From All-in-One IP to Cervell™: How Semidynamics Reimagined AI Compute with RISC-V

By Kalar Rajendiran

May 27, 2025

In an era where artificial intelligence workloads are growing in scale, complexity, and diversity, chipmakers are facing increasing pressure to deliver solutions that are not only fast, but also flexible and programmable. Semidynamics recently announced Cervell™, a fully programmable Neural Processing Unit (NPU) designed to handle scalable AI compute from the edge to the datacenter. Cervell represents a fundamental shift in how AI processors are conceived and deployed. It is the culmination of Semidynamics’ IP offerings evolution from modular IP components to a tightly integrated, unified architecture, rooted in the open RISC-V ecosystem.

Key Takeaways

• Cervell™ is a fully programmable Neural Processing Unit (NPU) designed for scalable AI compute from the edge to the datacenter.
• Cervell integrates CPU, vector units, and tensor engines into a single processing entity, eliminating the need for external CPUs and reducing performance bottlenecks.
• The architecture is based on the open RISC-V ecosystem, allowing for deep customization and flexibility in processor design.

To read the full article, click here