Baidu Brain Edge AI Applications to use Xilinx Technology

Xilinx announced that Baidu's EdgeBoard, an edge acceleration computing solution, is based on the Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC platform designed specifically for edge applications.

The newly announced EdgeBoard is a turn-key solution. It can be fully configured directly from Baidu. The Baidu Brain AI Hardware Platform is part of the Baidu Brain AI capabilities open platform and it comprises of Baidu's open computing services and hardware and software products for edge artificial intelligence (AI) applications.

Baidu's Brain AI Hardware Platform initiative enables companies to quickly adopt and deploy solutions for edge-specific applications. The same Baidu AI hardware platform can now be used to customize EdgeBoard solutions to suit market requirements.

PC: Baidu EdgeBoard is based on the Xilinx® Zynq® UltraScale+™ MPSoC,

Executive Opinion

The general manager of Baidu's AI ecosystem division, Youping Yu, said, "Xilinx offers the world's leading adaptive chips and development support. The flexible EdgeBoard we built based on Xilinx is designed to enable developers and engineers to quickly leverage Baidu-proven technology or deploy self-defined models, enabling faster deployment. This is the ideal acceleration engine to enable Baidu Brain to broadly serve Chinese edge AI developers."

Corporate vice president, global data center sales, Xilinx, Freddy Engineer, said, "We are very excited to be selected as the AI technology for the Baidu Brain AI Hardware Platform. The massive and open ecosystem being built by Baidu will accelerate the innovation of edge AI across China, resulting in products and solutions that will improve the way we work and live."

What is Baidu's EdgeBoard?

According to the announcement, the Baidu's EdgeBoard uses Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC integrating powerful real-time processors with programmable logic. It provides developers with unrivaled levels of system performance, flexibility, and scalability allowing them to quickly build and bring to market innovative AI products.

The different uses cases such as edge applications could be smart-video security surveillance solutions, advanced-driver-assistance systems and next-generation robots are now possible with the Xilinx MPSoC-based EdgeBoard. Recently, the inventor of the FPGA, hardware programmable SoCs and the ACAP, Xilinx, also planned to collaborate with ZF Friedrichshafen AG for ZF ProAI, an artificial intelligence (AI) based automotive control unit, to enable automated driving applications.

The Xilinx technology will now help enable next-generation of intelligent edge Application Development from Baidu. More information about Baidu's EdgeBoard is available here.