Latest news with #SakyasinghaDasgupta
Arabian Post
16-06-2025
- Business
- Arabian Post
EdgeCortix's SAKURA‑II Elevates Raspberry Pi 5 with On‑Device Generative AI
EdgeCortix has launched its SAKURA‑II M.2 AI accelerator for the Raspberry Pi 5 and other Arm‑based platforms, enabling high‑performance, energy‑efficient execution of generative AI at the device edge. With 60 TOPS and 30 TFLOPS performance within an 8–10 W power envelope, the SAKURA‑II module supports advanced models including Llama 2, Stable Diffusion, Vision Transformers and VLMs on compact, affordable hardware. Dr Sakyasingha Dasgupta, EdgeCortix founder and CEO, highlighted that the integration 'opens the door for innovators and enterprises around the world to build smarter, faster, and more efficient edge AI‑driven devices'. This remark underscores a clear strategic pivot: migrating AI workloads away from cloud dependence and embedding them directly into low‑power devices. Venture partner Sailesh Chittipeddi echoed this view, emphasising the appeal for IoT and edge application engineers seeking scalability without datacentre overhead. The core of SAKURA‑II is EdgeCortix's DNA architecture, offering high memory bandwidth—up to 68 GB/s—and support for dual-channel LPDDR4x. This combination optimises batch‑1 inferencing for real‑time AI tasks while maintaining minimal latency and maximised compute utilisation. ADVERTISEMENT Market response has been mixed. It's FOSS notes the roughly US $349 price tag for the M.2 module, with no explicit mention of shipping costs, urging buyers to clarify before purchase. A TechPowerUp forum debate revealed cost‑sensitive hobbyists comparing it to a US $130 AI HAT offering about 26 TOPS. One user characterised SAKURA‑II as 'on another completely different ballpark' due to its RAM and bandwidth advantages for advanced applications. For industrial users, particularly those operating in space‑weight‑power‑cost constrained environments such as drones, robotics, smart agriculture or security, SAKURA‑II's offline capabilities are pivotal. By enabling autonomous AI without cloud reliance, organisations can enhance resilience and reduce latency in mission‑critical operations. Academic research on efficient edge deployment reinforces this evolution. A paper from June 10, 2025 demonstrated quantised YOLOv4‑Tiny object detection on Raspberry Pi 5, achieving 28.2 ms inference per image at 13.85 W power consumption. While this study used CPU‑based INT8 quantisation, the performance and consumption metrics set a baseline that illustrates SAKURA‑II's potential leap in efficiency and speed via dedicated silicon acceleration. EdgeCortix's positioning also aligns with wider trends in AI hardware development. Their DNA technology enables dynamic reconfiguration and mixed‑precision processing approximating FP32 accuracy—important for generative AI workloads that balance performance with model fidelity. Partners like SoftBank and Renesas have emphasised the importance of this co‑design approach, blending hardware IP with compiler‑driven software stacks to reduce TCO and accelerate time‑to‑market. Industry analysts see SAKURA‑II and similar accelerators as closing the gap between cloud‑scale AI and embedded edge use cases. By supporting multi‑billion‑parameter models on hand‑held devices, they suggest a future where even small autonomous systems can perform complex tasks like content generation, language parsing and computer vision locally—without connectivity or latency constraints. However, barriers remain. The ~$349 entry price may deter hobbyists and small‑scale developers, contrasted with cheaper model‑specific HAT solutions. Adoption may hinge on use case value—where the benefits of on‑device Generative AI outweigh acquisition and integration costs. Enterprise rollouts will need to consider software support, model compatibility, and real‑world inference benchmarks – details which are pending independent testing. EdgeCortix provides MERA, its compiler and runtime platform, enabling developers to deploy models across heterogeneous Edge AI systems, signalling strong software ecosystem support. This software‑hardware synergy contrasts with many accelerators that must rely on limited driver support or manual optimisation. The extension to Raspberry Pi 5 is significant. As one of the most accessible single‑board computers, Pi 5 offers a global developer base and extensive community support. Pairing it with SAKURA‑II could catalyse novel applications—from mobile robotics and decentralised AI devices to educational platforms that illustrate advanced AI concepts. Going forward, key indicators to watch will include independent benchmark results, broader platform support, and commercial deployments in agriculture, defence, and industrial automation. The ROI calculation will depend on whether the performance and efficiency gains translate into measurable gains—lower energy costs, reduced latency, or enhanced autonomy.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
EdgeCortix's SAKURA-II AI Accelerator Brings Low-Power Generative AI to Raspberry Pi 5 and other Arm-Based Platforms
