MIPS I6500 CPU sub-system with NetSpeed's Gemini IP provides highly efficient processing for vision applications

Imagination IP licensed by Mobileye for next-generation ADAS and autonomous driving

International CES, Las Vegas – January 5^th, 2017 – Imagination Technologies (IMG.L) and NetSpeed Systems Inc. announce that Mobileye, the global leader in camera-based Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), has licensed Imagination’s MIPS Warrior I-class I6500 CPU in a coherent, heterogeneous sub-system incorporating NetSpeed’s Gemini cache coherent interconnect IP. Mobileye will integrate the technology in its next-generation EyeQ®5 vision-based system-on-a-chip (SoC) family which is designed to perform image recognition, navigation, and decision making in Fully Autonomous Driving (FAD) vehicles.

Mobileye chips are used by the majority of the world’s automakers. Its vision accelerators execute deep-layered neural networks to perform real-time path planning. Its EyeQ®5 SoC, which delivers high performance and low energy consumption at low cost, is expected to increase performance 8x over the current 4th generation EyeQ®4. The EyeQ®5 will produce more than 15 tera operations per second, while keeping power consumption below 5W, which allows extraordinary performance to be achieved using passive cooling.

“Autonomous driving relies on a mix of computational tasks, and we have spent more than a decade developing specialized accelerators that address these complex requirements,” said Elchanan Rushinek, Senior VP of engineering at Mobileye. “As one of the earliest companies to have pioneered heterogeneous SoC designs, we understand that it takes a great deal of skill and effort to get it right. Within our advanced EyeQ®5 SoC, MIPS I6500 cores are coherently coupled with Mobileye’s Vision Processors supported by NetSpeed’s Gemini cache coherent interconnect IP. The resulting solution will provide exceptional computing power on a single processor within a very low power budget.”

The EyeQ®5 system will use eight MIPS I6500 CPUs in combination with eighteen cores of Mobileye’s next-generation vision processors. As part of the heterogeneous I6500 clusters, NetSpeed’s Gemini will provide the coherent fabric solution that lets designers mix the on-chip configurations of processing clusters for high system efficiency.

“We are excited that Gemini is being used in conjunction with Imagination’s MIPS I6500 by Mobileye, a pioneer in designing solutions for ADAS, to create the industry’s most advanced vision-based SoCs,” said Sundari Mitra, CEO of NetSpeed. “With its ability to use machine learning to accurately model the system as whole to achieve the best application performance, NetSpeed’s Gemini coherent NoC IP is a perfect fit for the ADAS market.”

Imagination’s Warrior I-class I6500 CPUs are architected to provide a highly scalable solution which can coherently implement optimized configurations of CPU cores or clusters of CPUs. In a single cluster, designers can optimize power consumption and configure each CPU with different combinations of threads, different cache sizes, different frequencies, and even different voltage levels.

“Mobileye is leading the way in ADAS and autonomous driving technologies with its innovative vision SoCs,” said Jim Nicholas, EVP MIPS Processor IP at Imagination. “Our MIPS I6500 CPU sets a new standard for scalable, heterogeneous many-core designs, providing the ideal solution for the EyeQ®5 SoC. We are focused on delivering ever more innovative IP solutions like the I6500, and are working closely with NetSpeed to provide further value to visionary companies such as Mobileye.”

About NetSpeed Systems
NetSpeed Systems provides scalable, coherent on-chip network IPs to SoC designers for a wide range of markets from mobile to high-performance computing and networking. NetSpeed's on-chip network platform delivers significant time-to-market advantages through a system-level approach, a high level of user-driven automation and state-of-the-art algorithms. NetSpeed Systems was founded in 2011 and is led by seasoned executives from the semiconductor and networking industries. The company is funded by top-tier investors from Silicon Valley. It is based in San Jose, California and has additional research and development facilities in Asia. For more information, visit www.netspeedsystems.com.

About Imagination Technologies
Imagination is a global technology leader whose products touch the lives of billions of people across the globe. The company’s broad range of silicon IP (intellectual property) includes the key processing blocks needed to create the SoCs (Systems on Chips) that power all mobile, consumer and embedded electronics. Its unique multimedia, processor and connectivity technologies enable its customers to get to market quickly with complete and highly differentiated SoC platforms. Imagination’s licensees include many of the world’s leading semiconductor manufacturers, network operators and OEMs/ODMs who are creating some of the world’s most iconic products. See: www.imgtec.com.