With numerous feature advancements compared to legacy GPU/CPU solutions, the Blaize Pathfinder and Xplorer platforms, along with the Blaize AI Software Suite, enable developers to usher in a new era of more practical and commercially viable edge AI products across a wide range of edge use cases and industries.
“Today’s edge solutions are either too small to compute workload or too expensive and difficult to produce,” says Dinakar Munagala, co-founder and CEO of Blaize. “Blaize’s AI edge computing products overcome these limitations of power, complexity, and cost to unleash AI adoption at the edge, making it easier to migrate AI computing from the data center to the edge.”
Edge AI markets are projected to grow rapidly as demand for AI at the edge transforms entire industries and AI functionality becomes a “must-have” requirement for new products.
Blaize's leadership focuses on systems and energy efficiency, low latency, and flexibility.
Blaize's embedded and accelerator platforms are built on the Blaize Graphics Stream Processor (GSP) architecture, designed for the demands of edge computing. With 16 GSP cores and 16 TOPS of AI
inference performance within a small 7W power envelope, GSP delivers up to 60 times better system-level efficiency compared to GPU/CPU for edge AI applications. Furthermore, GSP enables 50 times less memory bandwidth and 10 times lower latency. This efficiency comes without compromising flexibility (Blaize GSP is a 100% programmable processor) and features advanced capabilities including multithreading and streaming.
Blaize Pathfinder P1600 Embedded SOMs:
The P1600 embedded systems-on-a-module (SOM) brings the programmability and efficiency benefits of GSP to embedded edge AI applications deployed at the sensor edge or network edge. No host processor is required for the P1600; simply plug and play.
Blaize Xplorer Accelerator Platforms:
Blaize Xplorer platforms are designed to accelerate enterprise edge AI applications by simply adding a PCIe slot to a server or host device. The X1600E is a small form factor accelerator platform for small, power-constrained environments such as convenience stores or industrial sites. This accelerator form factor is exclusive to Blaize due to the efficiency of the GSP and can be easily added to accelerate AI applications on industrial PCs or as a card rack in a small 1U server.
The X1600P is a PCIe-based standard accelerator in a half-height, half-width form factor. The X1600P can easily replace a power-hungry desktop GPU in edge servers and deliver 16 to 64 TOPS of AI inference performance in a very low power footprint.
Blaize AI software suite
is based on open standards and is easily accessible, freeing product developers from the constraints of proprietary development environments. Comprising the Picasso Software Development Kit (SDK) and AI Studio, a completely code-free visual interface, the software suite offers tools for both traditional developers and non-coding domain experts. Furthermore, both toolsets utilize Blaize Netdeploy, a Blaize innovation with edge-aware algorithms for optimal accuracy and performance in edge deployments.
Innovative Use Cases with POC Customers:
Blaize POC customers are leveraging the unique features of the Blaize product to bring real-time AI use cases to life at the edge. Example applications include:
Industrial: Running five (5) independent neural networks at 50 FPS with an aggregate latency of less than 100 ms, monitoring human and robot position detection and tracking, product identification and counting, and product quality.
Smart City: Three independent neural networks running at 50 FPS, monitoring human detection, pose, position, automatic detection, and traffic intersection safety and security.
Sensor Fusion: High-resolution FHD video and LiDAR/Radar sensor fusion running as a full-featured native graphics application on Blaize GSP.
Last-mile delivery: Fusion of HD camera sensors at 30 FPS and Lidar/Radar with less than 100 ms latency and less than 15 W.
Retail: Four (4) independent neural networks operating at 50 FPS and monitoring human detection, position, mask, and theft for store security and product detection.
Blaize Pathfinder and Xplorer Pricing and Availability:
Customer samples of both product lines are available now, and full production is expected to begin in Q4 2020. The Blaize Xplorer X1600E is available for $299 in volume, the Pathfinder P1600 SOM is available in industrial grade for $399 in volume, and the Blaize Xplorer X1600P is available for $999 in volume.
