Dominant intelligence Deeply interpret hard-core technology
Another amazing thing about the CV3 is that it can plug in up to 20 cameras on a single chip, while being widely compatible with multiple sensors such as millimeter-wave radar, lidar, and ultrasonic radar.
Article Source: Original
Author: Gu Hai
The rapid development of automotive intelligence and networking has prompted the transition of the vehicle electronic system from ECU to domain controller, and the core hub of the domain controller, the domain controller chip, has also quickly moved to the forefront, becoming the commanding heights of the automotive and chip industries.
Ambarco, a semiconductor company focused on AI visual perception, has also been deeply involved in this track and has taken the lead in recently launching the CV3 series of AI domain controller chips with industry-leading performance and performance. With a 5nm process to achieve a single-chip 500eTOPS computing power, it can integrate multiple sensors for AI perception processing, and combined with exclusive software algorithms, it helps car companies to create automatic driving systems up to L4 levels.
Feng Yutao, General Manager of Anba China
On January 10, 2022, Feng Yutao, general manager of Amba China, met with us online and elaborated on the technical performance and principle of the CV3 series, and interpreted the company strategy of Amba's "algorithm first".
1
Build a good ecology
Before the new CV3, the CV2x series of Amba 10nm process has been active in the market for 5 years, with rich experience and accumulation, and the ecological layout is also increasingly perfect. When talking about this, Feng Yutao said that Ambarco entered the field of smart cars in 2015, acquired AnguRa in the same year, and acquired VisLab, an Italian self-driving technology company, in 2021, and acquired 4D imaging millimeter wave radar algorithm manufacturer Auco Radar in 2021.
In the field of autonomous driving domain controller chips, the Ambarco CV2x series, which integrates AI hardware acceleration, has achieved great results in the market. Electric truck maker Rivian, self-driving technology company Motional and electric vehicle manufacturer Arrival have all adopted Amba CV2-based solutions.
At the same time, Amba has established cooperative relations with car manufacturers, OEMs, AI algorithm companies, etc., and has built a broad ecological layout of the automotive market.
2
CV3 technical features
This time, as a new upgrade of the CV2 series, the most significant feature of the CV3 series is its powerful AI computing power. So, what is the significance of hash rate?
In the process of driving, in the face of complex road conditions and unexpected situations, making extremely fast, correct perception and driving decisions between electric light and flint is an important criterion for measuring the level and level of automatic driving. And all this, the main reliance is on the computing power. The more powerful the computing power, the greater the amount of visual data recognized per unit of time, the faster the data is processed, the shorter the delay, and the stronger the response ability of the system from perception to decision making.
The Amba CV3 has an unprecedented 500eTOPS hash rate, "up to 42 times higher than the CV2 series." At the same time, the energy efficiency ratio is also 4 times higher than that of CV2. Feng Yutao said. He further emphasized that the first launch in January 2022 is the flagship chip in the CV3 series, and the entire series from high to low will be gradually improved in the future. In addition, the CV3 is equipped with up to 16 Arm Cortex-A78AE CPU cores, which is 30 times better than the CV2.
Of course, CV3 is not a simple chip, it is a system-level chip, because Ambarella is also equipped with a complete set of software tools and the development of the SDK. With such excellent features, the CV3 can cover different scenarios and needs from ADAS systems and L2+, all the way up to L4 level autonomous driving systems. "Whether the car company directly crosses to fully autonomous driving, or gradually develops step by step, CV3 can be well satisfied." Feng Yutao said.
Another amazing thing about the CV3 is that it can plug in up to 20 cameras on a single chip, while being widely compatible with multiple sensors such as millimeter-wave radar, lidar, and ultrasonic radar. In addition, deeply integrated computing, including object detection, object classification, screen segmentation, and many other autonomous driving functions, such as planning and control, can be completed on the CV3 single chip. "If you want to have strict redundancy requirements, use two."
03
Algorithm-first policy
For domain controller chips, computing power is of course the core indicator, but it is not the only one, because how much efficiency the chip can play depends on the cooperation with the software algorithm. This is also why Ambarco has always attached great importance to algorithms and prioritized algorithms as a company strategy.
As Feng Yutao said: "Our chips will definitely pay attention to the application direction and the needs of algorithms from multiple angles." So, how to understand Ambar's algorithmic strategy? Feng Yutao made an analysis from four levels.
The CV3 series is equipped with Amba's latest generation of ISPs, which can continue to play ambarco's leading edge in the field of image processing and video codec algorithms. In 2015, through the acquisition of VisLab in Italy, Ambarco had a deep understanding of the demand for chips for autonomous driving algorithms.
The acquisition of Auco in 2021 further allows Ambarco to understand what the requirements of the algorithm are for the chip, because Auco, as the world's leading 4D imaging radar algorithm company, has an advanced algorithm system. At the same time, by making ambarone's vision in the same chip, it is possible to use a very efficient chip to achieve the integration of vision and radar perception.
The last dimension is CVflow. As the core of all CV series chips, CVflow is a chip architecture developed by Ambarco and integrated into the AI hardware acceleration engine. Compared with the cpu, GPU or FPGA of these general platforms, CVflow is most prominent features of its vertical and subdivision, it is specially designed for visual perception and other perception algorithms, but it has a certain versatility, excellent balance of computing power, power consumption and efficiency.
04
epilogue
If you sum it up in one sentence, that is, the Ambarco CV3 series only needs a single chip to build the entire automatic driving laser integrated perception system. It supports a central architecture as well as a regional architecture, covering the entire autonomous driving domain. In addition, the CV3 can handle both in-cabin perception, including driver and in-vehicle perception systems.
It can be said that there are few domain controller chips with powerful computing power, ultra-low power consumption and advanced algorithms on the market, and the Ambar CV3 series can be described as a precedent. Combined with the CVflow artificial intelligence platform, CV3 can provide excellent solutions for car companies and the autonomous driving industry, helping to create an autonomous driving system that can cover all scenarios.
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Gu Hai (grape)
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Tech Internet Analyst
Independent documentary filmmaker and veteran cinematographer
An otaku who likes to think