Innatera selects Synopsys for neuromorphic microcontroller design

Innatera selected Synopsys for design and validation of its next-generation neuromorphic microcontrollers to support low-power Artificial Intelligence (AI) for wearables, smart home devices, and digital twin industrial sensors.

The companies described plans to use Synopsys' electrostatic discharge and power integrity analysis tools to help Innatera scale operations to meet growing demand for edge processing in industrial sensors, robotics, wearables, and smart home technologies.

Neuromorphic microcontrollers process information through Spiking Neural Networks that mimic how biological neurons communicate, enabling an event-driven approach that supports real-time, ultra-low-power operation in sensor-rich environments. Innatera's architecture combined mixed-signal analog computation, dense interconnects, and low-voltage design, which introduced potential sources of electrical noise and Electrostatic Discharge Protection (ESD) sensitivity; to address these issues Innatera leveraged PathFinder-SC and Totem to validate power integrity, manage noise coupling, and maintain reliability without compromising speed or efficiency.

PathFinder-SC simulated electrostatic discharge events at scale to identify vulnerabilities and root causes before final manufacturing and provided early, high-fidelity modeling of analog behavior for design validation. Totem performed transistor-level power integrity analysis to assess reliable power delivery and operating performance, and the combination provided a comprehensive reliability workflow intended to address both expected and unexpected electrical challenges across the chip lifecycle.

“Innatera's mission to redefine edge AI through neuromorphic computing requires both technological innovation and reliable design collaboration,” said Aditya Dalakoti, director of SoC and mixed-signal at Innatera. “Synopsys stood out for its leading technology and unwavering support for startups in the edge AI ecosystem. Its ESD analysis solution and collaborative approach enable us to scale into real-world, adaptive applications with enhanced speed, usability, and versatility,” said Prith Banerjee, senior vice president at Ansys, part of Synopsys.

The companies described plans to apply these simulation and analysis tools to validate designs and support product development as they scaled Innatera's neuromorphic processors for edge processing.