I have stated previously that I find the NASA collaborations extremely exciting and so I cannot resist looking past Renesas to the first announcement before Christmas and in doing so I found the following interesting article, Vorago YouTube video link which supported this article and for good measure I attached the NASA/Vorago solicitation documents found and posted by Tulip:
https://www.eenewseurope.com/news/nasa-brainchip-akida-space
NASA looks to BrainChip's spiking neural networkchip for space
December 23,2020 //By Nick Flaherty
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US space agency NASAis funding a project to create a radiation-hardened spiking Neural Network(SNN) system-on-chip based on the Akida design from BrainChip.
Spiking neuralnetworks use a lot less power as they only trigger on events. Brainchip’s AkidaEvent Domain Neural Processor IP offers native support for SNNs with a powerconsumption of 3 pJ per synaptic operation in their 28nm CMOS implementation.The Akida Development Environment (ADE) uses industry-standard neural networkdevelopment tools Tensorflow and Keras for robotic vision, navigation,communication, observation and system health management in future autonomousrobotic systems.
The first step is toevaluate the radiation vulnerability of different parts of the IP on a 28nmprocess through the Akida Development Environment and define an architecturefor a target system-on-chip (SoC).
The chip isexpected to be built on 28nm, using the HARDSIL hardening process from VoragoTechnologies in Austin, Texas, to harden specific blocks in the design. This isa cost-effective modification to commercial process flows that can beimplemented quickly with minimal incremental mask and implant steps.
The next stage isto look at a hardened chip with an embedded neural processor unit for usewithin NASA and the Space community. Vorago has already hardened an ARMCortex-M0+ core that can be used in interplanetary CubeSats and SmallSats,instruments bound for outer planets and heliophysics missions to harshradiation environments.
BrainChip hasstarted shipping development boards for the technology.
“The Akida NSoC hasproven to provide significant power savings and is the complete integration ofa neural network design,” said Louis DiNardo, CEO of BrainChip. “True AIEdge learning does not exist with current AI solutions and our ability toprovide this and other features while significantly reducing both powerconsumption, size and the Bill-of-Materials (BOM) has attracted the attentionof leading suppliers in the Smart Home, Smart Transportation and Smart Citymarkets. We believe that these capabilities also will provide newsolutions in Smart Healthcare applications that serve our mission of supportingBeneficial AI applications and improve the human condition globally in terms ofdiagnosis of infectious diseases, cancers and a wide array of challengingglobal health concerns.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yszNQdUFKw&feature=emb_err_woyt
- Silicon Space Technology Corporation
1501 South MoPacExpressway, Suite 350
Austin, TX 78746
Garry Nash (631)559-1550
20-1-H6.22-4509 ARC
CNN RNN Processor
- Silicon Space Technology Corporation
1501 South MoPac Expressway, Suite 350
Austin, TX 78746
Garry Nash (631) 559-1550
20-1-Z2.02-4527 GSFC
NN_Co-Processor
- Silicon Space Technology Corporation
1501 South MoPacExpressway, Suite 350
Austin, TX 78746
Garry Nash (631)559-1550
20-1-S3.08-4526 LaRC
Fault-Tolerant RISC-V SoC
(20min delay)