A provider of radiation-hardened microprocessors for space applications, Frontgrade has licensed Akida IP for incorporation into space-grade, fault-tolerant system-on-chip solutions for hardware AI acceleration.
This commercial license agreement paves the way for AI chips to be deployed in space. The Akida neuromorphic computing solution was selected based upon providing real time data stream processing while delivering resiliency, autonomy and accuracy at the lowest power, mass and volume.
The European Space Agency (ESA) has been leading the efforts to deploy neuromorphic computing to the furthest edge of AI.
“While many fields no doubt can benefit from neuromorphic computing, one essential area is computer vision applications where current FPGA or GPU technology does not bring satisfactory results for edge deployments when considering mass, volume and power constraints,” said Laurent Hili, microelectronics and data handling engineer at the ESA. “This program has demonstrated the superiority of neuromorphic technology through several on-going activities with satellite primes and IP/components suppliers such as Frontgrade Gaisler and BrainChip."
BrainChip’s neuromorphic AI will boost space-borne, on-board computers with improved power efficiency and inference performance while maintaining compatibility with existing Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs).
“For the last 20 years, Gaisler’s space-grade microprocessors have been successfully deployed to every planet of our solar system in missions from ESA as well as most other space agencies,” said Sandi Habinc, General Manager at Frontgrade Gaisler, a Frontgrade company. “Together with BrainChip, we evaluated the Akida IP and decided that the next step of licensing it would beneficially augment our future space processors with neuromorphic AI.”
“This collaboration represents an important step in satisfying the market demand for space-based AI deployments, turning into reality what once was considered unattainable,” said Sean Hehir, CEO of BrainChip. “We are pleased to expand on our trusted relationship with Frontgrade as they push the boundaries of space computing.”
