Alif’s Ensemble line of microcontrollers hits the global market
Alif Semiconductor, a provider of low-power AI fusion processors and microcontrollers, has announced that its Ensemble product line is now fully available through global distribution channels.
The Ensemble product line consists of 32-bit microcontrollers and fusion processors designed to enhance performance for a wide range of AI models. By integrating a microNPU next to each CPU core, Alif’s architecture can deliver performance improvements compared to traditional MCUs, the company claims.
For example, using one microNPU with one CPU core can reduce inference time by 74x compared to using the CPU core alone, according to the company. This process results in a total performance uplift of 740x without sacrificing energy consumption.
Mark Rootz, the VP of marketing at Alif Semiconductor, notes that the market needs high-performance edge ML applications. He notes that the usual 32-bit MCUs are insufficient, and using GPU-based accelerators is excessive in terms of power, size and cost.
“Only Alif fills this gap in the middle,” Rootz states. “This is the sweet spot for battery-powered products on the edge.”
The Ensemble product line includes a range of single-core and dual-core RTOS MCUs and triple- and quad-core fusion processors. ALif notes that these devices provide architectural compatibility, enabling software reuse across multiple projects.
According to Alif Semiconductor, Ensemble devices prioritize security to safeguard code and machine learning models against IP theft and malware attacks. Cryptography also protects sensitive data.
Alif Semiconductor’s aiPM technology is used to improve efficiency in Ensemble devices by optimizing power consumption and extending battery life. The company also offers an application kit to support edge AI applications that facilitate the quick setup and benchmarking of machine learning models using live data.
The AI/ML AppKit and Ensemble devices are now available for order through distributors.
Founded in 2019, Alif Semiconductor aims to meet the growing demand for efficient and connected AI-enabled embedded computing solutions. The company says its fusion processors blend low-power techniques, functional integration, AI processing, security and operating system diversity.
Last year, Alif Semiconductor partnered with Telit, a cloud connectivity IoT solutions provider, to produce a developers kit. The kit brings wireless cloud connectivity solutions and machine learning capabilities to distributed and IoT edge environments.
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