March 01, 2019 -- Weebit Nano (ASX: WBT), the Israel-based semiconductor company seeking to develop and commercialise the next generation of memory technology, and Leti, the French research institute recognised as a global leader in the field of micro-electronics, have agreed to expand their collaboration to develop a system which will demonstrate advanced artificial intelligence algorithms implemented using silicon oxide (SiOx) ReRAM.

Weebit and Leti’s existing partnership for ReRAM technology development will now be extended to combine with Leti’s development of state-of-the-art technologies and architectures related to artificial intelligence. The new agreement will utilise Weebit’s SiOx ReRAM to build an advanced neuromorphic demonstration system. The system will be based on a Spiking Neural Network (SNN) test vehicle for implementing synapses, which will showcase the capabilities of the technology by performing precise object recognition tasks in an energy-efficient manner.

The system will demonstrate revolutionary technology, disrupting the state-of-the-art object recognition models currently being used. The demonstration system is expected to be used at trade shows and conferences as well as by potential industry partners.

Jean René Lequepeys, Head of Architecture, Design and Embedded Software Division at Leti, said: “Leti has been researching neuromorphic computing for many years. We are very pleased to expand our partnership with Weebit into the neuromorphic and artificial intelligence domains, where we will embed Weebit’s ReRAM technology into a neuromorphic demonstrator. We plan to demonstrate the system for the first time at our Leti Days conference in July, which is expected to be attended by many of the major memory market participants.”

Coby Hanoch, CEO of Weebit Nano, said: “Our collaboration with Leti over the past three years has been a great success, and we look forward to extending our partnership into the neuromorphic computation domain. This next step will prepare Weebit for future memory and technology requirements, as it is clear this domain and its applications will grow rapidly in the near future.”

The revised agreement is not expected to materially impact the existing payment structure between Weebit and Leti.