SoCs For Efficient AI At The Edge

Imagine AI devices that run longer, respond faster, and process more—without draining power. A new chip series is changing edge AI. Read on.

Ambiq has introduced the Apollo330 Plus System-on-Chip (SoC) series, designed to tackle power consumption challenges in conventional and AI edge computing. The series includes the Apollo330 Plus, Apollo330B Plus, and Apollo330M Plus, each equipped with diverse peripherals and connectivity options for applications in healthcare, smart homes, industrial edge computing, and more, enabling always-on and real-time AI processing.

The series is designed for always-on and real-time AI inferencing. The company claims that the SoC delivers 16x faster performance and up to 30x better AI energy efficiency than previous Cortex-M-based solutions. This allows manufacturers to extend device lifetimes, enable multi-protocol connectivity, and enhance user experiences with innovative features.

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Powered by the Arm Cortex-M55 processor with Arm Helium technology, the Apollo330 Plus processes up to 8 MACs per cycle for AI acceleration. It includes 2MB of system RAM, 2MB of embedded non-volatile memory, 32kB I-cache, 32kB D-cache on a wide bus, and a multi-protocol radio, enabling high-performance and power-efficient product development.

Some key features of the Apollo330 Plus SoC series include:

• Up to 250 MHz Cortex-M55 with turboSPOT and Helium technology
• 48/96 MHz Cortex-M4F for networking and multi-protocol radio (wireless models)
• 16x faster, lower latency, and 30x better AI energy efficiency than older Cortex-M chips
• Ultra-low power PDM microphone for always-on voice
• Supports Bluetooth Low Energy, Matter, and Thread for various devices

“While today’s smart devices rely heavily on power-hungry cloud computing, the Apollo330 Plus series creates a brand-new opportunity by enabling true edge AI processing,” says Fumihide Esaka, CEO of Ambiq. “This empowers manufacturers to create longer-lasting, more responsive, intelligent devices for homes, offices, and factories.” 

“With a growing number of new and compelling edge AI applications emerging across markets including industrial and smart home, enabling ultra-low-power AI processing directly at the edge will be transformative,” said Laurence Bryant, VP segment marketing, IoT Line of Business at Arm. “With this new solution, built on Arm, Ambiq is paving the way for smarter, more efficient devices that can deliver real-time intelligence across a wide range of use cases.” 

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