Whilst rummaging through my drawer, I stumbled upon the Intel Neural Compute Stick 2 and decided to explore its capabilities. The device had been unpacked previously, but due to time constraints, I hadn’t fully delved into its potential. Hence, this post marks my first exploration into its functionalities.

In today’s world, artificial intelligence (AI) has become an integral part of many fields, from image recognition to natural language processing. However, integrating AI into everyday operations can be challenging for many individuals and organizations due to costs, complexity, and the availability of suitable tools. In response to these challenges, Intel introduces the Intel Neural Compute Stick 2 - a small USB-like device that can revolutionize how we utilize artificial intelligence.

Intel Neural Compute Stick 2
Intel Neural Compute Stick 2

At the heart of the Intel Neural Compute Stick 2 lies the Intel Movidius Myriad X Vision Processing Unit with 4GB LP-DDR3 memory. This powerful tool features 16 programmable cores and a dedicated engine for neural network computations. Moreover, it can operate at frequencies up to 700 MHz, ensuring top-notch performance.

With support for various operating systems including Ubuntu 16.04 (yes this is old version, but Ubuntu 22.04.4 is perfectly fine), Windows 10, and Rasbian, the Intel Neural Compute Stick 2 is easy to integrate with existing solutions. Combined with the OpenVINO toolkit, it enables rapid prototyping and deployment of AI-based applications.

Furthermore, the Intel Neural Compute Stick 2 supports a range of popular AI libraries and frameworks such as OpenCV, OpenCL, OpenVX, as well as deep learning frameworks like Caffe, TensorFlow, ONNX, mxnet, PyTorch, and PaddlePaddle. This allows users to easily adapt to their preferred tools and working environments.

This small yet powerful AI accelerator can find applications in many fields including industry, medicine, transportation, object detection, medical image analysis, natural language processing, and more. With the Intel Neural Compute Stick 2, artificial intelligence becomes more accessible and convenient than ever before.

As the demand for intelligent solutions continues to grow, the Intel Neural Compute Stick 2 offers the opportunity for rapid prototyping and deployment of AI applications, even for those who are not experts in programming. It represents another step forward in the advancement of AI, which could reshape how we think about technology and its impact on our daily lives.

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Reference:

  1. Intel Neural Compute Stick 2
  2. OpenVINO™ toolkit
  3. Intel Neural Compute Stick 2 - akcelerator AI z USB
  4. Machine Learning on the Edge with Intel’s USB-Based Neural Compute Stick 2