A new product from Renesas Electronics Corporation’s RZ/V Series of microprocessors (MPUs) is aimed at the high-volume vision AI market. The new RZ/V2N MPU, like its high-end counterpart, the RZ/V2H, has Renesas’ proprietary AI accelerator, DRP (Dynamically Reconfigurable Processor)-AI3, which has a power efficiency of 10 TOPS/W (Tera Operations Per Second Per Watt) and can perform up to 15 TOPS in AI inference thanks to its sophisticated pruning (Note 1) technology.
From the low-end RZ/V2L (0.5TOPS) to the high-end RZ/V2H (up to 80 TOPS), the RZ/V series has now grown to span a wide spectrum of markets with the most recent addition of the RZ/V2N.
With a package area of only 15 mm square, the new MPU is much smaller than the RZ/V2H, requiring 38% less space for mounting. High AI performance and low power consumption are combined in the RZ/V2N, which inherits the sophisticated features of the RZ/V series.
By suppressing heat generation, these optimized features reduce the size and expense of embedded systems and do away with the need for extra cooling fans.
From AI cameras for traffic and congestion analysis in commercial buildings to industrial cameras for visual inspection on manufacturing lines to driver monitoring systems for behavior analysis, developers can effortlessly integrate vision AI into a variety of applications.
Double-Angle Image Processing with Two Cameras
Like the RZ/V2H, the new RZ/V2N has a top-notch image signal processor (ISP), Arm Mali-C55, and four best-in-class Arm® Cortex®-A55 CPU cores, along with one Cortex-M33 core.
Additionally, the RZ/V2N features two channels of MIPI camera interfaces, enabling the connection of two cameras for the purpose of taking double-angle pictures. When compared to a single-camera system, the two-camera system greatly enhances spatial recognition performance and allows for more accurate fall detection and human motion line analysis.
Additionally, a single chip can effectively read license plates and count cars in a parking lot because to the dual-camera system’s ability to gather photos from multiple positions.
Comprehensive Development Environment
The RZ/V2N will be available with the Renesas evaluation board kit and a software development environment, along with various AI applications covering more than 50 use cases that are provided in the AI Applications and AI SDK (GitHub).
The SDK assists users without in-depth AI knowledge to quickly evaluate and develop AI applications, shortening time to market. Additionally, partner companies will provide a SOM (system-on-module) board, SBC (single board computers), camera modules, and other products that incorporate the Renesas RZ/V2N.
This reduces hardware design work, allowing developers to focus on AI application development and bring their products to market rapidly.
Leadership Comments
“Since launching the RZ/V2H last year to target next-generation robotics requiring vision AI and real-time control, we have received tremendous interest in using the Renesas DRP-AI accelerator,” said Daryl Khoo, VP of Embedded Processing at Renesas. “With the addition of the RZ/V2N, sharing the same lineage as the RZ/V2H, we are extending our reach to address mid-range applications, particularly endpoint vision AI that does not need to be realized with power hungry designs. I am excited that our customers will be able to select the best AI MPU from Renesas that meets their system and budget requirements.”
“Vision AI applications across markets including smart city, enterprise and industrial are broad and varied, but all demand sustained performance and efficient processing,” said Paul Williamson, senior vice president and general manager, IoT Line of Business at Arm. “Renesas’ new RZ/V2N MPU leverages the leading-edge capabilities of the Arm compute platform to deliver against the performance and efficiency needs of next generation vision AI use cases.”
Availability
The RZ/V2N will be available from Renesas and its authorized distributors starting March 19.
Renesas will showcase a live demonstration of the RZ/V2N at embedded world 2025 in Nuremberg, Germany, March 11-13, 2025, at the Renesas booth, Hall 1 Stand 234 (1-234).
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