AI edge computer taps Blaize cards
Octagon Systems in Canada has developed a small form factor COM Express edge computer that can use up to four AI inference accelerator cards from chip designer Blaize. This follows a strategic deal between parent company J-Squared and Blaize last November to develop rugged AI systems.
Octagon’s FALC-20 supports up to to four Blaize Xplorer X1600E EDSFF Small Form Factor accelerator cards to give performance up to 64TOPS for video processing. Blaize developed the Graph Streaming Processor (GSP) inferencing chip but also sells the accelerator cards.
The FALC-20 uses the COMe architecture to increase modularity with options for Intel’s 11th generation Core i3, i5, i7 and Xeon processors. It also includes up to 128GB DDR4 RAM with optional ECC error correction and up to 1TB of storage via an M.2 SATA slot.
“Blaize made a great strategic decision in developing a version of their solution on an EDSFF card,” said Andrew Woollard, from J-Squared’s CTO Office. “The E1.S form factor is flexible and power efficient. Integrating this into the FALC-20 design, has enabled AI acceleration and storage to be interchangeable. This embraces J-Squared’s design philosophy for the FALC-20 platform of modularity and versatility.”
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“J-Squared’s FALC-20 provides AI acceleration powered by the Xplorer X1600E EDSFF Small Form Factor Accelerator, ideal for computer vision applications and AI inferencing solutions for edge use cases,” said Dinakar Munagala, CEO and Co-founder of Blaize. “By offering a feature-rich platform capable of scaling both CPU and AI acceleration performance, it meets end application software requirements while handling the power and thermal limitations imposed by rugged and challenging edge deployment environments in aerospace, industrial, and transportation industries.”
THe FALC-20 has a variety of options for wireless communication for both edge-native and hybrid edge-cloud architectures. “The pendulum is starting to swing away from cloud-only deployments, and many industries are beginning to adopt hybrid-cloud architectures. Companies are seeking to tap into the advantages of edge-computing such as freedom from wireless bandwidth challenges, reduced latency, and privacy challenges, all of which impact security and surveillance applications greatly,” said Jeff Gibson, J-Squared’s Founder and CEO.
Blaize’s AI Studio tool and other key partner software demoes have been integrated onto the FALC-20 and will be shown at the ISC West exhibition in the US.
octagonsystems.com/products/falc; www.blaize.com
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