Intel and Altera simplify sensor integration for edge and physical AI

Intel Corporation and Altera, the largest pure-play FPGA provider with a full-spectrum portfolio, today announced a collaboration to develop a flexible, real-time sensor bridge reference solution for a range of Edge and Physical AI industries including healthcare, aerospace and defence, and robotics applications. By combining Intel compute, connectivity and software with Altera FPGAs, the companies aim to help original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) address the growing complexity of connecting, processing and acting on real-world data across increasingly sensor-rich edge environments.

Addressing the Complexity of Sensor-Rich Edge Systems

Edge and Physical AI systems can require data from different sensors and interfaces to be brought together while meeting requirements for timing, performance, power and cost. Some applications also require very high bandwidth or flexible form factors in which input/output (I/O) is located away from the compute board. Sensor data must then be streamed rapidly into memory for the host Intel processor to use across edge, robotics and other workloads.

Intel and Altera plan to address these challenges through modular reference solutions that combine Altera programmable hardware with a consistent Intel compute and software foundation. The goal is to give OEMs greater flexibility as applications, sensors and workloads evolve, while helping them move more efficiently from prototype to deployment.

"As sensors multiply at the edge and through Physical AI systems, our customers need a simpler way to turn real-world data into timely action. Together with Altera, we aim to give OEMs a flexible foundation that simplifies integration and helps them move faster from prototype to market deployment while meeting their needs across performance, power and cost," said Dan Rodriguez, corporate vice president and general manager, Edge Computing Group, Intel.

"Physical AI systems have to sense, decide, and act in real time, and the physical world demands accuracy, reliability, and safety. Altera FPGAs provide the sensor connectivity, data processing, and deterministic control that machines need to respond to the physical world, and they stay programmable as sensors and AI models evolve. Combining that with Intel's compute and software is intended to give OEMs a flexible foundation to tailor systems to their needs," said Farhad Shafai, Head of Business Solutions and Marketing at Altera.

Applying Programmable, Real-Time Processing Across Edge Markets

Intel and Altera plan to apply the collaboration across multiple markets where real-time processing and programmable computing matter most. The companies intend to make resulting reference solutions accessible to developers through Intel's Open Edge Platform SDK and an Altera SDK.

– Healthcare: The companies are jointly developing a reference solution targeting the stringent latency and real-time requirements of advanced healthcare equipment.

– Aerospace and defence: Intel and Altera are collaborating on reference solutions to support next-generation mission systems, with a focus on size, weight and power requirements for converged AI and signal-processing workloads.

– Robotics: Intel and Altera plan to combine Intel compute, connectivity and robotics software with Altera FPGA technology to help address the increasingly complex sensing, timing and real-time processing requirements of intelligent machines.

Together, Intel and Altera aim to help OEMs move faster from prototype to deployment with programmable real-time sensor-bridge reference solutions that are designed to help reduce integration complexity while addressing performance, power and cost requirements across a range of edge applications.