CUDA-X library updates address 6G, robotics and quantum computing

At GTC 2022, Nvidia announced more than 60 updates to CUDA-X libraries. The company claimed they will allow new areas to access accelerated computing capabilities. For example, they are expected to accelerate work in quantum computing and 6G research, logistics optimisation research, robotics, cybersecurity, genomics and drug discovery as well as data analytics.

The updates to CUDA-X libraries and tools “dramatically improve” the performance of the CUDA software computing platform and many are immediately available. 

“Innovation in AI and accelerated computing is driving major scientific breakthroughs and the creation of new applications and services in virtually every industry,” said Greg Estes, vice president of Developer Programs at Nvidia. 

Built on top of CUDA, the company’s platforms for AI, HPC (high performance computing) and graphics include software development kits and tools that enable higher performance and accelerated algorithms across multiple application domains. The updates make the Nvidia systems that developers already use across science, AI and data processing, even faster, said the company. 

Included in the GTC announcement is the cuQuantum, for accelerating quantum circuit simulation. It is generally available and – for the first time – available in the cuQuantum DGX Appliance, which provides HPC researchers a full quantum simulation stack optimised for deployment on the Nvidia DGX platform. cuQuantum is integrated as a back end in popular simulators from Google Quantum AI, Xanadu and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. It is also now being offered as a part of quantum application development platforms from Classiq and Zapata Computing, and is being used by QC Ware, Xanadu and others to power quantum research at scale in areas from chemistry to climate modelling. 

There is also Sionna, for 6G physical-layer research. This is a new, GPU-accelerated, open-source library, with native support for the integration of neural networks and machine learning. Sionna enables rapid prototyping of complex communication system architectures. 

The Rapids Accelerator for Apache Spark speeds processing by over three times with no code changes. 

For cybersecurity, there is Morpheus, which makes it possible to analyse up to 100 per cent of one’s data in real time, for more accurate detection and faster remediation of threats as they occur. 

Another update is Nsight Systems, for system-wide visualisation of an application’s performance. It allows developers to see how GPU- accelerated libraries use system resources, interact with the application and identify optimisation opportunities to reduce bottlenecks. 

Other library updates include Monai for medical imaging, Maxine, for communications, Riva, for speech AI, Merlin, for recommender systems and Isaac, for robotics. 

http://www.nvidia.com

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Octavo Systems bases SiP devices on AMD-Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC 

The OSDZU3 family of SiP devices by Octavo Systems uses the AMD Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC architecture.

SiP is based on the AMD-Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC ZU3 and integrates LPDDR4, EEPROM, QSPI, MEMS oscillators and more than 100 passive components in a single BGA measuring 20.5 x 40mm.

According to Octavo, the OSDZU3 is about 60 per cent smaller than an equivalent system design with discrete components. As well as addressing SWaP (size, weight and power) of a product, the SiP removes the need to design complicated power systems of DDR, saving customers up to nine months in design time, said Greg Sheridan, vice president of strategy and marketing at Octavo Systems.

The OSDZU3 provides access to all the interfaces and features on the AMD-Xilinx ZU3. The 1mm pitch, 600 pin ball map provides access to every I/O on the ZU3 in just two PCB layers using low-cost design rules. The power system also allows the designer to leverage all the power modes the ZU3 supports.

“System-level solutions are increasingly important to our customers, as they seek to deploy cutting-edge embedded computing and machine learning capabilities within increasingly compressed development timeframes,” said Hanneke Krekels, vice president of Core Vertical Markets, Adaptive & Embedded Computing Group, AMD. “In-line with these objectives, we have worked closely with Octavo Systems to bring the first System-in-Package solution based on the powerful Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC. This offering enables our users to accelerate innovation and simplify system design for the most size constrained applications.”

The OSDZU3 is compatible with the AMD-Xilinx development tools, Xilinx Vivado Design Suite and Xilinx Vitis unified software platform. 

Octavo Systems worked closely with DesignLinx, an AMD-Xilinx Premier Design Service partner, to develop the base software platform needed to ensure the SiP integrates into the standard AMD-Xilinx tool flow.

To accompany the OSDZU3 SiP, Octavo Systems will be releasing the OSDZU3-REF reference platform. It features popular interfaces like USB-C, USB 3.0, SATA Host, 1Gb Ethernet, and an FMC LP Connector. It also supports displays through Display Port and a LVDS touch display connector. It will ship with a PetaLinux Distribution and demos that are also developed by DesignLinx.

