The E4, E6, and E8 Ensemble series enable Gen AI in Edge devices for the first time
15 MB +
Integrated Memory
3670 DMIPS +
Combined Compute Performance
450 GOPs +
AI Performance
The E4, E6 and E8 Ensemble MCUs and fusion processors feature an improved high-throughput memory architecture and an upgraded neural processing unit (NPU), the Ethos ™ -U85. This unlocks hardware acceleration for transformer networks enabling generative AI workloads at the Edge. Transformer networks enhance endpoint applications by quickly contextualizing new data with key insights from past inputs. For localized use this results in an instant, accurate results when using multimodal AI in endpoint products focused on vision, voice, text, and sensor fusion, without relying on the cloud.
The Gen AI enabled Ensemble devices are based on Alif’s proven-in-use system architecture
Alif’s E4, E6, and E8 series embrace the latest energy-efficient neural processing technology supporting transformer networks to enable generative AI in products at the edge
Efficient NPUs for Generative AI
One Arm Ethos™-U85 NPU for Generative AI (NPU-HG), up to 400 MHz and 204 GOPS, Fed by 128-bit wide High-Bandwidth Local Memory at over 12 GB/s
Additional AI/ML Acceleration
Up to two Ethos-U55 microNPUs to 400MHz provides 250+ GOPS
Realtime Processing (RTOS, Bare Metal)
Up to two Cortex-M55 CPUs to 400MHz with Helium SIMD vector extensions
Application Processing (Linux, HLOS, RTOS)
Up to two Arm Cortex-A32 CPUs to 800MHz with NEON SIMD extensions
Power Management
aiPM™ technology powers on only what’s needed, when needed
Security
Comprehensive device security built in, including secure boot and lifecycle management
SRAM
9.75MB SRAM on-die with retention options eliminates the need for external memories
Non-Volatile Memory
5.5MB MRAM on-die for your application plus all its assets
Graphics Imaging
Flexible choice of display and camera interfaces including MIPI-DSI, 24-bit RGB display, up to two two-lane MIPI-CSI2 interfaces, 8 to 16-bit parallel camera, and 2DGPU
Memory Expansion
Two HexSPI interfaces for RAM or NVM expansion with on-the-fly decryption and a SD/eMMC interface for additional storage
ISP Acceleration Unit and JPEG Encoder
ISP up to 2MP (1920 × 1080) with configurable Frame Rate Control (1 to 60 FPS) & JPEG/MJPEG compression at 200+ FPS
Audio
Support for multiple types of audio sources including I2S, PWM, and ADC
Digital Interfaces
Rich set of interfaces including 10/100 Ethernet, High-Speed USB, SDIO, I3C, CAN-FD, UART, SPI, I2C, PWM, QEC, and High-Speed programable timers
Analog Interfaces
High-Precision analog interfaces including 24-bit sigma-delta ADC, fast 12-bit SAR ADCs, 12-bit DAC, PGAs, and comparators
Never Before Seen Scalability
The Ensemble family is an Arm-based microcontroller that scales from single core to a new class of multi-core devices, that combine up to two Cortex-M55 MCU cores, up to two Cortex-A32 microprocessor cores capable of running high-level operating systems, up to two Ethos-U55 NPUs for artificial intelligence machine learning acceleration, and one Ethos-U85 NPU supporting transformer networks and enabling generative AI at the Edge.