A powerful combination brings Vision Transformers (ViTs) and Multi-modal Models to low-power Arm devices—enabling efficient real-time generative AI at the edge for enterprises and embedded developers. TOKYO, June 03, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--EdgeCortix® Inc., a leading fabless semiconductor company specializing in energy-efficient Artificial Intelligence (AI) processing at the edge, today announced that its industry leading AI accelerator, SAKURA-II M.2 Module is now available with Arm-based platforms, including Raspberry Pi 5 and AETINA's Rockchip platform, delivering unprecedented performance and efficiency for edge AI computing applications. This powerful integration marks a major leap in democratizing real-time Generative AI capabilities at the edge. Designed with a focus on low power consumption and high AI throughput, the EdgeCortix SAKURA-II M.2 module enables developers to run advanced deep learning models directly on compact, affordable platforms like the Raspberry Pi 5—without relying on cloud infrastructure. "Bringing our low-power AI acceleration technology to Raspberry Pi 5 users opens the door for innovators and enterprises around the world to build smarter, faster, and more efficient edge AI-driven devices and systems rapidly," said Dr. Sakyasingha Dasgupta, Founder and CEO of EdgeCortix. "We're excited to bring real-world Generative AI capabilities to embedded Arm platforms and fuel the next wave of intelligent, autonomous systems as we pioneer the future of the connected intelligent edge." "Pairing the Raspberry Pi 5 with EdgeCortix's SAKURA-II delivers an incredibly efficient and scalable platform for real-time generative AI at the edge", said Sailesh Chittipeddi, Venture Partner at Novo Tellus Capital Partners and Board Member at both Lantronix and Tessolve. "What's equally compelling is SAKURA-II's ability to accelerate a broad range of Arm-based systems, empowering next-gen IOT and edge applications engineers to deploy high-performance AI solutions across diverse applications without the cost or power burden of traditional data center hardware." Key Benefits of SAKURA-II with Raspberry Pi5 and other Arm-enabled Platforms: Ability to run the latest Gen AI on-device: Run advanced AI models including Vision Transformers, Small Language Models, and Vision Language Models (VLMs) directly on-device, with minimal latency and power draw. Optimized for Arm: Seamless offloading of AI workloads from Arm processors allows for balanced performance and efficiency. Fast time-to-market: Developers can quickly scale from prototypes to production using production-ready SAKURA-II M.2 modules with certified Raspberry Pi 5 and other Arm platforms. Affordable AI Deployment: SAKURA-II and Raspberry Pi deliver powerful edge AI at a fraction of the cost of traditional solutions—reducing infrastructure needs and enabling cost-efficient scaling. Offline, Autonomous AI for SWaP-C-Constrained Environments: Perfect for drones, robotics, smart agriculture, and security—where size, weight, power, and cost limitations demand efficient on-device intelligence. With these Arm platforms, EdgeCortix is empowering a broad ecosystem of developers and hardware innovators to build cost-effective, production-ready edge AI solutions. Pairing the SAKURA-II M.2 Module's high-performance acceleration with the accessibility of Raspberry Pi 5 and other Arm-based devices, advanced Generative AI workloads—including ViTs, LLMs, VLMs—can now run efficiently at the edge. This enables both startups and enterprises to deploy intelligent applications without depending on the cloud. Learn more about EdgeCortix's Raspberry Pi 5 and other Arm-powered solutions by getting in touch with us here: About EdgeCortix Inc. EdgeCortix is pioneering the future of the connected intelligent edge. Founded in 2019 with R&D headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, EdgeCortix focuses on energy-efficient AI processing of Generative AI workloads at the edge. The company's patented, software-first "hardware and software co-exploration" system powers its AI-specific runtime-reconfigurable accelerator, delivering exceptional performance for edge applications in defense, aerospace, smart cities, Industry 4.0, autonomous vehicles, and robotics. For more information about EdgeCortix, visit: View source version on Contacts For media inquiries, please contact:Jeffrey Grosman, EVP Marketing & US Operationsjeffrey@ Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
EdgeCortix's SAKURA-II AI Accelerator Brings Low-Power Generative AI to Raspberry Pi 5 and other Arm-Based Platforms
