This architecture, according to the company, firmly positions Brainchip as the leader in acceleration for artificial intelligence (AI) at the edge and the enterprise. The Akida NSoC is small, low cost and low power, making it ideal for edge applications such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), autonomous vehicles, drones, vision-guided robotics, surveillance and machine vision systems. Its scalability allows users to network many Akida devices together to perform complex neural network training and inferencing for many markets including agricultural technology (AgTech), cyber security and financial technology (FinTech).

“The artificial intelligence acceleration chipset marketplace is expected to surpass US$60 billion by 2025,” said Aditya Kaul, Research Director at Tractica, a leading market intelligence firm with a specialisation in AI. “Neuromorphic computing holds significant promise to accelerate AI, especially for low-power applications. As many of the technical hurdles are resolved, the industry will see the deployment of a new class of AI-optimised hardware over the next few years.”

“Despite their best efforts, no other company, large or small, has managed to bring a neuromorphic computing chip to market in production volumes,” said Lou DiNardo, Brainchip CEO. “Akida, which is Greek for ‘spike,’ represents the first in a new breed of hardware solutions for AI. Artificial intelligence at the edge is going to be as significant and prolific as the microcontroller. With the Akida NSoC, Brainchip is forging that path and leading the way. We are collaborating with major global manufacturers in a multi-market strategy to drive early adoption of the Akida NSoC."

The Akida Development Environment is available now for early access customers to begin the creation, training, and testing of spiking neural networks targeting the Akida NSoC. The Akida NSoC is expected to begin sampling in Q3 2019.