On-device AI acceleration debuts on Motorola smartphones with the Snapdragon Neural Processing Engine

Motorola’s Moto X is back, and the fourth-generation phone, the Moto X⁴, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 Mobile Platform won’t disappoint. This mid-range phone packs in impressive features like dual rear cameras, an ultra-low light selfie camera, a precision-crafted glass and metal exterior, and an IP-68 water resistance rating. Along with Motorola’s flagship Moto Z² Force, on the Snapdragon 835, it’s also the first commercially available phone to feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon Neural Processing Engine (NPE) for acceleration of on-device artificial intelligence (AI) user experiences.

Gaining insights with Landmark Detection

Using the Snapdragon NPE, the Motorola original deep learning model uses on-device processing to identify landmarks in near real-time, then provides users with additional information about them.

To activate the Landmark Detection feature, simply point the smartphone at an object of interest, (click on the ‘x’ icon) and the phone is engineered to recognize the landmark using a neural network trained to identify more than 1,200 landmarks from around the world. Compact and efficient Motorola deep learning model is running on Qualcomm NPE which helps accelerate the speed of identification by distributing processing to Qualcomm Adreno 510 GPU (on the Snapdragon 630) and Adreno 540 (on the Snapdragon 835), For additional context, the Landmark Detection feature links to the relevant Wikipedia page for the identified landmark. For travelers, Landmark Detection can make all the difference when exploring a new city. For locals, it’s an innovative way to learn more about sights in their own backyard.

Accelerating AI with the Snapdragon NPE

The Snapdragon NPE was designed to empower developers and OEMs to create network-driven features that will make users’ lives easier, without sacrificing power or performance. With this AI tool, developers can choose the optimal CPU, GPU, or DSP core for a specific user experience. Utilizing deep neural networks within the Snapdragon mobile platform will also give OEMs the freedom to advance AI in not only mobile devices, but also in automotive, healthcare, security, and imaging products. The Moto X⁴’s Landmark Detection is only one example of what’s possible for on-device AI.

Learn more about the Moto X⁴ and the MotoZ² Force, both now available for purchase.

Qualcomm Snapdragon is a product of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.