SiFive and Kinara Collaborate to Provide Direct Access to RISC-V Vector Processors SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SiFive, Inc., the leading provider of RISC-V computing solutions, has announced a partnership with Kinara to develop a USB-based enablement board that grants users direct access to the SiFive IntelligenceTM X280 processor. This new board will facilitate the evaluation and development of RISC-V vector software, making it easier for customers to test the X280 IP and start building applications. The HiFiveTM Xara X280 enablement board will be available to select customers in late Q2 of this year. The centerpiece of the HiFiveTM Xara X280 board is Kinara's Ara-2, which features two 64-bit SiFive X280 RISC-V cores. These cores are designed to handle various tasks such as pre- and post-processing, tensor filtering, and floating-point operations. They are also integrated with high-performance, high-efficiency Kinara Neural Processing Unit (NPU) cores, optimized for AI inference at the edge. The NPUs can achieve up to 40 trillion operations per second (TOPS) and support advanced generative AI workloads, including transformer-based models like LLaVA, LLaMA, and other Large Language Models (LLMs). "SiFive’s RISC-V cores are an excellent match for Kinara’s neural processor cores, enabling highly efficient and cost-effective end-to-end AI inference for edge applications," said Ravi Annavajjhala, CEO of Kinara. "Our collaboration with SiFive allows us to support a broad spectrum of AI workloads, from conventional Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to cutting-edge generative AI and multi-modal vision transformers." Jack Kang, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Business Development, Sales, and Customer Experience at SiFive, emphasized the importance of the Xara board for customer evaluation. "We developed the Xara board to help SiFive customers assess the real-time performance of the X280 IP before integrating it into their custom chips," he explained. "With the added capability to access Kinara's Ara-2 processor, developers can now explore the latest advancements in edge AI processing." Kinara, Inc., a frontrunner in Edge AI technology, specializes in delivering powerful and efficient AI processing solutions for diverse applications, ranging from industrial automation to smart city initiatives. Notably, on February 10, 2025, NXP announced its agreement to acquire Kinara, further solidifying Kinara’s position in the industry and enhancing its potential to innovate and expand its offerings. SiFive, known for introducing RISC-V to the global market, continues to drive the evolution of compute technology. By offering state-of-the-art RISC-V platforms, SiFive enables leading technology companies worldwide to innovate and optimize solutions for a variety of markets, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, automotive, data centers, mobile devices, and consumer electronics. SiFive's vision is to unlock the full potential of RISC-V, ensuring its application in even the most demanding and data-intensive environments. This collaboration between SiFive and Kinara represents a significant step forward in the accessibility and practicality of RISC-V for edge AI applications. Developers and technology companies alike will benefit from the enhanced capabilities and performance offered by the HiFiveTM Xara X280 enablement board, paving the way for more robust and versatile AI solutions.