{"slug": "google-and-synaptics-unveil-open-source-ai-chips-for-wearables-and-industrial", "title": "Google and Synaptics unveil open-source AI chips for wearables and industrial devices", "summary": "Google and Synaptics introduced the open-source Astra SL2610/SL2600 series edge AI microcontroller, pairing Google's Coral NPU \"M2\" with Synaptics' Torq NPU and Arm CPU cores for wearables, smart glasses and industrial sensors. The chip draws under 6 milliwatts for average on-device inference and delivers roughly 40% lower energy use than prevailing edge AI processors, according to the companies' research findings, running on an MLIR/IREE-based open-source software stack developed over 18 months. A formal demonstration is scheduled for Synaptics' Tech Day on October 20, 2026, after previews at Google I/O 2026 and Google Research's Research@ event on October 14, 2026.", "body_md": "Google / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)\n\n# Google and Synaptics unveil open-source AI chips for wearables and industrial devices\n\nThe Astra SL2610 series pairs Google's Coral NPU with Synaptics silicon to run always-on AI on tiny batteries\n\n[Google](https://cryptobriefing.com/markets/alphabet/) and Synaptics have introduced an open-source, low-power edge AI microcontroller built for devices that never get to plug into a wall for long.\n\nThe chip belongs to Synaptics’ Astra SL2610/SL2600 series. It targets wearables, smart glasses and industrial sensors.\n\n## What’s inside the chip\n\nThe microcontroller combines several pieces of hardware into one platform. Google contributes its open-source Coral NPU “M2,” which includes a vector processor. Synaptics adds its own Torq NPU, Arm CPU cores and multimedia processing capabilities.\n\nThe design is built for simultaneous multimodal processing, handling voice, vision, motion and contextual sensing tasks at the same time.\n\nThe headline power figure is the most striking one. Average on-device inference draws less than 6 milliwatts, according to the research findings on the chip.\n\nPerformance claims also position the Coral NPU as a leader on efficiency. It reportedly delivers approximately 40% lower energy use compared to prevailing edge AI processors.\n\n### AI, tech, and the markets they move—in one daily briefing.\n\nDaily. Free. Join 34,000+ readers across crypto, finance, and policy.\n\n## Timeline and the open-source angle\n\nThe partnership itself was announced in January 2025, combining Google’s Coral NPU with the Astra SL2610 series.\n\nDeveloper platforms, including the Coralboard powered by Astra SL2610, were showcased at Google I/O 2026. The chip was then previewed at Google Research’s Research@ event on October 14, 2026. A formal demonstration is scheduled for Synaptics’ Tech Day on October 20, 2026.\n\nThe companies emphasize an open-source software stack developed over an 18-month period. That stack uses MLIR/IREE-based tools, which aim to standardize machine learning frameworks and reduce fragmentation in edge computing for IoT applications.\n\nThe Coral NPU technology is also being targeted for Google products.\n\n## Why Google keeps coming back to the edge\n\nThis isn’t Google’s first move into specialized AI hardware. The project builds on the company’s earlier work with Coral and with TPUs, its tensor processing units. Folding Coral NPU technology into Synaptics’ platforms extends that strategy: Google supplies the open architecture, and a chipmaker with an established device business turns it into shipping silicon.\n\n## What this means for device makers and the edge AI market\n\nThe most immediate stakeholders are hardware makers building wearables, smart glasses and industrial IoT systems. A sub-6-milliwatt inference draw could loosen battery life constraints considerably for always-on features.\n\nThe October 20 demonstration at Synaptics’ Tech Day will offer the next real look at how the platform performs.\n\n**Disclosure:** This article was edited by Diego Almada Lopez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our\n\n[Editorial Policy](https://cryptobriefing.com/editorial-policy/).", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/google-and-synaptics-unveil-open-source-ai-chips-for-wearables-and-industrial", "canonical_source": "https://cryptobriefing.com/google-synaptics-ai-chips-wearables-industrial/", "published_at": "2026-10-20 12:35:43+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-10-20 12:45:55.213041+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-chips", "ai-infrastructure", "artificial-intelligence"], "entities": ["Google", "Synaptics", "Coral NPU", "Astra SL2610", "Torq NPU", "Arm", "Google I/O 2026", "Synaptics Tech Day"], "also_reported_by": [], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/google-and-synaptics-unveil-open-source-ai-chips-for-wearables-and-industrial", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/google-and-synaptics-unveil-open-source-ai-chips-for-wearables-and-industrial.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/google-and-synaptics-unveil-open-source-ai-chips-for-wearables-and-industrial.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/google-and-synaptics-unveil-open-source-ai-chips-for-wearables-and-industrial.jsonld"}}