The Era of Specialized Silicon

Accelerating workloads with silicon in key market segments enables the development of high-performance, power-efficient systems that can meet the demands of modern computing applications. Custom ASICs with specialized accelerators are tailored to optimize specific tasks, contributing to advancements in key industries.

Custom Silicon for AI

AI has taken the world by storm and the options for applying AI to speed and assist human and machine interactions are endless. Large Language Models (LLMs) are pushing the limits of compute and memory while challenging the network. Power considerations must be at the forefront of the design process. Alphawave Semi can help you overcome performance, power and space limitations through custom silicon ASICs designed to accelerate your specialized AI application whether it is machine learning training or inference, generative AI or neural nets.

Applications

  • LLMs
  • ML Training/Inference
  • CNN
  • Generative AI
  • Object and Speech Recognition

Custom SoC Accelerator or Chiplets

Key
Considerations

  • Target Workloads and Applications
  • Memory Hierarchy
  • Precision Requirements
  • Flexibility and Programmability
  • Power Efficiency
  • Scalability
  • Data Movement and Bandwidth
  • Neural Network Topologies
  • Software Ecosystem
  • Security
  • Cost Considerations
  • Testing and Verification
  • Regulatory Compliance

Key
Technologies

  • Arm Neoverse Compute Subsystems (CSS)
  • High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM)
  • Customized On-Chip Interconnects
  • Quantization
  • Neuromorphic Computing
  • Systolic Arrays
  • Sparsity Exploitation
  • Heterogeneous Computing
  • In-Memory Computing
  • Optical Computing
  • Memory Compression and Bandwidth Optimization
  • Advanced Packaging Technologies
  • Security Features

Custom ASIC
Solution Benefits

  • Performance Efficiency
  • Power Efficiency
  • Low Latency
  • Custom Accelerators
  • Parallel Processing
  • Memory Hierarchy Optimization
  • Form Factor and Size
  • Lower System Costs
  • Reduced Dependency on External Components
  • Security
  • Scalability
  • Long-Term Support
  • Improved Reliability

Custom SoC Accelerator or Chiplets

Custom Silicon for HPC

Demanding workloads require demanding performance. In your quest to improve humanity and the earth through specialized workloads that demand the best performance, Alphawave Semi is here to help with Custom ASICs tailored for performance, power with advanced packaging and optics options to help you simulate and solve the world’s most challenging computational tasks.

Applications

  • Weather Modeling
  • Financial Services
  • Life Sciences
  • Energy
  • Semiconductor Design

Key
Considerations

  • Maximum performance
  • Power efficiency & heat dissipation
  • Specialized accelerators
  • Avoiding memory bottlenecks/memory wall
  • Avoiding networking bottlenecks

Key
Technologies

  • Arm Neoverse Compute Subsystems (CSS)
  • Vectorization and SIMD units
  • Specialized Workload Accelerators
  • High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM)
  • Coherent Interconnect Technologies
  • Network-on-Chip (NoC)
  • Memory Compression and Bandwidth Optimization
  • Precision Flexibility
  • 112G & 224G Multi-protocol SerDes
  • PCIe Gen6
  • 400G/800G/1.6T Ethernet
  • Performance and Power Monitoring
  • Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS)
  • Thermal Management and Cooling Solutions
  • Heterogenous Computing
  • Fault Tolerance and Resilience
  • Advanced Packaging
  • Chiplets

Custom ASIC
Solution Benefits

  • Optimized Performance
  • Parallel Processing Efficiency
  • Memory Hierarchy Optimization
  • Energy Efficiency
  • Scalability
  • Accelerated Floating-Point Operations
  • Custom Interconnects
  • Optical Interconnect
  • Reduction in Data Movement Overheads
  • Precision Flexibility
  • Improved Reliability and Fault Tolerance
  • Tailored Security Features
  • Technology Leadership

Custom Silicon for Data Center

While many low-latency functions are moving closer to the edge, today’s data-driven economy still revolves around the data center.

Applications

  • AI and Machine Learning (AI/ML)
  • High-performance Computing (HPC)
  • Application Servers
  • Video Streaming
  • Multi-player Gaming
  • Augmented Reality(AR)/Virtual Reality(VR)
  • Databases
  • In-memory Caches

Custom SoC Accelerator or Chiplets

Key
Considerations

  • Performance and Power Efficiency
  • CPU Utilization
  • Accelerator Pooling
  • Memory Pooling
  • Connectivity
  • Security

Key
Technologies

  • Arm Neoverse Compute Subsystems (CSS)
  • Multi-core Processors
  • Advanced Cache Architectures
  • Customized Interconnects
  • Heterogeneous Computing
  • Vector Processing Units
  • Customized Memory Subsystem
  • Security Features
  • Energy-Efficient Designs
  • Accelerated Compute Units
  • Optimized I/O Interfaces
  • Flexible Precision Support
  • Network Connectivity
  • Optical Connectivity
  • Scalability Features

