CogniVue Adopts Target's IP Designer Tool-Suite to Build Next-Generation Image Cognition Processor

Target to also provide SDK for CogniVue’s customers

48th Design Automation Conference – San Diego, California, June 3, 2011. Target Compiler Technologies, the leader in ASIP design tools, today announced that CogniVue Corporation has adopted its IP Designer™ tool-suite for the design of its next generation Image Cognition Processor (ICP) family.

This next generation ICP is the successor to CogniVue’s highly regarded CV220X ICP and re-defines the vision processing paradigm for advanced algorithms used in computer vision applications like gesture recognition, augmented reality, audience measurement, and next-generation driver assistance systems for automotive.   The new ICP from CogniVue incorporates significant refinement of the patented APEXTM array processing unit.  Besides advancements in processing performance and efficiency, the next generation APEX technology introduces parallel processing reconfigurability to further reinforce CogniVue’s greater than 10X advantage in processing capability per area per power. 

Simon Morris, CEO of CogniVue comments: “Our objective is to deliver a programmable processor product in the smart-imaging/video-processing market that reproduces the success of the GPU in the graphics market.  In particular, our objective is to lead in terms of best performance, per area, per power consumed for image cognition processing.   In order to be successful, it is clear that we need a world-class programming environment.  Target emerged as the clear leader in this domain due to the excellence of their SDK offering and their ability to support our customers directly.  Learning that IP Designer could also help us contain SoC development costs and assure processing performance and efficiency made the decision to engage obvious.”

According to Ali Osman Ors, Director of SoC Engineering at CogniVue, “Target’s IP Designer offering is unique in that it generates both the RTL and the complete SDK for our parallel processing core from a single design description.  Such automation allows us to develop a highly advanced processor architecture (and implementation) with a compact specialized team.  But, the real game-changer is the fact that we will be able to go to market on day one with a proven, fully featured, high-quality, highly efficient C-compiler-based SDK, all directly supported and maintained by Target.”

Mr. Ors continued: “We found Target to be an undeniable asset during development.  Their approach to support made us feel as if we had an extended team focused on compiler development and SDK issues.  Their support took the risk out of the schedule.”

“We are delighted to count CogniVue among our growing list of customers”, comments Gert Goossens, Target’s CEO.  “Real-time video and image processing require extreme levels of performance, and CogniVue’s next generation processor is an excellent example of how domain knowledge can be used to create breakthrough performance and efficiency for an application-specific processor.  We are happy to have enabled CogniVue to realize this product with a compact team and schedule.”

This announcement marks one of several announcements made today by Target.

About IP Designer

IP Designer is an EDA tool-suite used by SoC designers to design, optimize and program DSPs and other such application-specific processor cores (ASIPs).  The designer can easily describe ASIP architectures with performance and energy characteristics that are superior to commercially available processor IP (or may even approach the efficiency of hardwired data-paths). Using Target’s processor modeling language (nML) and the IP Designer tool-suite (which includes a highly optimizing C compiler, a cycle- or instruction-accurate instruction-set simulator, and a graphical/interactive debugging/profiling environment), designers can explore and fine-tune a processor architecture for performance and efficiency and then automatically generate low-power RTL and comprehensive verification suites.

About CogniVue Corporation

CogniVue Corporation is a fabless semiconductor and software company developing low power programmable Image Cognition Processors for emerging smart camera markets such as automotive vision systems, gesture recognition and smart video monitoring applications. Founded in 2005, CogniVue is a privately held company headquartered in Ottawa-Gatineau, Canada. For more information, please visit http://www.cognivue.com.

About Target Compiler Technologies

Target Compiler Technologies (www.retarget.com) is the leading provider of retargetable software tools to accelerate the design, programming and verification of application-specific processor cores (ASIPs). Target's IP Designer tool suite is ideally suited for SoC designs in markets that mandate low silicon cost, low energy consumption, and flexibility to accommodate algorithmic changes. The tools have been used by customers around the globe to design SoCs for 2G/3G/4G handsets, cordless and VoIP phones, audio/video/image processing, infotainment and security for cars, DSL modems, DSL access multiplexers, wireless LAN, hearing instruments, and personal healthcare systems. Target is a spin-off of the Belgian nano-electronics R&D center IMEC, is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, with North American operations in Boulder, Colorado.