Xilinx claims world’s highest AI performance for Versal AI Edge chipset

Designed to enable AI innovation from the edge to the endpoint, the Versal AI Edge is Xilinx’s AI chipset which has four times the AI performance per watt than graphics processing units (GPUs) and 10x greater compute density than the Zynq Ultrascale+, says the company. The Versal AI Edge series is the world’s most scalable and adaptable portfolio for next-generation distributed intelligent systems, claims Xilinx.

The latest addition to Xilinx’s Versal ACAP portfolio of adaptive SoCs, the Versal AI Edge devices can be used for automated driving systems with the highest levels of functional safety (ASIL D). They can also be used for collaborative robotics, predictive factory and healthcare systems, and multi-mission aerospace and defence payloads, says Xilinx. The powerful AI engines have an enhanced memory hierarchy to deliver up to four times the machine learning (ML) compute performance per W compared with GPUs. They also have lower latency, continues Xilinx.

AI-enabled automated systems require high compute density that can accelerate whole applications from sensor to AI to real-time control. In addition to the increased compute density, enabling more intelligent autonomous systems, Versal AI Edge devices support multiple safety standards across automotive (ISO 26262), industrial (IEC 61508), and avionics (DO-254/178) markets.

The Versal AI Edge series takes the production-proven, 7nm Versal architecture and miniaturises it for AI compute at low latency, with power efficiency as low as 5W together with safety and security measures required in edge applications.  The Versal AI Edge series matches the engine to the algorithm, with scalar engines for embedded compute, adaptable engines for sensor fusion and hardware adaptability, and intelligent engines for AI inference and advanced signal processing workloads ranging from beam forming and radar/lidar processing.

Connectivity blocks range from LPDDR-4266, 32Gbits per second transceivers to meet all the necessary protocols in edge applications, 40G multi-rate Ethernet, PCIe Gen4 with CCIX, and native MIPI support for vision sensors at up to 8Mpixel resolution, which is critical to Level-3 ADAS and above. The enhanced memory hierarchy which includes Accelerator RAM, makes the Versal AI Edge series suitable for a wider range of applications across numerous markets, according to Xilinx.

Versal AI Edge devices provide a design entry points for developers, including Vivado for hardware developers, the Vitis unified software platform for software developers, Vitis AI for data scientists, and complete software stacks for the platform’s target applications, including domain-specific operating systems, frameworks, and acceleration libraries.

Versal AI Edge series design documentation and support is available to early access customers, with shipments expected during the first half of 2022, and a roadmap for automotive- and defense-grade devices.

http://www.xilinx.com

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Winsystems partners with Foundries.io for secure industrial computing

Secure industrial embedded IoT platform and edge computing is the outcome of the partnership announced by embedded computing specialist, Winsystems and open-operating systems provider, Foundries.io.

The alliance empowers mutual clients to securely deploy and maintain industrial IoT (IIoT) and edge devices in critical infrastructure and harsh environments.

The partners plan rapid and cost-efficient launch of IoT and edge products with built-in security and a platform compatibility which reduces risk through all lifecycle stages. There is an extended longevity of up to 20 years for maximum return on investments (ROI), says Winsystems.

US-based Winsystems has 39 years’ of experience in developing reliable embedded computer hardware for clients in the energy, transportation, industrial control, military and medical diagnostics sectors. It employs an efficient building-block approach to designing and manufacturing customised embedded computers for edge and IIoT applications.

The Foundries.io software underpins development, security and customisation through continuous integration and a containerised approach that can be easily scaled from small to large IIoT deployments.

According to George T Hillard, Winsystems’ technical sales director, the Foundries.io platform represents a “true breakthrough in edge device management and IIoT security”. “It is one of the most complete, scalable software platforms we have integrated,” he added.

Pairing Winsystems’ hardware with the FoundriesFactory cloud-based platform allows clients to focus on developing their applications and equips them to continuously add value to their deployed devices over the full product life cycle. Foundries.io applies industry-best practices for its built-in remote validation and secure over the air (OTA) update capabilities while enabling product designers to rapidly build and deploy connected products using their own IP and applications, sharply reducing time to market and engineering costs.

Platform compatibility reduces risk, extends longevity for maximum ROI
The powerful, integrated platform means that device creators do not have to select individual software and hardware components, which they then have to integrate. This takes resources away from product development and enhancement, increases risks of incompatibility between different layers of software and the underlying hardware which prolongs development time and creates potential security vulnerabilities.

Foundries.io is compatible with Linux-based IoT and edge products which means that companies no longer need to struggle with different development, security, OTA and applications solutions on their chosen hardware platforms, said Foundries.io’s CEO, George Grey. “Product designers can easily customise the open source secure firmware and OS in their own FoundriesFactory, adding their own or third-party IP, services and applications, or optionally using container technologies,” he explained.

The predictable, cost-efficient maintenance keeps clients’ edge devices secure and up-to-date, via the software’s micro services and containerised approach.

Foundries.io incorporates The Update Framework (TUF) to power its secure updates, authenticity and integrity. Robust, incremental updates optimise use of bandwidth and device resources, also making the TUF approach more efficient than competitors’ offerings.

