SensiML Risc-V move eases AI on IoT implementation

  • October 16, 2024
  • Steve Rogerson

QuickLogic subsidiary SensiML, a specialist in AI software for IoT, has integrated Risc-V processor support within its AI development tool suite.

This addition offers developers flexibility in building intelligent, resource-constrained edge devices with AI and ML sensor data processing.

The open-source nature of the Risc-V architecture aligns with SensiML’s commitment to transparent, accessible and customisable products for the IoT market. With Risc-V support, developers can use SensiML’s open-source Piccolo AI (sensiml.org) AutoML tool to create efficient machine-learning models tailored to applications using fully open-source hardware and software.

Risc-V’s open-source processor design and SensiML’s open-source Piccolo AI toolchain empower developers to design and deploy edge AI with complete control over their product architecture. This combination also unlocks Risc-V’s advantages in cost, customisation and scalability.

According to a recent market forecast from Omdia (omdia.tech.informa.com/om121430/risc-v-global-market–2024-analysis), Risc-V processors are poised for significant growth, ramping from just under 1% market share in 2020 to nearly 25% of global processors sold by 2030.

“By supporting Risc-V, we’re giving our customers more choice and flexibility in implementing AI on IoT edge devices,” said Chris Rogers, CEO of Oregon-based SensiML. “As the only fully open-source AutoML development tool for edge AI, Piccolo AI allows developers to harness the full potential of Risc-V and other architectures to build high-performance, resource-efficient solutions for their specific needs.”

Risc-V’s open architecture and collaborative hardware innovation align well with SensiML’s vision for open collaboration in AI software tools for IoT edge devices. Risc-V provides a cost-effective foundation for processor cores, while Piccolo AI offers a transparent AutoML workflow for developing machine-learning models at the edge. Together, they create an end-to-end platform for unique and optimised IoT products.

With Risc-V support, SensiML takes another step towards democratising AI for IoT developers. The Risc-V instruction set architecture is freely available to anyone seeking to use, implement or modify it, and supports customisation for applications that demand optimised SoCs as often required in remote edge sensing devices. This addition offers flexibility and transparency, allowing developers to build IoT products on their terms.

SensiML (sensiml.com) offers software that enables low-power IoT endpoints to implement AI and transform raw sensor data into meaningful insights directly on the device.