Zeroth (software)
Zeroth is a platform for brain-inspired computing from Qualcomm. It is based around a neural processing unit (NPU) AI accelerator chip and a software API to interact with the platform. It makes a form of machine learning known as deep learning available to mobile devices. It is used for image and sound processing, including speech recognition. The software operates locally rather than as a cloud application.[1]
Mobile chip maker Qualcomm announced in March 2015 that it would bundle the software with its next major mobile device chip, the Snapdragon 820 processor.[1]
Applications
Qualcomm demonstrated that the system could recognize human faces[1] and gestures[2] that it had seen before and detect and then search for different types of photo scenes.[1]
Another potential application is to extend battery life by analyzing phone usage and powering down all or part of its capabilities without affecting the user experience.[1]
See also
- Neuromorphic computing
- TrueNorth
- SpiNNaker
- Vision processing unit, a class of processors aimed at machine vision (including convolutional neural networks, hence overlapping with 'neural processing units')
References
- Simonite, Tom (March 9, 2015). "Smartphones Will Soon Learn to Recognize Faces and More". Technology Review. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
- Rubin, Ben Fox (March 2, 2015). "Qualcomm's Zeroth platform could make your smartphone much smarter". CNET. Retrieved March 10, 2015.