Mignon Tsetlin Machine Virtual Hardware Simulator

Mignon's technology enables **ultra-low power, explainable, Artificial Intelligence within edge devices.**

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming daily life, from how we process information, to how we keep ourselves healthy and safe. As the ubiquity of AI increases, there is an increasing need for AI models to be ran outside the cloud and on devices. Experts predict that by 2030 there could be **\>1trillion devices** connected to the internet with a majority requiring AI capabilities like image recognition. However, current network bandwidth and computing power could soon limit development. Furthermore, the black-box nature of AI limits applications.

AI within a device, rather than transmitting lots of data over a network, is called _Edge AI_. The most common technology in Edge AI is called a Neural Network. This approach takes a lot of computing power.

Mignon is a Newcastle University spinout, to commercialise an entirely novel, ultra energy-efficient Edge AI coprocessor, based on an architecture paradigm called Tsetlin Machine. Mignon's technology will facilitate a new generation of AI-powered edge devices.

Mignon's semiconductor technology implements ultra-low-power edge inference and for the first time on-chip AI training. Uniquely, Mignon's technology enables explainability in AI allowing for detailed understanding of how decisions are made from the chip level.

Mignon has demonstrated a ~**10000-fold** lower energy consumption and over **1000-fold** lower latency than existing commercial incumbents, whilst maintaining the same high levels of accuracy.

To ensure the UK and its global partners benefit from Mignon, we must ensure that the technology is accessible to engineers. This project will allow engineers to experiment and build on Mignon's technology, by making it available to them through software virtually using _the_ _cloud._ Therefore, they can understand how it works for them, start using it in their own projects, and eventually licence the technology from Mignon to use in physical devices. Once developed this _emulator_ will be useful in the design and development of edge AI devices for IoT. This project will set a foundation for developing an ecosystem for this new technology with a centre-of-gravity within the UK.

Mignon believes that in commercialising this technology it has the ability to revolutionise the way AI is utilised in a new generation of intelligent devices, bringing about a meaningful improvement in the UK's semiconductor industry, with significant global impact. We think this project will accelerate that, taking less than 6 months to get the technology in the hands of other engineers.