Can AI chips help small devices run faster and smarter while using less power? They might make it easier for developers to add AI to their systems.
SiFive has launched its 2nd Generation Intelligence family, giving engineers and system designers new options for accelerating AI on embedded and edge devices. The lineup includes five products—X160 Gen 2, X180 Gen 2, X280 Gen 2, X390 Gen 2, and XM Gen 2—designed to handle AI workloads across automotive systems, autonomous robotics, industrial automation, and smart IoT.
The X160 Gen 2 and X180 Gen 2 target small, low-power devices, while XM Gen 2 supports larger-scale AI computations for more complex model inference in constrained environments. Vector engines allow parallel processing of multiple data items, enabling faster AI model execution while reducing instruction overhead and power consumption. Users can select narrow or wide vector engines and scalable matrix processing to balance performance, energy, and area according to system requirements.
All X-Series IPs can act as Accelerator Control Units, letting developers integrate and manage their own accelerator engines via SSCI or VCIX interfaces. The products are aimed at hardware engineers, embedded systems developers, AI platform designers, and system architects who need AI processing at the edge or in embedded systems, helping them focus on platform-level innovation while simplifying software integration.
“AI is catalyzing the next era of the RISC-V revolution,” said Patrick Little, CEO of SiFive. “We’re seeing strong traction including adoption of the new X100 series by two Tier 1 U.S. semiconductor companies. Our new 2nd Generation Intelligence IP builds on this momentum, adding new features and configurability to accelerate our customers’ designs and time to market.”
“SiFive is investing to take advantage of the tremendous growth that is occurring in edge AI compute, innovating in markets that need more focus and optionality,” said Pat Moorhead, Founder, CEO and Chief Analyst, Moor Insights and Strategy. “The new SiFive Intelligence Gen 2 products bring several novel features that could solve real customer problems and bring solid solutions with unique methods of performance and efficiency.”
