Israeli computer chipmaker Hailo Technologies Ltd. is the latest startup to try to crack the artificial intelligence world with a new processor customized for deep learning workloads.

The company, which is focused on the automotive sector, says its chip enables devices to run “sophisticated” deep learning applications at the edge of the network that could previously be hosted only in cloud data centers.

Hailo said its processor, which is smaller than a penny, has been built from the ground up with completely redesigned memory, control and compute architecture components. It also comes with a software development kit for developers to build apps customized for the hardware.

“There is a crucial need for an analogous architecture that replaces processors of the past, enabling deep learning to run devices at the edge,” said Hailo Chief Executive Officer Orr Danon.

The company makes some big claims about its chip’s performance, most notably about its power efficiency. It cites preliminary results of a ResNet-50 Benchmark test comparing the Hailo-8TM chip with Nvidia Corp.’s Xavier AGX, which is also designed to power AI workloads. According to those tests, Hailo-8 consumes almost 20 times less power while performing the same tasks, Hailo said.

“By designing an architecture that relies on the core properties of neural networks, edge devices can now run deep learning applications at full scale more efficiently, effectively, and sustainably than traditional solutions, while significantly lowering costs,” the company said.

That may be so, but analyst Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy told SiliconANGLE that there’s usually a catch with such specialized computing chips.

“The problem is that programming capability is very limited and the application width is narrow,” Moorhead said. “This is a classic ASIC versus CPU, GPU and FPGA comparison. Also, I’m skeptical at the comparison as it doesn’t factor in Nvidia’s latest updates.”

Despite the skepticism, Hailo seems to have some momentum. The company said it’s currently testing its Hailo-8TM with partners in the automotive industry working on technologies such as advanced driver-assistance systems, as well as companies in the smart cities and smart homes sectors.

Photo: Hailo