Quadric joins Silicon Catalyst to offer AI IP
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Quadric has joined the Silicon Catalyst semiconductor incubator as an In-Kind Partner (IKP), offering its general purpose neural processing (GPNPU) IP to machine learning chip startups.
The Chimera GPNPU can provide power efficient AI/ML inference for the next generation of chips. It blends the ML performance characteristics of a neural processing accelerator with the full C++ programmability of a modern DSP in a unified architecture for ML inference plus pre-and-post processing.
- IP core combines programmable neural processor with DSP
- AI processor startup Quadric turns to IP licensing
This greatly simplifies both system-on-chip (SoC) hardware design by the semiconductor developer today and subsequent software programming by application developers.
GPNPU for AI
The GPNPU architecture excels at convolution neural network (CNN) layers, providing inference performance similar to the efficiency of dedicated CNN offload engines but with full programmability. Unlike conventional accelerators that can only run a handful of predetermined ML operators, Chimera GPNPUs can run any ML operator. Custom operators can be added by the software developer simply by writing a C++ kernel using the Chimera CCL application programming interface then compiling that kernel using the Chimera SDK.
This is key for supporting the Transformer class of models, including the Vision Transformer (ViT). Traditional edge and device NPU accelerators struggle to support ViT class models but the Chimera GPNPU supports performant implementations of ViT graphs via its Quadric DevStudio.
- ARM, Silicon Catalyst team for IP giveaway
- Silicon Catalyst adds four more startups to its semiconductor accelerator
- Silicon Catalyst expands chip startup support in UK
Other providers in the Silicon Catalyst ecosystem in the US and UK include ARM for the control processors and Agile Analog for the power and sensor subsystems.
“Silicon Catalyst is instrumental in bootstrapping new and innovative silicon companies” said Veerbhan Kheterpal, CEO and co-founder of Quadric. “Quadric itself was a part of the Silicon Catalyst program back in 2018, and now we have a chance to pay that back to the next cohort of incubating companies.”
“Silicon Catalyst has built an ecosystem to support semiconductor hardware companies that includes over 60 In-Kind Partners, and we are thrilled to have Quadric become our first Portfolio-Company-turned-IKP,” said Nick Kepler, COO of Silicon Catalyst, “As they build a successful market presence, it is gratifying to see Quadric evolve from building their first chip with the help of our In-Kind Partners to providing that same support to our current and future Portfolio Companies.”
studio.quadric.io; www.siliconcatalyst.com
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