CEVA Unveils SensPro: Configurable DSP Architecture for Multi‑Sensor Fusion and AI Acceleration

Overview

In a world where virtually every device embeds multiple sensors, the ability to fuse and process diverse data streams has become critical. CEVA addresses this challenge with SensPro, a configurable DSP architecture that unifies scalar and vector processing, floating‑point and integer math, and AI acceleration in a single silicon solution.

Design Philosophy

Recognizing the exploding variety of sensor types and their distinct compute requirements, CEVA rebuilt its approach from the ground up. SensPro delivers a holistic, multi‑core architecture that combines deep pipelining, parallelism, and multi‑tasking to meet demanding workloads while maintaining power efficiency.

Key Technical Highlights

• 8‑way VLIW core running at 1.6 GHz on a 7 nm process
• CEVA‑BX2 scalar processor (4.3 CoreMark/MHz) for control flow
• SIMD‑scalable vector units configurable up to 1024 8×8 MACs, 256 16×16 MACs, 64 binary‑NN 8×2 MACs, 64 single‑precision and 128 half‑precision FP MACs
• 400 GFLOPS floating‑point performance, 3 TOPS (8×8) and 20 TOPS (binary‑NN) inference
• 400 GB/s memory bandwidth, 4‑way instruction cache, 2‑way vector data cache, DMA and dedicated queue managers

Software Ecosystem

CEVA supports SensPro with an extensive toolchain: LLVM C/C++ compiler, Eclipse‑based IDE, OpenVX and OpenCL APIs, CDNN graph compiler, CEVA‑CV imaging functions, CEVA‑SLAM SDK, ClearVox noise reduction, WhisPro speech recognition, MotionEngine sensor fusion, and the SenslinQ framework for inter‑core communication.

Target Applications

SensPro is engineered for any context‑aware multi‑sensor device—from smartphones and automotive ADAS to AR/VR headsets, robotics, drones, wearables, and industrial/medical platforms. Its configurable design allows rapid adaptation to specific workloads, while the pre‑configured reference models provide a quick start for common use cases.

Industry Perspective

Mike Demler of Yole Développement notes that SensPro marks a shift from CEVA’s traditional single‑application DSPs toward a unified solution that supports on‑device AI and sensor fusion, essential for modern smart machines. The architecture’s flexibility and high performance are expected to drive adoption across consumer and industrial markets.