Alif Semi Announces Ensemble, Crescendo Chip Families for Power-Friendly High-Performance Edge AI
Ranging from single-core microcontroller models to "fusion processors" with neural coprocessors, Alif's lineup is bold and launching soon.
Alif Semiconductor has emerged from its stealth founding with microcontrollers and fusion processors it claims "fill the market need" for high-performance well-connected edge AI devices: the Ensemble and Crescendo range.
"We founded Alif Semiconductor because we wanted to provide an integrated next generation solution for developers that need efficient AI, wireless capabilities, trusted security and long battery life," says Syed Ali, Alif Semiconductor co-founder and chief executive officer. "This just didn't exist until now. We expect the Ensemble and Crescendo families will have a significant impact on the market for next-generation IoT devices."
The Ensemble range are the base models in Alif's launch portfolio, offering chips that scale from single-core Arm Cortex-M55 microcontroller parts to "fusion processors," which combine two Cortex-M55 cores with two Cortex-A32 cores and throw in two Ethos-U55 micro-neural processing units (microNPUs) for edge AI acceleration to boot.
At the same time, the parts boast high security with a secure enclave offering device integrity protection, identity, root-of-trust, and lifecycle management, which generous amounts of static RAM (SRAM) and non-volatile flash memory increase the complexity of workloads possible — with Alif saying the chips are well-suited for everything from smart home appliances to robotics "and much more."
The Crescendo family, meanwhile, shares the same core specifications as their equivalent Ensemble parts. Where they differ is in connectivity, adding in LTE Cat-M1 and NB-IoT cellular connectivity with optional integrated SIM (iSIM) and a concurrent Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver for positioning.
"The Ensemble and Crescendo families introduce a scalable, highly integrated architecture that lets developers create secure solutions spanning multiple applications, with different functional and processing requirements on a common fabric," explains Reza Kazerounian, Alif Semiconductor co-founder and president. "The innovative approach we are taking is a game-changer and will disrupt the way developers create intelligent machines."
Alif's final announcement: The Autonomous Intelligent Power Management (aiPM) technology, which it claims offers fine-grained control over power to as many in-chip resources as possible — allowing the parts to offer "class-leading low-power operation" and boost battery life.
While the company has gone public with its designs, however, it's not quite ready to start selling them. Alif says it has begun sampling both Ensemble and Crescendo chips to "lead customers," but admits that production qualification won't complete until the first quarter of 2022.
More information is available on the company website.