence and more intelligence will be designed into the SoC. BrainChip is very well positioned to capture this market as it continues to gain momentum over the next few years.
3. We feel strongly that we are very well positioned because:
   1. There are not many AI solutions that are IP based
   2. There are very few neuromorphic solutions
   3. We feel neuromorphic will be the architecture of choice because of it’s low power and compute efficiency advantages that will be impactful in the growth of AI
   4. We are the first company to commercialize a neuromorphic IP based solution
4. Prophesee offerings a neuromorphic based sensor. The sensor is a different technology than the NPU. A sensor can leverage the benefits of the neuromorphic architecture (in this case for vision) and deliver very favorable results for the overall system or product. Combined with a neuromorphic NPU it provides an even better solution.
5. Prophesee partnered with Synsense, a neurmorphic “Chip” company a while ago to provide a combined solution of the vision sensor with the neuromorphic chip for very low cost applications, such as toys. Synsense does not license their technology as IP.
6. BrainChip and Prophesee have demonstrated the technical advantages of our combined technologies and how the end product will benefit. Time will tell how many companies will adopt Prophesee’s Vision sensor with BrainChip’s Akida.

 

[jtardif999]

Diogenese: you asked the following question ......

" What would you have the board do differently to avoid
the 2nd strike? "

The answer might be quite simple .....

IMO, by thus putting the "Renumeration Reports" currently on hold till such time as the Co actually brings in at the very least a "Break Even" revenue stream.

IMO, if the BOD and Management aren't even prepared to wait for such an event to take effect, then that will only cause me further concerns as to where things are really at with this Co and the take up of Akida IP as well as the actual formalisation of any contracts / Royalties.

In essence, it is also my view that this type of approach can equate to the BOD and Management of putting some of their own personal skin and $$$ into the Co as well as promoting a positive Co sentiment and s/holder satisfaction that things are expected to vastly improve in the not too far distant future.

I think (and I could have misunderstood this) they stated at the AGM that all remuneration was based on them achieving results in a 1-3 year time frame, so I think they are not collecting on remuneration unless they have achieved the outcomes that have been set in that time frame?

 

[Diogenese]

Good afternoon, I have some questions for the technical experts in this forum,
1)If you use a Brainchip SNN to analyse the video output from a normal camera it can be used to detect only the changes in the frames and gives you something similar to Prophesee's DVS sensor output?
2) What are the differences between those 2 systems and what are Brainchip+camera advantages over Prophesee DVS sensor?
3) What happen when you use Brainchip SNN with Prophesee DVS sensor? How is it better than Brainchip+normal camera combination?
Appreciate if anybody can help to answer..Thanks

With an ordinary camera, a pre-processor is needed to convert the camera signals to spikes for use in Akida.

Because it is always on (no shutter) and only detects pixel illumination changes, the DVS can have a much higher equivalent frame rate, say 10,000 fps.

Prophesee tried Synsense, but it was not accurate enough because it was analog (SPECK) and could not match the Prophesee frame rate. Synsense are pursuing low hanging, non-critical applications (toys). They recently developed a digital NN for sound.

CORRECTION: SPECK is digital.

 

[KKFoo]

From Rob Telson-

1. BrainChip has developed an AI Neural Network Accelerator. It can operate independently as a NPU (Neural Processing Unit) or as a companion to a CPU. We license our technology as IP which will be designed into a broader SoC (System on a Chip).
2. The importance of our IP is that eventually over time more and more devices and applications will demand intelligence and more intelligence will be designed into the SoC. BrainChip is very well positioned to capture this market as it continues to gain momentum over the next few years.
3. We feel strongly that we are very well positioned because:
   1. There are not many AI solutions that are IP based
   2. There are very few neuromorphic solutions
   3. We feel neuromorphic will be the architecture of choice because of it’s low power and compute efficiency advantages that will be impactful in the growth of AI
   4. We are the first company to commercialize a neuromorphic IP based solution
4. Prophesee offerings a neuromorphic based sensor. The sensor is a different technology than the NPU. A sensor can leverage the benefits of the neuromorphic architecture (in this case for vision) and deliver very favorable results for the overall system or product. Combined with a neuromorphic NPU it provides an even better solution.
5. Prophesee partnered with Synsense, a neurmorphic “Chip” company a while ago to provide a combined solution of the vision sensor with the neuromorphic chip for very low cost applications, such as toys. Synsense does not license their technology as IP.
6. BrainChip and Prophesee have demonstrated the technical advantages of our combined technologies and how the end product will benefit. Time will tell how many companies will adopt Prophesee’s Vision sensor with BrainChip’s Akida.

