Hailo Releases Second-Generation Chip

Israeli startup Hailo has released the Hailo 15, its second-generation chip for smart cameras. Hailo 15 is a standalone processor with an AI engine and comes in three variants ranging from 7 to 20 TOPS.

Anand Joshi

Hailo’s startup journey continues with the release of its second-generation processor, the Hailo 15. Targeting smart cameras, it comes in three variants ranging from 7 to 20 trillion operations per second (TOPS), all less than 5 W.

Based in Israel, Hailo raised $224 million from corporate investors such as NEC and ABB. The company has more than 200 employees and has been shipping its first-generation Hailo 8 since 2019. Its announced customers include NEC, Bosch, and Konica Minolta.

Hailo 8 can operate as a standalone processor owing to its Cortex-M4 CPU, but it more typically operates as an accelerator to a separate host. Hailo 15, however, is a standalone processor, adding four Cortex A53 CPUs and a Cadence Tensilica DSP. The chip is currently sampling and is due to be in production in the second half of 2023.

The security camera market is crowded and suffers from intense pricing pressure and competition. The current trend suggests that only a small percentage of total camera shipments will employ AI to become smart cameras. Hailo is a late entrant facing established companies such as Ambarella and Intel, which have been shipping for several years. Hailo must demonstrate its performance and power superiority to succeed.