Spirit, the world’s first neural-network-on-chip

Leti has achieved a world-first in embedded artificial intelligence with its Spirit neural-network-on-chip. The component is largely brain-inspired, using unary rather than binary coding, just like neurons! Each event adds “weight” to the synapse until a “firing” threshold is reached. The chip’s resistive memory is also bio-inspired: Integrating the memory directly on the chip eliminates the need for energy-hungry data transmission, slashing energy consumption by a factor of five or more.

The first Spirit demonstrator chip was relatively simple. A new 28 nm version of the chip is currently on the drawing board. It is being developed to classify LiDAR point clouds. Leti is in the process of applying for three patents to protect the innovation.

Contact: alexandre.valentian@cea.fr

Facebook

Twitter