Axera CEO Attends 2023 IIC Shenzhen and Global CEO Summit to Share Insights on Cutting-Edge Smart Chip Strategies
The 2023 International IC & Component Exhibition and Conference (IIC Shenzhen 2023) was recently held in Shenzhen. At the concurrent 2023 Global CEO Summit, Dr. Xiaoxin Qiu, Founder and Chairperson of Axera, delivered a keynote speech titled “Edge Intelligence: Charting the Course for Universal AI.” In her speech, Dr. Qiu shared her insights on the cutting edge of the semiconductor chip industry and Axera’s latest practical applications.
The Global CEO Summit is one of the most influential gatherings of entrepreneurs in the international semiconductor field. The 2023 summit, themed “Semiconductor for Better World,” invited key industry players and leaders to explore future technology trends and emerging application opportunities. At the summit, Dr. Qiu outlined a new blueprint for the industry in the intelligent era, drawing widespread interest.
Focusing on Perception and Computation
Tapping into the Trillion-Yuan Smart Chip Market
In her speech, Dr. Qiu noted that today’s smart chips have become a digital gateway to the physical world, with various sensors acting like the sensory organs of a computer. In this process, AI’s role is becoming increasingly important. Leveraging its deep understanding of perception and edge computing, Axera is setting its sights on smart city and smart driving. Dr. Qiu believed that both areas rely on underlying technologies that require visual processing combined with edge computing AI. Axera has already amassed substantial expertise and experience in these areas, enabling them to effectively serve customers.
Additionally, as the momentum of perception and edge intelligence continues to grow, she believed that robotics and AR/VR will also become key areas for the future development of smart chips. She anticipated a significant surge in consumer applications for robots as costs decrease, and a new wave of upgrades for video applications, primarily driven by cameras, thanks to the deeper integration of AI.
Significant Leap in Computing Power
Bright Future for Smart Driving and Robotics in China
As the automotive industry becomes more intelligent, it has brought increased attention to smart driving chips. In light of this booming sector, Dr. Qiu shared her perspective, stating that the growing intelligence of Chinese automobiles is driven by a surge in computing power. Currently, environmental perception serves as the cornerstone for achieving autonomous driving, while multi-sensor fusion significantly enhances system redundancy and fault tolerance. These advancements inherently demand higher levels of computing power. With the continuous progression of autonomous driving levels, the computational requirements of cameras and millimeter-wave radars will escalate substantially, presenting an immense opportunity for manufacturers of smart driving chips.
Regarding the smart robotics market, Dr. Qiu stated that although widespread adoption has not yet been realized, the sector is already showing promising signs. From the currently popular robotic vacuum cleaners and worker-replacing mechanical arms to future household intelligent companions, the widespread adoption of robots is merely a matter of time. She emphasized that every related manufacturer should prepare for this eventuality.
In the face of the surging wave of smart chips, Axera is fully prepared and has extensively positioned itself in the fields of smart driving and smart IoT. Axera is approaching the smart driving sector from a mass production perspective, currently focusing on the L2 and L2++ segments. The company has introduced automotive chip solutions such as ADAS front-view all-in-one solutions, domain controllers for driving and parking, and CMS (Camera Monitor Systems). Looking ahead, Axera plans to release more advanced smart driving chip solutions. In the smart IoT field, Axera has also made inroads with products such as smart cameras and AI expansion cards. The company is gradually exploring higher-level applications, including production line robots and embodied smart robots.
Powered by Two Self-developed Technologies: AI-ISP + NPU
AI for All, AI for a Better World
Axera’s continuous breakthroughs in the smart chip field are driven by its two core self-developed technologies: the Axera Zhimou AI-ISP and the Axera Tongyuan NPU. Dr. Qiu introduced the Axera Zhimou AI-ISP as the company’s pioneering technology and the industry’s first to achieve commercial mass production. This technology incorporates AI into crucial ISP modules, such as noise reduction, breaking through the limitations of traditional imaging. In challenging scenarios such as low-light imaging and wide dynamic range, the Axera Zhimou AI-ISP effectively handles issues like highlight suppression, color restoration, and low-light noise reduction, making “night as clear as day.”
The Axera Tongyuan NPU, designed with application, algorithm, and hardware synergy, delivers comprehensive performance optimization while being cost-effective and user-friendly. The Axera Tongyuan NPU is a heterogeneous multi-core system that supports hyper-threading and hybrid precision. The support for mixed precision reduces memory and power consumption constraints, thereby delivering abundant effective computing power even in cost-constrained edge and terminal environments, supporting more intelligent algorithms.
Additionally, the NPU toolchain is efficient and user-friendly, featuring comprehensive functionality, high accuracy in post-training quantization (PTQ), extensive operator support, and native model compatibility.
The combination of AI-ISP and NPU forms the technological backbone of Axera, enabling continuous enhancement of its product line. Since its founding in 2019, Axera has widely deployed its AI chips across the automotive industry. According to a newly released report by GaoGong Intelligent Automobile Research Institute, Axera ranked second in market share for domestic SoC solutions in Chinese passenger cars equipped with ADAS functions from January to August 2023.
“We hope that the AI chips we offer will bring universal benefits and make everyone’s life better,” Dr. Qiu stated while articulating Axera’s mission and vision during the conference. She emphasized that Axera is dedicated to building world-class perception and computing platforms. In the future, the company aims to bring AI from the cloud to edge and terminal devices, ensuring that everyone can benefit from the technology.
