Frontgrade Gaisler to integrate BrainChip Akida IP for AI chips in space applications

Frontgrade Gaisler to integrate BrainChip Akida IP for AI chips in space applications
by Erica Marchand
Paris, France (SPX) Dec 17, 2024

BrainChip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN, OTCQX: BRCHF, ADR: BCHPY), a global leader in ultra-low power, digital neuromorphic AI solutions, has announced that Frontgrade Gaisler, a top provider of radiation-hardened microprocessors for space, has licensed its Akida IP. The licensing agreement will enable the development of fault-tolerant system-on-chip (SoC) solutions designed for AI hardware acceleration in space missions.

The collaboration ensures that AI chips with BrainChip's Akida neuromorphic computing capabilities can operate efficiently in the demanding environment of space. The technology was selected for its ability to process real-time data streams with exceptional autonomy, resilience, accuracy, and minimal power consumption, weight, and volume.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has been at the forefront of advancing neuromorphic computing to expand AI capabilities. Laurent Hili, microelectronics and data handling engineer at the ESA, explained the importance of this innovation, particularly in computer vision: "While many fields no doubt can benefit from neuromorphic computing, one essential area is computer vision applications where current FPGA or GPU technology does not bring satisfactory results for edge deployments when considering mass, volume and power constraints. This program has demonstrated the superiority of neuromorphic technology through several on-going activities with satellite primes and IP/components suppliers such as Frontgrade Gaisler and BrainChip."

By integrating BrainChip's Akida IP, space-based on-board computers will benefit from improved inference performance and power efficiency while remaining compatible with existing Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs).

"For the last 20 years, Gaisler's space-grade microprocessors have been successfully deployed to every planet of our solar system in missions from ESA as well as most other space agencies," said Sandi Habinc, General Manager at Frontgrade Gaisler, a Frontgrade company. "Together with BrainChip, we evaluated the Akida IP and decided that the next step of licensing it would beneficially augment our future space processors with neuromorphic AI."

Sean Hehir, CEO of BrainChip, emphasized the milestone this collaboration represents: "This collaboration with Frontgrade Gaisler to license Akida IP for implementation into space SoCs represents an important step in satisfying the market demand for space-based AI deployments, turning into reality what once was considered unattainable. We are pleased to expand on our trusted relationship with Frontgrade as they push the boundaries of space computing."