Renesas’ unique DRP technology achieves outstanding real-time image processing with low power consumption

Renesas Electronics Launches RZ/A2M Microprocessor for High-Speed ​​Image Processing and Embedded Artificial Intelligence Applications for Smart Home Appliances, Service Robots, and Industrial Machinery

Renesas Electronics Corporation ( TSE : 6723 ) , a global supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, today announced the expansion of its embedded artificial intelligence (e-AI) solutions to integrate AI into embedded systems to realize the intelligence of terminal devices. About 150 companies in more than 10 countries around the world are conducting trials based on this technology, including tools, and more than 30 actual use cases of e-AI have been implemented so far. Renesas has now developed a new RZ/A2M microprocessor (MPU) to expand the use of e-AI solutions to high-end applications. The new MPU provides 10 times the image processing performance of its predecessor, the RZ/A1 (Note 1), and can realize real-time image processing with low power consumption by adopting Renesas' unique dynamically configurable processor ("DRP", Note 2). This enables the integration of applications into embedded devices such as smart home appliances, service robots, and compact industrial machinery to  perform image recognition under low power consumption conditions using cameras and other AI functions, and accelerate the realization of intelligence in terminal devices.

Currently, there are many challenges in using AI in the field of operational technology (OT), such as the difficulty in transmitting large amounts of data from sensors to the cloud for processing, and the delays in waiting for AI judgment results to be transmitted back from the cloud. Renesas has launched several  AI unit solutions that can detect previously unforeseen faults in real time by accurately analyzing the oscillation waveform of motors or machines. To further expand the application of artificial intelligence in the OT field, Renesas has developed the RZ/A2M with DRP function, which enables image-based AI functions that often require larger amounts of data and more powerful processing performance than waveform measurement and analysis. Since real-time image processing can be performed at very low power consumption, battery-powered devices can perform tasks such as real-time image recognition based on camera input, biometric authentication using fingerprint or iris scanning, and high-speed scanning by handheld scanners. This solves many of the challenges associated with cloud-based approaches, such as the difficulty in achieving real-time performance, privacy protection, and security.

“The adoption of e-AI will bring about tremendous advances in convenience, safety, and production efficiency,” said Yoshikazu Yokota, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Industrial Solution Business Unit at Renesas Electronics Corporation. “We have successfully improved productivity in our own factory using e-AI, thus verifying the optimization that AI can bring to end devices. We will continue to expand the scope of e-AI applications from simple attributes such as color, shape, and waveform to real-time processing of complex images; we will play a leading role in driving the intelligence of end devices by providing e-AI solutions that can be used by everyone in a wider range of applications.”

Main features of the new RZ/A2M with DRP function

The RZ/A2M with DRP is a new member of the RZ/A Series of MPUs that features large on-chip RAM and eliminates the need for external DRAM. The RZ/A Series of MPUs is well suited for applications that employ human-machine interface (HMI) functions, and the RZ/A2M takes this feature a step further by offering several features that are well suited for camera applications. It supports the MIPI ^®  camera interface, which is widely used in mobile devices, and is equipped with DRP, which can process image input at high speeds through this interface. Renesas has enhanced network capabilities by adding dual-channel Ethernet support and enhanced security capabilities with an on-chip hardware encryption accelerator. With these features, the new RZ/A2M enables secure and reliable network connections, making it suitable for a wide range of systems that employ image recognition functions, from home appliances to industrial machinery. For more information on the specifications of this new product, please click here .

Renesas plans to continue expanding the range of its e-AI solutions based on DRP technology. In the second half of 2019, Renesas will release an AI accelerator equipped with DRP, which has AI processing performance 100 times faster than software processing and is capable of real-time reasoning through e-AI. In 2021, Renesas will release the next generation of AI accelerators with 1,000 times the capability of traditional MPUs. In this way, Renesas will enhance the value of embedded devices through AI, allowing terminal devices to not only reason, but also learn.