At the Embedded World event, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. announced its acquisition of Edge Impulse Inc., a leading platform for AI development on edge devices. With this move, Qualcomm aims to enhance its development ecosystem, strengthen its capabilities in IoT, and solidify its position as a key player in AI-enabled products and services. The acquisition is still subject to standard closing conditions.
Edge Impulse: A Key Platform for AI at the Edge
Edge Impulse is a comprehensive AI platform designed to simplify creating, deploying, and monitoring AI models on edge devices. Its tools provide:
- Data collection and preparation for AI model training.
- Optimization and development of models across various edge devices.
- Remote monitoring and updates to ensure real-time performance improvements.
Integration with Qualcomm Dragonwing RB3 Gen 2
Edge Impulse is already compatible with Qualcomm’s Dragonwing QCS6490 and QCS5430 processors, which are part of the Qualcomm RB3 Gen 2 development kit. This enables developers to take advantage of AI inference, computer vision, graphics processing, and model optimization through the Qualcomm AI Hub.
Key benefits of this integration include:
- Real-time AI inference with improved energy efficiency.
- Multi-platform compatibility, including Windows, Linux, and Android.
- Expanded developer ecosystem, with tools such as the Qualcomm Intelligent Multimedia Product SDK and Qualcomm Visual Studio Code Extension.
Edge Impulse Will Operate with Independence Under Qualcomm
Despite the acquisition, Edge Impulse will maintain its branding and website, operating as “Edge Impulse, a Qualcomm Company”. This ensures continuity for developers and ecosystem partners, reinforcing Qualcomm’s commitment to innovation and collaboration in the AI and IoT sectors.
With this strategic move, Qualcomm strengthens its leadership in AI at the edge, making it easier to develop and deploy scalable solutions for connected devices.
