Inuitive develops intelligent vision technologies for deployment in applications such as augmented and virtual reality, drones, robotics and autonomous vehicles. Founded in 2012 by Israeli high-tech veterans Shlomo Gadot and Dor Zepeniuk, the Israel-based fabless semiconductor company is now made up of over 80 R&D professionals.
Inuitive released its first product, the NU3000 image and computer vision processor, in 2014. This 40nm SoC was used in Google Project Tango ecosystem for real-time depth generation, mapping, localization, navigation and other complex signal processing algorithms.
The new NU4000 builds on the success of the NU3000, offering improved 3D depth perception, SLAM-on-chip acceleration, deep learning and computer vision processing. In order to maximize the chip’s appeal, Inuitive integrated several types of processor “building blocks” to address different tasks within the SoC’s target uses – most prominently the growing AR, VR and XR market. Now at 12nm and almost half the die size of its predecessor, the NU4000 SoC combines the Inuitive proprietary 3D imaging and vision hardware accelerators engines with a suite of third-party IP: CEVA-XM4, Synopsys EV62 intelligent vision and deep learning processors, and the power-efficient Arm Cortex-A5 processor, running at 1Ghz.
“Hitting the balance between processing capability and power efficiency was our top priority in the NU4000,” explains co-founder, CTO and VP of R&D Dor Zepeniuk. “Raw processing power was never the main value proposition for this solution; this is a chip designed for truly mobile markets such as drones, so we needed a physically-lightweight and power-efficient design capable of performing required functions without consuming too much power or silicon.”
The Cortex-A5 offers other configurability options such as optional Floating-Point Unit (FPU) and Neon for accelerated audiovisual signal processing. It functions as the NU4000’s main core, running the operating system, hardware accelerators, power management, communication and additional code optimized for imaging and vision.
“This is a chip we expect our customers to develop really interesting software for,” says Zepeniuk. “But not all of our customers want to develop software for the chip itself, so we decided early-on that this should be a Linux-based device. The Cortex-A5 is ideal for this due to the huge software ecosystem. It’s a huge value point for us, and why we imagine so many interesting uses for the NU4000.”
Zepeniuk notes how easy it was for the team to integrate the Cortex-A5 with different IPs.
“We needed DMA, AXI Matrix, a flash controller and so on. All of these integrated extremely easily with the Arm processor, which made development a whole lot easier for us. The Arm matrix bus and AMBA designer tool was also highly effective as it enabled us to tailor the architecture and adapt to certain challenges.”
“We got excellent support from the Arm team here in Israel,” says Zepeniuk. “While there were very few hurdles when we came to implement the Cortex-A5 itself, it’s always challenging to fit so many different pieces of IP onto one SoC and get them to play nicely together. The support we received from Arm’s technical team was fundamental in ensuring we reached our development milestones.”
Once Inuitive had decided on the NU4000’s architectural design and created the RTL, it passed its designs to Arm Approved design partner Inomize in order to translate this into a physical design.
“Inomize ensured that the chip met the size, speed and power consumption we needed to hit,” says Zepeniuk. “From verification to tape-out, Inomize played a vital role in rapidly moving the project from design to production.”
With verification and tape-out now successful and evaluations underway, the NU4000 is set to enter mass production in the second half of 2019.
“We already have a number of customers evaluating the chip – Tier 1 players in the area of AR/VR and robotics,” says Zepeniuk. “It’s my hope that by this time next year, the NU4000 is recognized as a true powerhouse for driving the augmented and virtual reality revolution.”
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