A powerful combination brings Vision Transformers (ViTs) and Multi-modal Models to low-power Arm devices—enabling efficient real-time generative AI at the edge for enterprises and embedded developers. TOKYO, June 03, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--EdgeCortix® Inc., a leading fabless semiconductor company specializing in energy-efficient Artificial Intelligence (AI) processing at the edge, today announced that its industry leading AI accelerator, SAKURA-II M.2 Module is now available with Arm-based platforms, including Raspberry Pi 5 and AETINA's Rockchip platform, delivering unprecedented performance and efficiency for edge AI computing applications. This powerful integration marks a major leap in democratizing real-time Generative AI capabilities at the edge. Designed with a focus on low power consumption and high AI throughput, the EdgeCortix SAKURA-II M.2 module enables developers to run advanced deep learning models directly on compact, affordable platforms like the Raspberry Pi 5—without relying on cloud infrastructure. "Bringing our low-power AI acceleration technology to Raspberry Pi 5 users opens the door for innovators and enterprises around the world to build smarter, faster, and more efficient edge AI-driven devices and systems rapidly," said Dr. Sakyasingha Dasgupta, Founder and CEO of EdgeCortix. "We're excited to bring real-world Generative AI capabilities to embedded Arm platforms and fuel the next wave of intelligent, autonomous systems as we pioneer the future of the connected intelligent edge." "Pairing the Raspberry Pi 5 with EdgeCortix's SAKURA-II delivers an incredibly efficient and scalable platform for real-time generative AI at the edge", said Sailesh Chittipeddi, Venture Partner at Novo Tellus Capital Partners and Board Member at both Lantronix and Tessolve. "What's equally compelling is SAKURA-II's ability to accelerate a broad range of Arm-based systems, empowering next-gen IOT and edge applications engineers to deploy high-performance AI solutions across diverse applications without the cost or power burden of traditional data center hardware." Key Benefits of SAKURA-II with Raspberry Pi5 and other Arm-enabled Platforms: Ability to run the latest Gen AI on-device: Run advanced AI models including Vision Transformers, Small Language Models, and Vision Language Models (VLMs) directly on-device, with minimal latency and power draw. Optimized for Arm: Seamless offloading of AI workloads from Arm processors allows for balanced performance and efficiency. Fast time-to-market: Developers can quickly scale from prototypes to production using production-ready SAKURA-II M.2 modules with certified Raspberry Pi 5 and other Arm platforms. Affordable AI Deployment: SAKURA-II and Raspberry Pi deliver powerful edge AI at a fraction of the cost of traditional solutions—reducing infrastructure needs and enabling cost-efficient scaling. Offline, Autonomous AI for SWaP-C-Constrained Environments: Perfect for drones, robotics, smart agriculture, and security—where size, weight, power, and cost limitations demand efficient on-device intelligence. With these Arm platforms, EdgeCortix is empowering a broad ecosystem of developers and hardware innovators to build cost-effective, production-ready edge AI solutions. Pairing the SAKURA-II M.2 Module's high-performance acceleration with the accessibility of Raspberry Pi 5 and other Arm-based devices, advanced Generative AI workloads—including ViTs, LLMs, VLMs—can now run efficiently at the edge. This enables both startups and enterprises to deploy intelligent applications without depending on the cloud. Learn more about EdgeCortix's Raspberry Pi 5 and other Arm-powered solutions by getting in touch with us here: About EdgeCortix Inc. EdgeCortix is pioneering the future of the connected intelligent edge. Founded in 2019 with R&D headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, EdgeCortix focuses on energy-efficient AI processing of Generative AI workloads at the edge. The company's patented, software-first "hardware and software co-exploration" system powers its AI-specific runtime-reconfigurable accelerator, delivering exceptional performance for edge applications in defense, aerospace, smart cities, Industry 4.0, autonomous vehicles, and robotics. For more information about EdgeCortix, visit: View source version on Contacts For media inquiries, please contact:Jeffrey Grosman, EVP Marketing & US Operationsjeffrey@ Sign in to access your portfolio
Business Wire
03-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
EdgeCortix's SAKURA-II AI Accelerator Brings Low-Power Generative AI to Raspberry Pi 5 and other Arm-Based Platforms
TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- EdgeCortix ® Inc., a leading fabless semiconductor company specializing in energy-efficient Artificial Intelligence (AI) processing at the edge, today announced that its industry leading AI accelerator, SAKURA-II M.2 Module is now available with Arm-based platforms, including Raspberry Pi 5 and AETINA's Rockchip platform, delivering unprecedented performance and efficiency for edge AI computing applications. This powerful integration marks a major leap in democratizing real-time Generative AI capabilities at the edge. Designed with a focus on low power consumption and high AI throughput, the EdgeCortix SAKURA-II M.2 module enables developers to run advanced deep learning models directly on compact, affordable platforms like the Raspberry Pi 5—without relying on cloud infrastructure. 