This secure combination supports testing of package updates and builds prior to deployment. This enables clients to continuously add value to their deployed devices over the product life cycle. Winsystems says its reliable hardware operates for decades in the field, while Foundries.io enables 20-plus years of software security and updates.

http://www.winsystems.com

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Single system monitor saves space and increases accuracy, claims Maxim

Replacing five components, the MAX22530 is the latest addition to the MAXSafe Technology family by Maxim Integrated. The isolated, field side, self-powered 12-bit system monitor shrinks solution size by 40 per cent and tightens accuracy by a factor of 50, says the company, improving system uptime in automated distribution and sub-station applications.

The MAX22530 has four channels and integrates five components into a single IC. It is intended to be used by automation system designers to save board space, increase channel density and improve the accuracy of monitoring voltage and current inputs and enable operators to monitor the system with finer precision and reduced system downtimes.

The MAX22530 delivers a 50x improvement in monitoring measurement accuracy (from ±50 per cent to just ± one per cent) compared to the standard linear optocoupler isolation solutions made from discretes. It uses Maxim’s integrated isolation technology that combines a 12-bit ADC, a DC/DC converter, user-settable threshold detection levels and chip-level diagnostic capabilities. This combination enables 50x greater stability in current transfer ratio performance to achieve a stable sense resistor voltage, says Maxim.

The measurement accuracy across four voltage and current inputs means that the MAX22530 allows a 250mm² solution size, which is 40 per cent smaller that the 420mm² size for the closest competitive discrete solution

The MAX22530 joins the existing MAXSafe products which combine integrated and isolated micropower DC/DC converters and communications lines. These are used to power up field circuits that are isolated from the control-side power source while simplifying diagnostics in signal monitoring applications.

The MAX22530 is available from Maxim Integrated’s website now. There is also the MAX22530EVKIT# evaluation kit.

Maxim Integrated has a broad portfolio of semiconductors, tools and support, to deliver essential analogue solutions including efficient power, precision measurement, reliable connectivity and robust protection along with intelligent processing. Its customer base includes designers in application areas such as automotive, communications, consumer, data centre, healthcare, industrial and the IoT.

http://www.maximintegrated.com

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Xylon releases multi-channel HDR ISP IP suite for multiple video processing

For use with Xilinx programmable devices, ranging from the Artix-7 FPGAs to the latest Versal ACAP devices, the logicBricks high dynamic range (HDR) image signal processing (ISP) IP Suite enables parallel processing of multiple Ultra-HD video inputs. At the same time, it allows savings of up to 50 per cent of programmable logic in comparison to simple instantiation of multiple ISP pipelines, says Xylon.

The latest version of Xylon’s logicBricks IP suite enables crisp camera video under altering and rough lighting conditions in next-generation, multi-channel embedded systems for use in automotive, surveillance, medical and similar video and vision artificial intelligence (AI) applications.

The logicBricks HDR ISP IP suite is designed and optimised for Xilinx programmable devices.

“As the automotive industry progressively moves towards more automated driving implementations, the trend towards high resolution cameras and higher frame rates continues,” said Paul Zoratti, director of automotive solutions and system architect at Xilinx. The multi-camera ISP functionality will help automotive developers optimise cost, power, and performance in future advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and automated driving products, he added.

The suite’s key IP cores, the logiISP-UHD ISP pipeline and the logiHDR HDR pipeline, support parallel processing of multiple video inputs, resolutions up to 7680 x 7680 (including the popular 4K2Kp60 video resolution). It also supports the ability to merge two or three exposures, parallel pixel processing and different pixel formats. These IP cores are supplemented with automatic white balance (AWB) and automatic exposure (AE) software libraries that use video statistics data collected at the video inputs, software drivers, demo applications, reference SoC designs, and bit-accurate C models.

The HDR ISP IP suite enables application-specific tuning through modifications at different implementation stages, explained Roko Koncurat, Xylon’s ISP team lead. “The provided IP blocks can be arranged in many different ways to fully tune up the system for a specific application. While hardware engineers may configure and arrange IP blocks implemented in programmable logic in various ways, software engineers can further control the implemented ISP pipeline to adapt to changing use conditions,” he said.

The logicBricks HDR ISP IP suite can be demonstrated on different computer vision development platforms designed by Xylon. The  logiREF-MULTICAM-ISP reference design is immediately available. It demonstrates parallel processing of four video camera inputs and works on the logiISP-ZU-GMSL2 evaluation kit. This kit is based on the Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC and includes four of Xylon’s 2.3 MP HDR logiCAM-GMSL2 automotive cameras configured to output raw Bayer video image. Xylon’s automotive cameras are Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA-based and users can re-install the HDR ISP functionality with the provided firmware and initialisation scripts.   

In addition to the MPSoC-based demo kit, Xylon offers an Ultra HD reference design prepared for the logiVID-ACAP vision development kit based on the Xilinx Versal AI VCK190 evaluation kit. The reference design is developed with the Xilinx Vitis unified software platform and demonstrates parallel HDR ISP processing of three 7.4Mpixel automotive video cameras connected to the Xilinx Versal (ACAP) device.

http://www.xylon-lab.com

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