Maxim Integrated Teams with Xailient to Provide World’s Fastest and Lowest-Power IoT Face Detection

MAX78000 AI microcontroller and Xailient’s Detectum™ neural network detects and localizes faces in video and images at just 12ms per inference

San Jose, Calif.—Aug 3, 2021—Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. (NASDAQ: MXIM) and Xailient Inc., a company focused on artificial intelligence (AI) for the edge, today announced that Maxim Integrated’s MAX78000 ultra-low power neural-network microcontroller detects and localizes faces in video and images using Xailient’s proprietary Detectum™ neural network. Xailient’s neural network draws 250x lower power (at just 280 microJoules) than conventional embedded solutions, and at 12 milliseconds (ms) per inference, the network performs in real time and is faster than the most efficient face-detection solution available for the edge.

Battery-powered AI systems that require face detection, such as home cameras, industrial grade smart security cameras and retail solutions, require a low-power solution to provide the longest possible operation between charges. In addition to supporting standalone applications, Maxim Integrated’s microcontroller paired with Xailient’s neural network improves overall power efficiency and battery life of hybrid edge/cloud applications that employ a low-power ‘listening’ mode which then awakens more complex systems when a face is detected.

Xailient’s Detectum™ neural network includes focus, zoom and visual wake-word technologies to detect and localize faces in video and images at 76x faster rates than conventional software solutions, at similar or better accuracy. In addition, the flexible network can be extended to applications other than facial recognition, such as livestock inventory and monitoring, parking spot occupancy, inventory levels and more.

Key Advantages

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Availability and Pricing

The MAX78000 is available at Maxim Integrated’s website for $8.50 (1000-up, FOB USA); also available from authorized distributors

The MAX78000EVKIT# evaluation kit is available for $168

The Detectum neural network, series models, tools, services as well as focus, zoom and visual wake word technologies are available directly from Xailient