Thanks Chapman for your fast response, I know that Brainchip can handle 5 modalities and can go into many MCUs, but Phrophesee only handle vision, what if we just focus on vision(video), if you want to build a smart door bell, what combination would you use? Brainchip SNN + normal camera+ Renesas RA MCU, PropheseeDVS+Renesas RA MCU, or Brainchip SNN+Prophesee DVS+ Renesas RA MCU or just Renesas RA MCU as demoed in their video? I hope my questions make sense..

 

[KKFoo]

With an ordinary camera, a pre-processor is needed to convert the camera signals to spikes for use in Akida.

Because it is always on (no shutter) and only detects pixel illumination changes, the DVS can have a much higher equivalent frame rate, say 10,000 fps.

Prophesee tried Synsense, but it was not accurate enough because it was analog (SPECK) and could not match the Prophesee frame rate. Synsense are pursuing low hanging, non-critical applications (toys). They recently developed a digital NN for sound.

Thanks Diogenese, I thought Akida is the NPU that converts normal video to spikes, no preprocessing is required?

 

[jtardif999]

Good afternoon, I have some questions for the technical experts in this forum,
1)If you use a Brainchip SNN to analyse the video output from a normal camera it can be used to detect only the changes in the frames and gives you something similar to Prophesee's DVS sensor output?
2) What are the differences between those 2 systems and what are Brainchip+camera advantages over Prophesee DVS sensor?
3) What happen when you use Brainchip SNN with Prophesee DVS sensor? How is it better than Brainchip+normal camera combination?
Appreciate if anybody can help to answer..Thanks

Also to add to what @chapman89 has said:
1) Akida is agnostic regarding the sensor (and/or cpu) it is connected to.
2) A normal video stream from a camera sensor is frame based and Akida can process and infer from ordinary pictures at a very high rate at a very low power rate.
3) A DVS sensor such as the technology developed by Prophesy sends the pixel changes in a scene and some ordinary frame based filler data merged together to Akida to process. The pixel changes are akin to events and match to the spike input that Akida expects, so it processes the input much more quickly than conventional video.

Hope this helps

 

[DingoBorat]

Wow, I mean, WooooooooooooooW

Thanks for this offering chappy.

Much, MUCH, food for thought in what your saying, MUCHO, MUCHO GRACIAS Amigo, hope you're on the money ?????

" I like it, I like it, - I like the way, you run, your fingers through my hair " Remember that one ??

Nothing personal, of course ( know what I mean, know what I mean !! Say no more, Say no more )

Thanks for that reality check.

AKIDA BALLISTA >>>>> BINGO maybe - anyone <<<<<

hotty...

This guy probably would have got swatted, long before he finished, in reality..

 

[KKFoo]

Also to add to what @chapman89 has said:
1) Akida is agnostic regarding the sensor (and/or cpu) it is connected to.
2) A normal video stream from a camera sensor is frame based and Akida can process and infer from ordinary pictures at a very high rate at a very low power rate.
3) A DVS sensor such as the technology developed by Prophesy sends the pixel changes in a scene and some ordinary frame based filler data merged together to Akida to process. The pixel changes are akin to events and match to the spike input that Akida expects, so it processes the input much more quickly than conventional video.

Hope this helps

Thanks J, So in other words, normalcamera+Akida=Prophesee DVS sensor, right? On top of that Akida inside the camera can do more such as inferencing what gestures is showing in the video whereas Phrophesee DVS is just a sensor, it cannot differentiate the gestures, right?

 

[Diogenese]

Thanks Diogenese, I thought Akida is the NPU that converts normal video to spikes, no preprocessing is required?

Akida has a preprocessor. This is separate from the NN.

Preprocessing takes time and uses power, and this is necessary for standard video. With DVS, this process is not needed because Akida can handle the native spiking signals from DVS directly.

look at this way, DVS does the pre-processing.

 

[Diogenese]

Thanks J, So in other words, normalcamera+Akida=Prophesee DVS sensor, right? On top of that Akida inside the camera can do more such as inferencing what gestures is showing in the video whereas Phrophesee DVS is just a sensor, it cannot differentiate the gestures, right?