'Bringing our low-power AI acceleration technology to Raspberry Pi 5 users opens the door for innovators and enterprises around the world to build smarter, faster, and more efficient edge AI-driven devices and systems rapidly,' said Dr. Sakyasingha Dasgupta, Founder and CEO of EdgeCortix. 'We're excited to bring real-world Generative AI capabilities to embedded Arm platforms and fuel the next wave of intelligent, autonomous systems as we pioneer the future of the connected intelligent edge.' 'Pairing the Raspberry Pi 5 with EdgeCortix's SAKURA-II delivers an incredibly efficient and scalable platform for real-time generative AI at the edge', said Sailesh Chittipeddi, Venture Partner at Novo Tellus Capital Partners and Board Member at both Lantronix and Tessolve. 'What's equally compelling is SAKURA-II's ability to accelerate a broad range of Arm-based systems, empowering next-gen IOT and edge applications engineers to deploy high-performance AI solutions across diverse applications without the cost or power burden of traditional data center hardware.' Key Benefits of SAKURA-II with Raspberry Pi5 and other Arm-enabled Platforms: Ability to run the latest Gen AI on-device: Run advanced AI models including Vision Transformers, Small Language Models, and Vision Language Models (VLMs) directly on-device, with minimal latency and power draw. Optimized for Arm: Seamless offloading of AI workloads from Arm processors allows for balanced performance and efficiency. Fast time-to-market: Developers can quickly scale from prototypes to production using production-ready SAKURA-II M.2 modules with certified Raspberry Pi 5 and other Arm platforms. Affordable AI Deployment: SAKURA-II and Raspberry Pi deliver powerful edge AI at a fraction of the cost of traditional solutions—reducing infrastructure needs and enabling cost-efficient scaling. Offline, Autonomous AI for SWaP-C-Constrained Environments: Perfect for drones, robotics, smart agriculture, and security—where size, weight, power, and cost limitations demand efficient on-device intelligence. With these Arm platforms, EdgeCortix is empowering a broad ecosystem of developers and hardware innovators to build cost-effective, production-ready edge AI solutions. Pairing the SAKURA-II M.2 Module's high-performance acceleration with the accessibility of Raspberry Pi 5 and other Arm-based devices, advanced Generative AI workloads—including ViTs, LLMs, VLMs—can now run efficiently at the edge. This enables both startups and enterprises to deploy intelligent applications without depending on the cloud. Learn more about EdgeCortix's Raspberry Pi 5 and other Arm-powered solutions by getting in touch with us here: About EdgeCortix Inc. EdgeCortix is pioneering the future of the connected intelligent edge. Founded in 2019 with R&D headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, EdgeCortix focuses on energy-efficient AI processing of Generative AI workloads at the edge. The company's patented, software-first 'hardware and software co-exploration' system powers its AI-specific runtime-reconfigurable accelerator, delivering exceptional performance for edge applications in defense, aerospace, smart cities, Industry 4.0, autonomous vehicles, and robotics.
Japan Times
28-05-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Japan backs AI chip startup EdgeCortix in boost to defense tech
EdgeCortix, a Tokyo-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip startup, is riding a wave of interest to foster Japanese semiconductors with defense applications. EdgeCortix, which has won a contract tied to the U.S. Department of Defense, on Wednesday secured government subsidies of ¥3 billion ($21 million) to develop energy-efficient AI chiplets for commercialization in 2027. The contract may help revenue more than double this year, founder Sakyasingha Dasgupta said. The products, designed to help robots make real-time decisions and fill the country's labor shortages, target mass production at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s plant in Japan. The subsidies are on top of ¥4 billion in support the semiconductor designer won in November to make chips for next-generation communication systems. The sums from an economy ministry-backed research agency reflect Japan's growing embrace of dual-use technologies. Companies from Mitsubishi Electric to startups such as Terra Labo are ramping up satellite constellation technologies to support ballistic missile tracking under the Defense Ministry's defense buildup program, while the country's Self-Defense Forces are turning to AI providers to enhance surveillance systems. EdgeCortix, which has raised around $37 million via funding rounds to date, is developing chiplets with programmable architecture that would allow robots to process information without tapping the cloud, according to Dasgupta. That helps save power where hypercustomization is needed, such as in health care, and where data transmission is costly, he said in an interview. "Our energy-efficient AI technologies can be used in solutions across domains — from land-based systems to aerial platforms to space,' Dasgupta said. "This helps advance edge AI solutions for national and global security.'