Octavo Systems has also franchised Avnet as a global distributor for the OSDZU3 SiP. Engineering samples are available today through the beta program. Design engineers who are interested in gaining access to the beta program can contact their local Avnet, Octavo Systems, or AMD-Xilinx sales representative.

The reference platform will be available to the general market in Q3 and the OSDZU3 will be in production by the end of the year.

https://octavosystems.com

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Jetson AGX Orin developer kit increases OPS for robotics and edge AI

At GTC 2022, Nvidia has announced the Jetson AGX Orin developer kit, claiming it is the most powerful, compact and energy-efficient AI supercomputer available for advanced robotics, autonomous machines, and next-generation embedded and edge computing.

Jetson AGX Orin delivers 275 trillion operations per second, (OPS) exceeding its the processing power of its predecessor (Jetson AGX Xavier) by a factor of eight, while maintaining the same palm-sized form factor and pin compatibility. It is also offered at “a similar price”. The developer kit features an Nvidia Ampere architecture GPU, Arm Cortex-A78AE CPUs, next-generation deep learning and vision accelerators, high speed interfaces, faster memory bandwidth and multi-modal sensor support to feed multiple, concurrent AI application pipelines.

“As AI transforms manufacturing, healthcare, retail, transportation, smart cities and other essential sectors of the economy, demand for processing continues to surge,” said Deepu Talla, vice president of Embedded and Edge Computing at Nvidia. “The availability of Jetson AGX Orin will supercharge the efforts of the entire industry as it builds the next generation of robotics and edge AI products.”

Customers using Jetson AGX Orin can leverage the full Nvidia CUDA-X accelerated computing stack, the Nvidia JetPack software development kit (SDK), pre-trained models from the company’s NGC catalogue and the latest frameworks and tools for application development and optimisation such as Isaac on Omniverse, Metropolis and the TAO Toolkit. According to Nvidia, this ecosystem reduces time and cost for production-quality AI deployments, and offers access to the largest, most complex models needed to solve robotics and edge AI challenges in 3D perception, natural language understanding or multi-sensor fusion.

The Jetson embedded computing partner ecosystem includes a range of services and products, including cameras and other multi-modal sensors, carrier boards, hardware design services, AI and system software, developer tools and custom software development.

The Nvidia Jetson AGX Orin developer kit is available now. Production modules will be available in Q4.

http://www.nvidia.com

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Segger partners with HPMicro for free of charge Embedded Studio for RISC-V 

Partnering with microcontroller and embedded provider, HPMicro Semiconductor, Segger offers its Embedded Studio integrated development environment (IDE) free of charge to all HPMicro’s customers using HPM6000 series RISC-V microcontrollers.

Embedded Studio includes the tools and features for streamlined, professional embedded development in C and C++, said Segger. It comes with a powerful project manager and build system, a source code editor with code completion and folding, and a package system to install board and device support. It also includes Segger’s optimised emRun runtime and emFloat floating point libraries and its smart linker. These functions have been developed from the ground up by Segger specifically for resource-constrained embedded systems. The built-in debugger is fully integrated with J-Link, for performance and stability, added Segger.

“Our goal is to provide the best possible development solution for our RISC-V devices,” said Jintao Zeng, CEO at HPMicro. “Following an in-depth analysis of the market, we found that Segger’s Embedded Studio delivers the best results in terms of firmware size, performance and user experience”.

“Embedded Studio has been gaining a lot of popularity recently and now complements the HPMicro product families, helping software engineers unleash their full potential and shortening the time to market,” says Ivo Geilenbruegge, managing director of Segger. “Furthermore, collaboration between Segger and HPMicro will go a long way in advancing the RISC-V ecosystem in the embedded industry.”

HPMicro’s real-time RISC-V microcontroller series HPM6000 was released in December 2021 and is in full production. According to HPMicro, the flagship HPM6750 microcontroller set a new performance record of over 9000 CoreMark and 4500 DMIPS, with dual RISC-V cores running at a frequency of up to 800MHz. The HPM6000 series MCUs, including the dual-core HPM6750, the single-core HPM6450 and the entry-level HPM6120, are equipped with double-precision floating-point units and powerful DSP extension instructions. They also have built-in 2Mbyte SRAM, multimedia functions, motor control modules, communication interface and security encryption. HPM6000 has sufficient computing power to accelerate applications such as industry 4.0, smart home appliances, edge computing and the IoT.

https://www.segger.com

http://www.hpmicro.com

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