LG Electronics designs brain-like chip to make appliances smart

[Photo by LG Electronics Inc.]

LG Electronics said on Thursday it has developed a processor chip that can make household machines think like human brain and perform on its own.

The product Neural Engine is an AI processor that imitates the human brain neural network and features significant improvement in the processing performance of deep learning algorithms, the company said. The chip helps strengthen a product’s original function by detecting physical and chemical changes, distinguishes space, location, objects and users and recognizes the characteristics of a user’s voice or noise.

In particular, the chip is able to perform on-device functions with which it can learn and infer on its own even when there is no network connection.

Unlike other AI chips placed in external cloud or servers for deep learning, the new chip can be installed inside products for an increase in speed and efficiency, LG Electronics said.

Other features include the ability to correct the distortion of wide-angle lenses and to obtain bright and clear images even in dark places.

A foreign foundry company will be commissioned to produce the chip and LG Electronics will roll out chip-embedded robot vacuum cleaners, washing machines and air conditioners in the near future. The company said it will continue cooperation with other companies, universities and research institutes to bring more AI solutions to the market.

The AI chip is designed to provide optimized AI solutions, said Park Il-pyung, LG Electronics’ chief technology officer, adding LG will further strengthen the function of its ThinQ AI platform.

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