Akida plus normal video camera is much slower than Akida + Prophesee because of the shutter speed of the video camera.

Akida plus Prophesee is ideal for gesture recognition.

 

[KKFoo]

Thanks D, I am getting a clearer picture ,now I understand why we are not in the door bells or toys, it is because "good enough" solutions already exist, Brainchip has to focus on those higher end applications where "good enough" is not going to fly..

 

[JDelekto]

Thanks J, So in other words, normalcamera+Akida=Prophesee DVS sensor, right? On top of that Akida inside the camera can do more such as inferencing what gestures is showing in the video whereas Phrophesee DVS is just a sensor, it cannot differentiate the gestures, right?

A normal camera's video will need to be processed for each frame in order to determine the differences in the images and generate the spikes needed to feed to Akida. The Prophesee sensor converts that video to the spikes directly that can be processed by Akida. As @Diogenese points out, the Prophesee sensor has a much higher framerate than a normal camera and a step to convert a change in a normal camera's image to a spike train is not required.

Both the Prophesee sensor and Akida are complementary technologies, one does not substitute the other. Their combination may provide the best power savings and performance while eliminating the need for any additional hardware/software translation between the two.

Regarding your earlier combination about the addition of the MCU into the mix, such as with an intelligent doorbell, a very low-powered MPU would most likely be used in order to add some programmability and interface with other hardware, such as Bluetooth or WiFi antenna and perhaps updating models on the device. When it comes to inferencing, the MCU does not need to be used to do this, as that can be handled by Akida directly.

 

[JDelekto]

Thanks D, I am getting a clearer picture ,now I understand why we are not in the door bells or toys, it is because "good enough" solutions already exist, Brainchip has to focus on those higher end applications where "good enough" is not going to fly..

I should point out that while there are "good enough" solutions that exist for toys and doorbells, batteries and electricity do not have a non-zero cost involved.

A small anecdote: I live in a very old house that was built in the late 40's and wasn't wired for a doorbell. I couldn't believe that barbarians used to knock on doors back in the day, go figure.

Joking aside, I purchased a Ring doorbell and because I couldn't easily hardwire it, I opted to go the "recharging" route. After a couple of months, I would have to recharge the thing at what seemed like every few days. I would have welcomed a "solar-powered" solution, but a panel to keep it charged would probably be larger than the device itself.

It became such a bother that I ditched it and opted to go with a simple wireless chime I could plug inside the house and a button, powered by a calculator battery and affixed with an adhesive strip. It only needs to detect the button press and alert the internal chime. It's been over a year and I have not yet had to change the battery.

There are probably several similar solutions that exist that can be improved by magnitudes in performance and power savings. Solutions that use neuromorphic sensors and processors will give the company that employs them an extreme competitive advantage.

 

[buena suerte :-)]

Thanks buena suerte >>>>> BOB <<<<<

for that concise reply. Now, I'm in the know on this score. I can see the significance for the next meeting ( AGM ) will be very interesting indeed.

I must brush up I reckon from here on in, of my understanding about s/h controls IMVHO.

Thanks for your time in replying, much appreciated. And good luck with your investments.

Regards, hotty...

Akida Ballista

Hey hotty,

My pleasure... A nice easy explanation of what it all means!

It is something for all shareholders to consider when voting!!!

Some might not be happy with the whole BRN situation at the moment but if the votes go the way of a 'second strike' then that IMO would be an absolute nightmare for BRN moving forward (no confidence!!)

When a ‘second strike’ occurs, the shareholders will vote at the same AGM to determine whether all the directors will need to stand for re-election.....

Have a great weekend and Good luck to you et al

 

[buena suerte :-)]

If solid progress is being made and evident that AKIDA is being adopted despite little revenue it would be madness to 2nd strike.

Absolutely!!

 

[buena suerte :-)]

Thanks for posting this, I was about to Google what it would entail.

I genuinely couldn't think of anything worse than losing any of the talented board members we have.
If people think voting it down, then having them re-elected any way as a middle-finger message is going to help you're on another planet.
When they are already under criticism for performance I couldn't imagine they SP should any of them be cast out.
Given the majority of the histeria stems the SP more than the company engaging with current/potential clients, I Believe with 99.99% certainty we wouldn't be having this conversation if the SP was closer to $1.

It's getting pathetic now, if it's not out of your system, maybe drop your final say and let's move on.

No probs... Cheers Damo