SiFive launched its 2nd Generation Intelligence™ family, featuring five new RISC-V-based products designed to accelerate AI workloads across applications. The lineup includes two new products — the X160 Gen 2 and X180 Gen 2 — alongside upgraded X280 Gen 2, X390 Gen 2 and XM Gen 2. These products feature enhanced scalar, vector and, with XM, matrix processing capabilities for AI workloads.
The X160 Gen 2 and X180 Gen 2 target edge compute and IoT applications, achieving efficiency in a compact footprint and delivering AI functionality to the embedded edge, which operates under power and area constraints. Target industries include automotive, autonomous robotics, industrial automation, and smart IoT.
A Deloitte survey predicts 20% AI workload growth in every tech environment, including 78% growth in AI edge computing. The company reports adoption of the new X100 series by two Tier 1 U.S. semiconductor companies.
Vector engines process multiple data items in parallel, reducing instruction overhead and power consumption. The vector-based RISC-V IPs balance efficiency, configurability and performance. Compared to scalar-only CPUs, vector CPUs can run AI models faster, with a smaller footprint and lower power consumption for edge AI applications.
From narrow to wide vector engines, to XM with a scalable Matrix engine, the 2nd Generation Intelligence IP offers customers a range of performance, area and power options within a single scalable ISA. All X-Series IPs can function as an Accelerator Control Unit (ACU), providing control and assist functions for a customer’s accelerator engine via specialized co-processor interfaces (SSCI and VCIX). This allows customers to focus on data processing innovations at the platform level and simplifies the software stack.
All five Intelligence Gen 2 products are available for licensing, with first silicon expected in Q2 2026.
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