Hardware accelerators are custom-made hardware designs on a circuit board that perform specific functions better than software. Hardware accelerators use advanced processors, such as:
These processors are very suitable for performing specific, computation-intensive algorithms. Hardware acceleration helps enable artificial intelligence, including special functionalities such as machine learning, brain simulation, and neural engines. These functions use statistical techniques that allow computer systems to learn from data without being programmed, similar to our understanding of how the brain operates. Examples include 360° camera-view image recognition and speech recognition. The advanced processors used in hardware accelerator applications need special attention from point-of-load power management solutions, with features such as:
- Margining
- Adaptive Voltage Scaling (AVS)
- High temperature
- Safe Operating Area (SOA)
- High-current capability