ST launches a new "smart sensor processing unit" that implements MEMS and ISPU on a single chip

     ST today announced the Smart Sensor Processing Unit (ISPU), which combines a digital signal processor (DSP) suitable for running AI algorithms and MEMS sensors on the same chip. In addition to shrinking the size of system-in-package devices and reducing power consumption by up to 80 percent, the fusion of sensors and AI puts decision-making at the very edge of the system. This enables smart sensors to meet the Onlife era of perception, processing, and action, bringing the fusion of digital technology and the physical world.

     The Onlife era acknowledges living with the constant help of connected technologies, enjoying natural, transparent interactions and seamless transitions, and making no significant difference between online and offline. With the ISPU, ST opens this era by migrating intelligent processing to the sensor side: no longer at the edge, but in the edge.

     ST's ISPUs offer substantial advantages in power consumption, packaging, performance and price. The proprietary ultra-low-power DSP can be programmed in the C language familiar to many engineers. It also allows quantized AI sensors to support neural networks from full precision to single-bit precision. Tasks such as motion recognition and anomaly detection are ensured by analyzing inertial data with excellent accuracy and high efficiency.

     "While technically challenging, integrating ST's sensors with an ISPU on a single chip can really elevate a sensor-based system from an online experience to an Onlife experience. By reducing data transfer to improve sensor functionality for faster decision-making, Enhances privacy by keeping data local while reducing size and power consumption, thereby reducing cost," said Andrea Onetti, Executive Vice President, ST MEMS Subgroup. "In addition, ISPU is programmed with commercial AI models and is operable with all leading AI tools."