⚡ Axera AX8860P: 16-core Cortex-A55 SoC with 256 TOPS NPU

Axera has unveiled the AX8860P, a 16-core Cortex-A55 SoC designed to compete with NVIDIA DGX Spark at a significantly lower cost. The processor integrates an NPU delivering up to 256 TOPS in FP4 precision, targeting desktop AI applications. This announcement was made by CEO Qiu Xiaoxin at the China International Industrial Fair, alongside upcoming products from Sipeed and Radxa.

The AX8860P features a 6nm process and consumes approximately 40 Watts under load. It supports up to 128GB of 256-bit LPDDR5/5X memory with a bandwidth of 273GB/s. Connectivity options include PCIe 5.0 and AXLink for multi-chip cascading with 80% efficiency. The module measures 78 × 78 mm and supports video processing with 64-channel decode and 16-channel encode capabilities.

Software compatibility includes vLLM, SGLang, PyTorch, and ONNX frameworks. The chip aims to provide high-performance AI inference for desktop solutions. Its architecture allows for scalable systems through efficient interconnects. This positions the AX8860P as a viable alternative for cost-sensitive AI deployments.