
MAX78000 神经网络加速器芯片 在电池供电设备中实现IoT人工智能
可将能耗和延迟降低100倍,从而在IoT边缘实现复杂的嵌入式决策
MAX78000是一款带有神经网络加速器的低功耗微控制器,支持电池供电的嵌入式物联网(IoT)设备在边缘通过快速、低功耗人工智能(AI)推理来制定复杂决策。与软件方案相比,这种快速、低功耗的决策实施使得复杂的AI推理能耗降低到前期方案的百分之一以内,采用AI技术的电池供电系统可大幅延长其运行时间,有助于实现之前无法逾越的新一代电池供电AI应用。此外,MAX78000并没有影响延迟指标和成本:其成本只是FPGA或GPU方案的零头,而执行推理的速度比低功耗微控制器上实施的软件方案快100倍。
AI技术使机器能够以之前完全不可能的方式来观察、聆听和感知世界。过去,将AI推理布置到边缘意味着从传感器、摄像机和麦克风收集数据,然后将数据发送到云端实现推理算法,再将结果送回到边缘。由于延迟和能耗较大,这种架构对于边缘普及极具挑战。作为替代方案,低功耗微控制器可用于实施简单的神经网络运算,但延迟会受到影响,且只能在边缘执行简单任务。
通过集成专用的神经网络加速器,MAX78000克服了这些局限性,凭借在本地以低功耗实时执行AI处理,使机器能够看到和听到复杂的型态。由于MAX78000执行推理的功耗不到微控制器软件运行功耗的百分之一,大幅提高了机器视觉、语音和面部识别等应用的工作效率。MAX78000的核心是专用硬件,其设计旨在最大程度地降低卷积神经网络(CNN)的能耗和延迟。该硬件运行时几乎不需要任何微控制器核的介入,意味着操作的流线化程度极高。能量和时间仅用于实施CNN的数学运算。为了将外部世界的采集数据高效输入到CNN引擎,用户可使用两种集成微控制器核之一:超低功耗ARM Cortex-M4 核,或功耗更低的RISC-V核。
主要特征
- Dual Core Ultra-Low-Power Microcontroller
◦ Arm Cortex-M4 Processor with FPU up to 100MHz
◦ 512KB Flash and 128KB SRAM
◦ Optimized Performance with 16KB Instruction Cache
◦ Optional Error Correction Code (ECC-SEC-DED) for SRAM
◦ 32-Bit RISC-V Coprocessor up to 60MHz
◦ Up to 52 General-Purpose I/O Pins
◦ 12-Bit Parallel Camera Interface
◦ One I²S Master/Slave for Digital Audio Interface
- Neural Network Accelerator
◦ Highly Optimized for Deep Convolutional Neural Networks
◦ 442k 8-Bit Weight Capacity with 1,2,4,8-Bit Weights
◦ Programmable Input Image Size up to 1024 x 1024 pixels
◦ Programmable Network Depth up to 64 Layers
◦ Programmable per Layer Network Channel Widths up to 1024 Channels
◦ 1 and 2 Dimensional Convolution Processing
◦ Streaming Mode
◦ Flexibility to Support Other Network Types, Including MLP and Recurrent Neural Networks
- Power Management Maximizes Operating Time for Battery Applications
◦ Integrated Single-Inductor Multiple-Output (SIMO) Switch-Mode Power Supply (SMPS)
◦ 2.0V to 3.6V SIMO Supply Voltage Range
◦ Dynamic Voltage Scaling Minimizes Active Core Power Consumption
◦ 22.2μA/MHz While Loop Execution at 3.0V from Cache (CM4 Only)
◦ Selectable SRAM Retention in Low-Power Modes with Real-Time Clock (RTC) Enabled
- Security and Integrity
◦ Available Secure Boot
◦ AES 128/192/256 Hardware Acceleration Engine
◦ True Random Number Generator (TRNG) Seed Generator
应用/用途
- Object Detection and Classification
- Audio Processing: Multi-Keyword Recognition, Sound Classification, Noise Cancellation
- Facial Recognition
- Time-Series Data Processing: Heart Rate/Health Signal Analysis, Multi-Sensor Analysis, Predictive Maintenance