Intel unveils AI-focused ‘Movidius Myriad X’ processing unit

Myriad X is being touted as the world’s first SoC with a dedicated neural compute engine for accelerating deep learning inferences at the edge.

The Movidius Myriad X VPU delivers artificial intelligence for drones, robotics, smart cameras, virtual reality/augmented reality solutions and more. (Intel)

Intel on Tuesday unveiled a new vision processing unit (VPU) called Movidius Myriad X. The new Intel VPU is aimed at providing end-to-end artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to a wide range of product categories such as smart cameras, virtual reality (VR) devices, robotics and even drones.

Myriad X is the world's first system-on-chip (SOC) shipping with a dedicated neural compute engine for accelerating deep learning inferences at the edge. The neural compute engine is an on-chip hardware block specifically designed to run deep neural networks at high speed and low power without compromising accuracy, enabling devices to see, understand and respond to their environments in real time.

With the introduction of this, the Myriad X architecture is capable of 1 Trillion operations per second (TOPS) of compute performance on deep neural network inferences.

"Enabling devices with humanlike visual intelligence represents the next leap forward in computing. With Myriad X, we are redefining what a VPU means when it comes to delivering as much AI and vision compute power possible, all within the unique energy and thermal constraints of modern untethered devices," said Remi El-Ouazzane, VP and general manager of Movidius, Intel New Technology Group

Capable of delivering more than 4 TOPS of total performance, its tiny form factor and on-board processing are ideal for autonomous device solutions. In addition to neural compute engine, Myriad X uniquely combines imaging, visual processing and deep learning inference in real time with:

·Programmable 128-bit VLIW Vector Processors: Run multiple imaging and vision application pipelines simultaneously with the flexibility of 16 vector processors optimized for computer vision workloads.

·Increased Configurable MIPI Lanes: Connect up to 8 HD resolution RGB cameras directly to Myriad X with its 16 MIPI lanes included in its rich set of interfaces, to support up to 700 million pixels per second of image signal processing throughput.

·Enhanced Vision Accelerators: Utilize over 20 hardware accelerators to perform tasks such as optical flow and stereo depth without introducing additional compute overhead.

·2.5 MB of Homogenous On-Chip Memory: The centralized on-chip memory architecture allows for up to 450 GB per second of internal bandwidth, minimizing latency and reducing power consumption by minimizing off-chip data transfer.

Myriad X is the newest generation in a lineage of Movidius VPUs, which are purpose-built for embedded visual intelligence and inference. ai, achieve significant performance at low power with the merging of three architectural elements to provide sustained high-performance on deep learning and computer vision workloads, namely an array of programmable VLIW vector processors with an instruction set tuned to computer vision and deep learning workloads; a collection of hardware accelerators supporting image signal processing, computer vision, and deep learning inferences; and commonly accessible intelligent memory fabric that minimises data movement on chip.