Microchip's MPLAB® Machine Learning for MCU & MPU

On September 8, 2023, Machine Learning (ML) is rapidly becoming a standard requirement for embedded design professionals to develop or enhance various products. In response to this demand, Microchip Technology Inc. has recently introduced the all-new MPLAB® Machine Learning Development Toolkit, offering a comprehensive integrated workflow to streamline the development of machine learning models. This software toolkit is compatible with Microchip's range of microcontrollers (MCUs) and microprocessors (MPUs), empowering developers to efficiently incorporate machine learning inference.

Rodger Richey, Vice President of Microchip's Development Systems Business Unit, stated, "Machine learning is the new norm for embedded controllers, and utilizing machine learning at the edge, as opposed to relying on cloud communication for processing, can make products more efficient, secure, and power-efficient. Microchip's unique integrated solution is designed specifically for embedded engineers and is the first solution that supports not only 32-bit MCUs and MPUs but also 8-bit and 16-bit devices, enabling efficient product development."

Machine Learning involves the use of algorithms to analyze and generate patterns from large datasets to support decision-making. Compared to manual processing, machine learning is typically faster, easier to update, and more accurate. Microchip customers can leverage this new toolkit to enable predictive maintenance solutions, accurately predicting potential issues with devices used in various industrial, manufacturing, consumer, and automotive applications.

The MPLAB Machine Learning Development Toolkit assists engineers in building efficient, compact machine learning models. With AutoML support, this toolkit eliminates many repetitive, tedious, and time-consuming model-building tasks, including extraction, training, validation, and testing. It also provides model optimization capabilities to meet the memory constraints of MCUs and MPUs.

When used in conjunction with the MPLAB X Integrated Development Environment (IDE), the new toolkit provides a complete solution that can be easily implemented by individuals with little to no machine learning programming knowledge, thus saving the cost of hiring data scientists. Additionally, it offers advanced features to meet the needs of experienced machine learning designers.

Microchip also offers the option to extract models from TensorFlow Lite and use them in any MPLAB Harmony v3 project. MPLAB Harmony v3 is a fully integrated embedded software development framework that provides flexible, interoperable software modules to simplify the development of value-added features and shorten time to market. Furthermore, the VectorBlox™ Accelerator Software Development Kit (SDK) harnesses the power of PolarFire® FPGA to provide the most energy-efficient artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) inference capabilities based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN).

The MPLAB Machine Learning Development Toolkit provides essential tools designed to design and optimize edge products that run machine learning inference. For more information on how Microchip's intuitive machine learning tools simplify the development process, reduce costs, and accelerate time to market, please visit the Microchip Machine Learning Solutions page.