Intel unveils 'Movidius Myriad X' — world's first next-generation VPU

Logos of Intel are shown in this wall paper.Reuters/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo

Intel, one of the world's most advanced technological companies, recently unveiled a new chip that can deliver a more in-depth artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to multiple devices such as smart cameras, drones, virtual reality, and robotics. Dubbed "Movidius™ Myriad™ X vision processing unit (VPU)" or "Myriad X" for short, this new advanced chip enables multiple range of devices to perceive human vision intelligence over a considerable extent.

Remi El-Ouazzane, vice president and general manager of Movidius, Intel New Technology Group, said in a statement: "We're on the cusp of computer vision and deep learning becoming standard requirements for the billions of devices surrounding us every day."

He added, "Enabling devices with humanlike visual intelligence represents the next leap forward in computing. With Myriad X, we are redefining what a VPU means when it comes to delivering as much AI and vision compute power possible, all within the unique energy and thermal constraints of modern untethered devices."

Considered a first of its kind and the newest range of Movidius VPUs, "Myriad X" has a system-on-chip (SOC) shipping with a Neural Compute Engine that is capable of 1 Trillion operations per second (TOPS) of compute performance that is perfect for autonomous device solutions. Its architecture also consists of Imaging accelerators, Vision accelerators, Central Processing Units (CPUs), Intelligent Memory Fabric, and 16 Streaming Hybrid Architecture Vector Engine (SHAVE) processors.

With the use of this chip, simple devices such as baby monitors can also unleash additional information such as heart rate, respiratory levels, temperature, and can even detect emotion to a degree; drones can take pictures or videos on a more advanced level; and even motorcycles equipped with the chip can help drivers assess their surroundings that can ensure a safer travel.

An introductory video was also released by Intel to help consumers understand the "Myriad X's" in-depth AI capabilities. Two versions of "Myriad X" will be offered to the public: one with an integrated 4Gbit low power double data rate random access memory (LPDDR4), and another with no in-package memory and interfaces with external memory.