NVIDIA brings AI to the edge with Jetson TX2 for UAS, other applications

SANTA CLARA, Calif. NVIDIA in Santa Clara, California, is unveiling the NVIDIA Jetson TX2 credit card-sized platform to deliver artificial intelligence (AI), also popularly referred to as artificial neural networking or deep learning, computing at the edge – well suited to commercial unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), also known as drones; intelligent robots; and cameras and sensors in smart cities.

Jetson TX2 offers users the option of either: achieving twice the performance of its predecessor or running at more than twice the power efficiency, while drawing less than 7.5 watts of power. Jetson TX2 can run larger, deeper neural networks on edge devices, resulting in smarter devices with higher accuracy and faster response times for such tasks as image classification, navigation, and speech recognition.

“Jetson TX2 brings powerful AI capabilities at the edge, making possible a new class of intelligent machines,” explains Deepu Talla, vice president and general manager of the Tegra business at NVIDIA. “These devices will enable intelligent video analytics that keep our cities smarter and safer, new kinds of robots that optimize manufacturing, and new collaboration that makes long-distance work more efficient.”

The Jetson TX2 joins the Jetson TX1 and TK1 products for embedded computing. Jetson is an open platform that is accessible to anyone for developing advanced AI solutions at the edge — from enterprise companies and startups to researchers and high school students.

NVIDIA Jetson enables Cisco to add AI features such as facial and speech recognition to its Cisco Spark products that connect everyone, everywhere. Cisco is able to drive new experiences and remove the barriers between physical and virtual spaces, thanks to Jetson TX2’s advanced technology capabilities in AI computing and graphics.

“For years, NVIDIA has demonstrated its commitment to FIRST through multifaceted support by providing Jetson developer kits for robot builds, online training resources, and team and event funding,” says Donald E. Bossi, president of FIRST, an international K-12 nonprofit focused on science and technology. “Through these efforts, NVIDIA is helping to inspire more young students to become innovators and inventors.”

Key features of Jetson TX2 include:

• GPU: 256-core NVIDIA Pascal architecture-based GPU offering best-in-class performance
• CPU: Dual 64-bit NVIDIA Denver 2, Quad ARM A57
• Video: 4K x 2K 60fps encode and decode
• Camera: 12 CSI lanes supporting up to 6 cameras; 2.5 gigabytes/second/lane
• Memory: 8GB LPDDR4; 58.3 gigabytes/second
• Storage: 32GB eMMC
• Connectivity: 802.11ac WLAN, Bluetooth
• Networking: 1GB Ethernet
• OS Support: Linux for Tegra
• Size: 50mm x 87mm

The Jetson family is supported by an SDK for AI computing, JetPack 3.0, which makes it easy to integrate AI into a wide variety of applications, and support:

• TensorRT 1.0, a high-performance neural network inference engine for production deployment of deep learning applications
• cuDNN 5.1, a GPU-accelerated library of primitives for deep neural networks
• VisionWorks 1.6, a software development package for computer vision and image processing
• The latest graphics drivers and APIs, including OpenGL 4.5, OpenGL ES 3.2, EGL 1.4 and Vulkan 1.0

CUDA 8, which turns the GPU into a general-purpose massively parallel processor, giving developers access to tremendous performance and power-efficiency

The NVIDIA Jetson TX2 Developer Kit includes the carrier board and Jetson TX2 module, can be preordered for $599 in the United States and Europe, and will begin shipping March 14. It will be available in other regions in the coming weeks. The Jetson TX2 module will be available in Q2 for $399 (in quantities of 1,000 or more) from NVIDIA and its distributors around the world. The price of the Jetson TX1 Developer Kit has been reduced to $499.

NVIDIA’s (NASDAQ:NVDA) invention of the GPU in 1999 sparked the growth of the PC gaming market, redefined modern computer graphics and revolutionized parallel computing, officials say. More recently, GPU deep learning ignited modern AI — the next era of computing — with the GPU acting as the brain of computers, robots, and self-driving cars that can perceive and understand the world. NVIDIA is increasingly known as “the AI computing company”, officials say.

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