New Cadence Tensilica HiFi 5 DSP Is Optimized for AI Speech and Audio Processing

Today, at the Linley Microprocessor Conference, Cadence announced the latest in its line of Tensilica HiFi processor IP, the HiFi 5.

This is specifically targeted at the more demanding audio processing required to give users greater fidelity of sound produced, and in recognition of voice and voice commands.

This fifth-generation HiFi DSP offers 2X audio processing and 4X neural network (NN) processing improvements versus the HiFi 4 DSP, making it a good solution for voice-controlled user interfaces in digital home assistants and automotive infotainment.

Key features of the HiFi 5 DSP include:

Five very long instruction word (VLIW)-slot architecture capable of issuing two 128-bit loads per cycle
2X MAC capability versus HiFi 4 DSP for pre- and post-processing, includes:
- Support for eight 32x32-bit or 16 16x16-bit MACs per cycle
- Optional eight single-precision floating-point MACs per cycle
4X MAC capability versus HiFi 4 DSP for NN processing, includes:
- 32 16x8 or 16x4 MACs per cycle
- Optional 16 half-precision floating-point MACs per cycle
The new HiFi NN library offers a highly optimized set of library functions commonly used in NN processing (especially speech). These library functions can be integrated into popular machine learning frameworks.
Software compatibility with the complete HiFi product line totaling over 300 HiFi-optimized audio and voice codecs and audio enhancement software packages.