Chinese scientists have developed what they claim to be the world’s most energy-efficient artificial intelligence (AI) microchips. Small enough to fit inside smart devices, like mobile phones, the AI chips could open doors for innovative offline functions like voice control and mind control.
AI chips designed for heavy tasks often require significant power due to high computational demands, which limits their use in real-world scenarios. Professor Zhou Jun and his team from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) have significantly reduced power consumption through algorithm and architectural optimization.
The team showcased two AI chips at the 2024 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC). THE ISSCC, in case you are unaware, is considered the “Olympics” of the integrated circuit (IC) industry.
The conference is an annual event that brings together top researchers, engineers, and professionals worldwide to discuss the latest developments in solid-state circuits and the future of chip technology. This year, it was held in San Francisco from February 18 to 22.
The first of the two AI chips was designed to be embedded into smart devices to enable offline voice control. This chip, the researchers claim, excels in keyword spotting and speaker verification by recognizing the voice signals of a target speaker.
The primary advantage of this new AI chip is its ability to transcend the constraints of standard voice recognition systems. Unlike others, this chip can accurately recognize the target speaker’s speech even in noisy situations with distractions such as television, music, or conversations.
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