Seamless design of smart edge processors

With the rise of deep learning (DL), our world braces for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in every edge device, creating an urgent need for edge-AI processing hardware. Unlike existing solutions, this hardware needs to support high throughput, reliable, and secure AI processing at ultra-low power (ULP), with a very short time to market.

With its strong legacy in edge solutions and open processing platforms, the EU is ideally positioned to become the leader in this edge-AI market. However, certain roadblocks keep the EU from assuming this leadership role: Edge processors need to become 100x more energy efficient; Their complexity demands automated design with 10x design time reduction; They must be secure and reliable to get accepted; Finally, they should be flexible and powerful to support the DL domain.

CONVOLVE addresses these roadblocks and thereby enables EU leadership in Edge-AI. To that end, it will take a holistic approach with innovations at all design stack levels, including:

1.ULP memristive circuits for computation-in-memory

2.Fast compositional design of System-on-Chips (SoC)

3.Transparent compilers supporting automated code optimizations and domain-specific languages

4.Rethinking DL models through dynamic neural networks, event-based execution, and sparsity

5.On-edge continuous learning for improved accuracy, self-healing, and reliable adaptation to non-stationary environments

6.Holistic integration in SoCs supporting secure execution with real-time guarantees

The CONVOLVE consortium includes some of Europe's strongest research groups and industries, covering the whole design stack and value chain. In a community effort, we will demonstrate Edge-AI computing in real-life vision and audio domains. By combining these innovative ULP and fast design solutions, CONVOLVE will, for the first time, enable reliable, smart, and energy-efficient edge-AI devices at a rapid time-to-market and low cost, and as such open the road for EU leadership in edge-processing.