Intel Announces Loihi 2 Neuromorphic Research Chip Based On Intel 4 Fabrication

Intel has launched its very first chipset -- the Loihi 2. It is also the first processor fabricated using the Intel 4 lithography technology. According to the company, the Loihi 2 uses an open-source framework and can be used to develop neuro-inspired applications.

Intel also confirms that the Loihi 2 offers 10 times faster processing and 15 times greater resource density, and it packs up to one million neurons per chip. The processor is manufactured using Intel 4 extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, which has helped the company to rapidly develop this chipset.

According to Mike Davies, director of Intel's Neuromorphic Computing Lab, the Loihi 2 improves the speed, programmability, and capacity of neuromorphic processing. Intel has also open-sourced Lava, which helps to improve the commercial viability.

Practical Use Cases of Loihi 2

Loihi 2 is designed to mimic the biological functionality of the brain. The processor can be used in a variety of applications like vision, voice, and gesture recognition. Intel has dedicated three years of research to designing the Loihi 2, and it is more programable when compared to its predecessor with support for real-time optimization.

The market currently has three different types of computing architectures: conventional computing, parallel computing, and neuromorphic computing. As of now, Intel offers the Loihi 2 in two different variations for researchers, which offers access to shared systems.

Intel Loihi 2 Specifications

The Intel Loihi 2 is based on Intel 4 process with 31 mm^2 of die area 0.21 mm^2 of core area. The chip has a total of 2.3 billion transistors with 128 neuron cores/chip and six processors/per chip. It comes with a variable neuron state allocation from zero to 4096, depending on the neuron model requirement.

Intel is all set to launch the 12th Gen Alder Lake CPUs in the coming months, which will be based on the Intel 7 processor. As the brand has confirmed during Intel Architecture Day 2021, the company has already shared a timeline for the launch of the CPUs based on Intel 4 fabrication.

Intel will be able to measure the real-world performance of the Intel 4 processor using the Loihi 2 and further finetune it by the time it comes to consumer electronics.