Renesas Sets New MCU Performance Bar with 1-GHz RA8P1 Devices with AI Acceleration

Renesas Electronics introduced the RA8P1 microcontroller (MCU) Group targeted at Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) applications, as well as real-time analytics. Designed for running AI on device, the new MCUs establish a new performance level by combining 1GHz Arm Cortex-M85 and 250MHz Cortex-M33 CPU cores with the Arm Ethos-U55 Neural Processing Unit (NPU). This combination delivers the highest CPU performance of over 7300 CoreMarks and AI performance of 256 GOPS at 500MHz.

HANCE is a Norwegian company created by the founders of Acon Digital and Soundly with a mission to create the fastest and most adaptable audio enhancement algorithms available. The Hance Audio Engine was released in 2023, allowing machine learning-based, studio-quality audio processing technology with minimal battery consumption and ultra-low processing demands. Now, as an audio partner for Intel’s AI PC initiative, HANCE's audio processing models will run on Intel’s Neural Processing Unit (NPU), integrated in Intel’s Core Ultra Series 2 processor family.

STMicroelectronics is making embedded artificial intelligence (AI) on-device widely available with its new STM32 microcontroller series. These new NPU-accelerated microcontrollers, which have been available to selected companies since October 2023 and are now available in high volumes, integrate accelerated machine-learning (ML) capabilities for the first time. This makes it possible to run computer vision, audio processing, sound analysis and more directly in low-power, cost-sensitive products.

Starkey, the privately held hearing technology company from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, is pushing ahead of the competition once again with the introduction of Edge AI, an innovative hearing technology building on the success of its Genesis AI platform. As the name implies, Edge AI represents the next leap in neural processing on-device applied to hearing assistance, in a modern LE Audio platform already featuring Auracast broadcast streaming capabilities.

Ceva and Edge Impulse announced a collaboration to rapidly develop, train and deploy advanced embedded machine learning (ML) applications on Ceva's neural processing units with cycle-accurate performance, even before physical hardware is available. This first-of-its-kind collaboration based around Ceva's NPU IP ensures that developers can accurately benchmark and refine the performance of their edge AI models using Edge Impulse's platform, significantly accelerating the time-to-market.

Femtosense, in partnership with ABOV Semiconductor in South Korea, has launched the AI-ADAM-100, an artificial intelligence microcontroller unit (AI MCU) built on sparse AI technology to enable on-device AI features such as voice-based control in home appliances and other products. According to the Silicon Valley startup, the new AI-ADAM-100 AI MCU is a low-power, low-cost option for on-device language processing and voice-cleanup capabilities.