Intel unveils Loihi 2 neuromorphic research chip and Lava software framework

Leveraging advances in Intel's process technology and asynchronous design methods, the new research chip improves the speed, programmability, and capacity of neuromorphic processing. Loihi 2 is claimed to provide up to 10 times faster processing and up to 15 times greater resource density with up to 1 million neurons per chip.

Intel on Thursday announced Loihi 2, its second-generation neuromorphic research chip that provides up to 10 times faster processing and improved energy efficiency than its predecessor, and Lava open-source software framework for developing neuro-inspired applications.

Leveraging advances in Intel's process technology and asynchronous design methods, the new research chip improves the speed, programmability, and capacity of neuromorphic processing. Loihi 2 is claimed to provide up to 10 times faster processing and up to 15 times greater resource density with up to 1 million neurons per chip.

According to the company, Loihi 2 has been fabricated with a preproduction version of the Intel 4 process to address the need to achieve greater application scales within a single neuromorphic chip. Here are the key highlights of the new chip:

• Faster and more general optimization
• New approaches for continual and associative learning
• Novel neural networks trainable by deep learning
• Faster and more flexible input/output interfaces
• Seamless integration with novel sensors and larger meshed networks of Loihi 2 chips.

Intel is currently offering two Loihi 2-based neuromorphic systems to researchers via the Neuromorphic Research Cloud. These include:

1. Oheo Gulch, a single chip system for early evaluation
2. Kapoho Point, a compact and stackable 8-chip system that will be available soon

To address the need for software convergence, benchmarking, and cross-platform collaboration in the field of neuromorphic computing, Intel has also introduced Lava, an open, modular, and extensible framework that will allow researchers and application developers to build on each other's progress and converge on a common set of tools, methods, and libraries. The Lava Software Framework is available for free download on GitHub.

The new research chip and framework will be featured at the upcoming Intel Innovation event in October, the company said.

Loihi 2 and Lava harvest insights from several years of collaborative research using Loihi. Our second-generation chip greatly improves the speed, programmability, and capacity of neuromorphic processing, broadening its usages in power and latency constrained intelligent computing applications.

Mike Davies, director of Intel's Neuromorphic Computing Lab