Brainchip’s Akida Pico is an ultra-low-power neuromorphic IP.
The term “neuromorphic” refers to a type of computing architecture that’s inspired by the structure and functioning of the human brain. The folks at Brainchip are in the business of providing digital neuromorphic processor IP in the form of register transfer level (RTL) that ASIC, ASSP, and SoC developers can incorporate into their designs.
Brainchip’s Akida Pico is an ultra-low-power neural network IP core designed for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) tasks at the extreme edge. Building on the company’s neuromorphic computing expertise, Akida Pico operates in the microwatt (μW) to milliwatt (mW) range, enabling always-on, real-time processing with minimal power consumption. This makes it ideal for battery-powered devices in applications such as medical monitoring, voice recognition, and audio noise reduction.
What sets Akida Pico apart is its flexibility and efficiency. It can function in standalone mode, independently processing audio or vital sign data with minimal energy use—perfect for continuous medical monitoring or voice-activated systems. Alternatively, it can serve as a co-processor, offloading AI tasks from higher-level processors to ensure efficient operation while conserving energy. This versatility positions Akida Pico as the ultimate always-on wake-up core for smart devices.
Inspired by the human brain, the Akida Pico employs event-based, asynchronous processing using spiking neural networks (SNNs). This approach allows it to process data only when events occur, unlike conventional neural processing units (NPUs) that consume energy even when data is sparse. Supporting all three types of sparsity—weight, activation, and data—Akida Pico dramatically reduces power consumption and computation requirements.
In terms of size, Akida Pico is incredibly compact. A base configuration requires only 150K logic gates and occupies 0.12mm² in a 22nm process. Adding 50KB of SRAM increases this to just 0.18mm². Despite its tiny footprint, Akida Pico delivers robust capabilities, such as efficient processing for medical alarms, voice wake-up triggers, and noise reduction in challenging environments, including hearing aids, earbuds, smartphones, and VR/AR headsets.
Brainchip’s Akida Pico represents a leap forward in neuromorphic IP, providing manufacturers with the tools to develop energy-efficient, intelligent devices that redefine what’s possible at the edge.