Nextchip Licenses aiWare4 for their Apache6 Automotive Domain Processor

November 03, 2021

News

aiMotive announced that Nextchip has licensed aiMotive’s latest generation aiWare4 hardware IP to deliver the CNN acceleration for their next-generation Apache6 SoC (System on Chip).

Designed for centralized domain processors targeting AVP (Automated Valet Parking) and other automotive processing applications, Apache6 combines advanced CPU, GPU, ISP, and NPU processors with interfaces to enable the integration of OEM and Tier1 hardware platforms. Apache6 also offers a software and hardware upgrade from the Apache5 Imaging Edge Processor. 

The Apache6 SoC is a fully ASIL-B compliant, cost-effective SoC targeting advanced automotive vision and domain/zone controller applications. The SoC features quad-core Arm v8 64-bit CPUs alongside an Arm Mali GPU, Nextchip’s advanced multi-channel ISP, and aiMotive’s aiWare4 NPU technology.

The chip is designed to be certified to full AEC-Q100 Grade 2 and certified to full ASIL-B. Per the company, the latest aiWare4 NPU from aiMotive features the industry’s highest efficiency of up to 98% when executing complex CNN workloads, while incorporating new features including an upgraded on-chip memory architecture, more sophisticated wavefront-based scheduling, and advanced hardware safety features to ease the task of achieving ASIL-B compliance.

Thanks to the software compatibility between aiWare on Apache5 and Apache6, a common toolchain will be used for both devices, ensuring that CNNs optimized for Apache5 will migrate with minimum effort to Apache6.

Nextchip is now accepting enquiries for lead automotive customers for its Apache6 SoC and continues to accept them for its Apache5 SoC. 

For more information, visit: www.aimotive.com or www.nextchip.com