Renesas Electronics has introduced the RZ/V series of microprocessors (MPUs) featuring DRP-AI (Dynamically Reconfigurable Processor) which is Renesas’ exclusive vision-optimized artificial intelligence (AI) accelerator. The new RZ/V Series delivers high performance and low power consumption to help Vision AI processing achieve a higher level of real-time performance. The RZ/V Series will expand the range of AI applications in embedded devices through object recognition like in case of cameras that are used in smart shopping cart systems to automatically calculate totals based on the cart items.
RZ/V2M is the first product in the series that is designed to deliver a combination of real-time AI inference and industry-leading power efficiency in embedded devices. It leverages the DRP-AI’s excellent power efficiency to realize power consumption as low as 4W (typ.), thereby eliminating the need for heat sinks and cooling fans, greatly simplifying heat dissipation measures. This feature makes RZ/V2M capable of being used in compact devices or in minimizing equipment sizes, expanding the opportunities to incorporate AI in embedded devices, and minimizing bill-of-materials (BOM) costs.
Additionally, the RZ/V2M features an imaging signal processor (ISP) that is capable of processing high-resolution 4K pixels at 30 frames per second. The ISP employs high dynamic range (HDR) functionality that is capable of handling images with large differences between brightness and darkness, noise reduction functionality, and distortion correction functionality to substantially boost precision in AI recognition. Thus, RZ/V2M produces clear images regardless of factors such as the weather, the time of day, and the installation location. These integrated features make the RZ/V2M capable of delivering a major innovation for bringing highly accurate AI and low power consumption to a wide range of embedded devices.
The DRP-AI vision-optimized AI accelerator helps RZ/V2M to perform tasks like reading 2D barcodes and iris recognition. The DRP functionality combined with an AI-MAC (multiply and accumulate) circuit magnifies operation processing capabilities, thereby making it ideal for applications utilizing AI inference. The IP core is capable of AI processing with approximately 10 times the power efficiency of the DRP, achieving the 1 TOPS/W class. The DRP-AI adds the ability to flexibly support ever-evolving and advancing AI algorithms as the DRP can dynamically change the configuration of its operation circuits every clock cycle. Renesas also plans to offer the DRP-AI Translator which is a tool dedicated to DRP-AI-based development that simplifies the implementation of users’ learned AI models into embedded devices.
Key Features Include:
- CPU with dual Arm Cortex-A53 cores with an operating frequency of 1 GHz
- DRP-AI vision-optimized AI accelerator (1 TOPS/W class)
- ISP supporting 4K/30 FPS
- Image processing engine for a variety of functions, including face detection
- H.265/H.264 encoder/decoder
- Support for CMOS sensor interfaces (SLVS-EC and MIPI-CSI) that enable simultaneous input from two cameras
- Support for high-speed interfaces (USB3.1, PCI-Express, and Gigabit-Ethernet)
- Support for display interfaces (MIPI-DSI and HDMI)
- Power consumption as low as 4 W (typ.)
- 15 mm × 15 mm FCBGA package
Samples of low-power RZ/V2M are available now for early adopters, and mass production is scheduled to start in December 2020.
