Summary of NEW GAP9 IOT OFFERS FIVE TIMES LOWER POWER CONSUMPTION THAN GAP8
GreenWaves Technologies launched the GAP9, an ultra-low-power RISC-V IoT SoC succeeding the GAP8. It offers five times lower power consumption and supports neural networks ten times larger. Utilizing GlobalFoundries' 22nm FDX process, the chip delivers 50 GOPS compute power at 50mW, enabling AI and signal processing for battery-operated devices like wearables and smart sensors. Key features include enhanced memory bandwidth, floating-point/vectorized arithmetic support, and built-in hardware security.
Parts used in the GAP9 Project:
- GAP9 multi-core RISC-V microcontroller
- Global Foundries 22nm FDX process
- Cluster memory system
- Compute cluster (50 GOPS)
- 8-/16-/32-bit floating-point arithmetic unit
- Vectorized 4-bit and 2-bit integer operation support
- AES128/256 hardware cryptography unit
- Physically Unclonable Function (PUF) unit
- Bi-directional multichannel digital audio interfaces
- CSI2 and parallel camera interfaces
Last year, GreenWaves Technologies launched the GAP8 multi-core RISC-V microcontroller, aimed at artificial intelligence (AI) at the edge at ultra-low power consumption. Results from the GAP8 IoT SoC shows it performs inference at 3.7mA against 60mA for the same workload on STM32F7 Arm Cortex-M7 MCU. As a result of this performance, the company has now expanded its GAP IoT application processor family They launched GAP9, which delivers five times lower power consumption, in comparison to GAP8 microcontroller, and also enabling inference on neural networks 10 times larger. It was launched at the RISC-V summit at San Jose California on December 10-12.
The Greenwaves GAP9 will enable machine learning and signal processing capabilities for (coin cell) battery operated or energy harvesting devices like IoT sensors in consumer and industrial markets, wearables, smart building, smart farming, etc. The GAP9 functions, by combining architectural enhancements with Global Foundries 22nm FDX process to enable a peak cluster memory bandwidth of 41.6 GB/sec and up to 50 GOPS compute power while consuming just 50mW. Its increased memory bandwidth (20x over GAP8) enables a highly improved detection accuracy while analyzing streams of data from series of different image sensors, microphones, and/or radar chips. The new processor has the same GAP form factor as GAP8, but includes support for 8-/16-/32-bit floating-point arithmetic with support for vectorization, and also support for vectorized 4-bit and 2-bit integer operations.
GAP9 enables a new level of capabilities for embedding combinations of sophisticated machine learning and signal processing capabilities into consumer, medical and industrial product applications,
said Loic Lietar, CEO of GreenWaves Technologies.
The GAP family provides product designers with a powerful, flexible solution for bringing the next generation of intelligent devices to market.
The GAP9 can be applied to bi-directional multichannel, synchronized digital audio interfaces for wearable audio products, CSI2 and parallel camera interfaces for low resolution, low power cameras used in computer vision, etc. For clarity, the chip is capable of processing MobileNet V1 neural network with 160 x 160 images by means of a channel scaling of 0.25 in just 12ms with a power consumption of 806μW/frame/second. For security features, the chip has a built-in AES128/256 hardware cryptography and a Physically Unclonable Function (PUF) unit for unique and secure per-device identification.
Read more: NEW GAP9 IOT OFFERS FIVE TIMES LOWER POWER CONSUMPTION THAN GAP8
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How does GAP9 compare to GAP8 in power consumption?
The GAP9 delivers five times lower power consumption compared to the GAP8 microcontroller. -
What is the peak cluster memory bandwidth of the GAP9?
The GAP9 enables a peak cluster memory bandwidth of 41.6 GB/sec. -
Can the GAP9 run large neural networks?
Yes, the GAP9 enables inference on neural networks that are 10 times larger than those supported by the GAP8. -
What type of manufacturing process does the GAP9 use?
The GAP9 combines architectural enhancements with the Global Foundries 22nm FDX process. -
Does the GAP9 support floating-point arithmetic?
Yes, the processor includes support for 8-, 16-, and 32-bit floating-point arithmetic. -
How long does it take to process MobileNet V1 images on the GAP9?
The chip can process MobileNet V1 neural network with 160 x 160 images in just 12ms. -
What security features are built into the GAP9 chip?
The chip has a built-in AES128/256 hardware cryptography and a Physically Unclonable Function unit. -
What interfaces does the GAP9 support for audio and cameras?
It supports bi-directional multichannel synchronized digital audio interfaces and CSI2 and parallel camera interfaces.
