By Warren Miller, contributing writer
Artificial intelligence (AI), once the province of science fiction novels and films, has become a reality. AI and machine learning is seemingly everywhere from autonomous vehicles to digital assistants for the office or home. Accordingly, the race to get ahead of the competition in the AI field couldn’t be any hotter. In an effort to take the pole position in that race to the finish, NVIDIA, a player in parallel computing and deep learning, has announced the availability of NVIDIA Isaac, a new platform to power the next generation of autonomous machines.
What sets NVIDIA apart is Jetson Xavier, a powerful computer designed specifically for the needs of robotic designers and manufacturers. Capable of performing 30 trillion operations per second (TOPS) while consuming about one-third as much energy as a standard halogen lightbulb, the Jetson Xavier boasts six different kinds of high-performance processors and more than 9 billion transistors. All that computing power allows Jetson Xavier to simultaneously process algorithms for things like sensors and odometers and to determine location and direction. Robots can then use that information to “see” their surroundings and calculate the best course of action to achieve their desired goals.
“AI is the most powerful technology force of our time,” said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA, in a press release. “Its first phase will enable new levels of software automation that boost productivity in many industries. Next, AI, in combination with sensors and actuators, will be the brain of a new generation of autonomous machines. Someday, there will be billions of intelligent machines in manufacturing, home delivery, warehouse logistics, and much more.”
NVIDIA Isaac comes with a corresponding software package designed to help users learn how to fully utilize the wide variety of functions that Jetson Xavier can perform. Isaac SDK is an assortment of tools and APIs that users can employ to develop their own robotics-specific algorithm software and frameworks; Isaac Intelligent Machine Acceleration (IMX) offers a variety of similar pre-developed and tested software for robotics algorithm software, and Isaac SIM is a virtual simulation environment designed for developers to teach autonomous machines and perform hardware-in-the-loop testing.
The capability of performing up to 30 TOPS shouldn’t overshadow the low power that the Jetson Xavier uses (and yes, it’s hard not to think of George Jetson meeting Professor X when you talk about the Jetson Xavier). Currently, AI is “trapped” in a big computing cloud. Perhaps the Jetson Xavier will allow key AI functions to be efficient enough to run on a bracelet or in a pendant around your neck.
Huang is almost certainly correct in predicting the proliferation of AI in machines used in every manner of endeavor and locale. Imagine home appliances that prepare and cook your meals for you or cars that drop you off at work before driving themselves back home. AI will greatly affect our daily lives in ways that no one has even thought of yet — but only because they haven’t had the tools necessary to explore the recesses of their imaginations.
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