Custom ASIC
Solution Benefits

  • Performance Optimization
  • Energy Efficiency
  • Specialized Workload Acceleration
  • Customized Memory Architecture
  • Optimized Network Connectivity
  • Optical Connectivity Options
  • High Throughput and Low Latency
  • Scalability
  • Lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
  • Space Efficiency
  • Enhanced Security Features
  • Reduced Dependency on External Components
  • Long-Term Support
  • Compatibility with Existing Infrastructure
  • Technology Differentiation

Custom SoC Accelerator or Chiplets

Custom Silicon for Networking

Custom silicon for networking are specifically designed to optimize networking tasks and operations. These chips are tailored to meet the demands of modern networking infrastructure, which requires high performance, low latency, and energy efficiency. AI-empowered workloads necessitate the movement of massive amounts of data, in particular, AI training. It is important to avoid having the network become the bottleneck. Data Processing Units (DPUs) are a new processing category. DPUs offer an extra layer of security through separation of the cloud service provider (CSP)/Host infrastructure code and the User/Tenant workload code; as well as freeing up CPU cores for more valuable tasks.

Applications

  • Data Processing Units (DPUs)
  • Infrastructure Processing Units (IPUs)
  • Data Center Infrastructure
  • Switches/Routers/NICs
  • Security Firewalls
  • TCP offload/acceleration

Key
Considerations

  • Throughput and Tail Latency
  • NVMe over Fabrics (NVMe-oF) / RDMA Protocols
  • Changing Connectivity Standards/Options
  • Virtualization
  • Precision Timing

Key
Technologies

  • High-Speed SerDes (Serializer/Deserializer)
  • Packet Processing Engines
  • Customized Network Interfaces
  • Deep Packet Inspection (DPI)
  • Network Acceleration Engines
  • Switch Fabrics
  • Traffic Management and Quality of Service (QoS)
  • Flow Processing
  • Network Security Acceleration
  • SR-IOV Support
  • Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) Support
  • High-Speed Interfaces and Connectors

Custom ASIC
Solution Benefits

  • High Performance
  • Low Latency
  • Optimized Packet Processing
  • Customized Network Interfaces
  • Optical Networking Options
  • Traffic Management and Quality of Service (QoS)
  • Host Infrastructure Code and Tenant Workload Code Security Isolation
  • Security Acceleration
  • Adaptability to Networking Protocols
  • Hardware Offload for Network Functions
  • Scalability
  • Deterministic Processing
  • Reliability and Fault Tolerance
  • High-Speed Interfaces and Connectors
  • Technology Differentiation

Custom Silicon for Storage

Storage systems encompass a broad range of devices, including hard disk drives (HDDs), solid-state drives (SSDs), storage controllers, and other storage-related components. Custom silicon solutions are engineered to improve the performance and capabilities of these storage devices, providing unique features and functionalities. This custom hardware is tailored to meet the specific requirements of storage applications, addressing challenges related to performance, efficiency, reliability, and security.

Memory/Storage Hierarchy:

  • Registers
  • Cache Memory
  • High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM)
  • Main Memory (RAM)
  • Compute Express Link (CXL) Memory
  • Solid-State Drives (SSDs)
  • Hard Disk Drives (HDDs)
  • Direct-Attached Storage (DAS)
  • Network-Attached Storage (NAS)
  • Cloud Storage
  • Optical and Magnetic Tape Storage
  • Archival Storage
  • Off-Site Backup and Cold Storage

CHALLENGE: Avoid stranded memory

Applications

  • Databases
  • Large Scale Analytics
  • Streams Processing
  • Public/Private Cloud Services
  • Memory Expansion/Pooling
  • SSDs

Custom SoC Accelerator or Chiplets

Key
Considerations

  • Performance (IOPs, P99.99 Latency)
  • Error Rates & Resiliency
  • Cost Efficiency
  • Disaggregated/Pooled Storage
  • Keeping up with AI

Key
Technologies

  • Flash Controller Technology
  • NVM Express (NVMe)
  • Data Compression and Deduplication Engines
  • Storage Processing Units (SPUs)
  • Custom RAID Controllers
  • Memory Controllers
  • Secure Storage Elements
  • Storage-Class Memory (SCM) Support
  • Efficient Cache Architectures
  • High-Speed Interconnects
  • Media Management and Error Correction
  • Efficient I/O Processing
  • Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) Technology
  • Advanced Error Recovery Mechanisms
  • Smart Storage Management

Custom ASIC
Solution Benefits

  • Enhanced Performance Data Processing
  • Low Latency
  • Optimized Power Efficiency
  • Hardware-Based Security
  • Storage-Class Memory (SCM) Integration
  • Efficient Flash Memory Management
  • Custom RAID Implementation
  • Customized Memory Controllers
  • Tailored I/O Processing
  • Media Management and Error Correction
  • Smart Storage Management
  • Custom Interfaces and Protocols
  • Scalability
  • Technology Differentiation

Additional Applications

Alphawave Semi also offers silicon solutions for 5G Infrastructure, Video/Audio, Medical Imaging, Test & Measurement Equipment, Military/Aerospace, and more.  Contact your Alphawave Semi sales representative for more information.