Tenstorrent recently announced a significant agreement to license its RISC-V CPU and AI processor intellectual property (IP) to Japan’s Leading-edge Semiconductor Technology Center (LSTC). This collaboration will facilitate the development of an edge-focused AI accelerator by LSTC, which will leverage a multi-chiplet design manufactured by Japan’s Rapidus using their advanced 2nm fabrication process.
The agreement entails Tenstorrent providing a license for its datacenter-grade Ascalon general-purpose processor IP to LSTC. The implementation of the chiplet utilizing Rapidus’s cutting-edge 2nm fabrication process will be supported by Tenstorrent. The Ascalon processor, designed by the renowned CPU architect Jim Keller, features an out-of-order RISC-V CPU design with impressive specifications including eight-wide decoding, six ALUs, two FPUs, and two 256-bit vector units. Paired with the 2nm-class process technology, the Ascalon processor is poised to deliver exceptional performance.
In addition to the CPU IP licensing, Tenstorrent and LSTC will collaborate on designing a groundbreaking AI accelerator. While LSTC will not be licensing Tenstorrent’s proprietary RISC-V Tensix cores tailored for neural network inference and training, the joint effort aims to develop a proprietary AI accelerator focused on inference workloads.
The partnership between Tenstorrent and LSTC marks a significant milestone in the semiconductor industry, pioneering cross-organizational chiplet development. The edge AI accelerator will integrate LSTC’s AI chiplet with Tenstorrent’s RISC-V and peripheral chiplet technology, leveraging the efficiency and adaptability of chiplet technology to address the growing demands of AI applications at the edge.
Rapidus is expected to commence chip production on its 2nm fabrication process around 2027, slightly lagging behind industry leaders like TSMC and Intel. Nevertheless, this advancement signifies a substantial achievement for Japan’s semiconductor industry, showcasing its efforts to regain a prominent position on the global stage.
The collaboration to build an edge AI accelerator utilizing Tenstorrent’s IP and Rapidus’s advanced 2nm-class production node is a significant milestone for LSTC, Tenstorrent, and Rapidus. It underscores the technological prowess and collaborative spirit of these companies in driving innovation and advancing semiconductor capabilities.
