Microchip releases free VectorBlox 3.0 SDK for FPGA-based AI

Microchip Technology (Nasdaq: MCHP) has released VectorBlox 3.0, an updated Accelerator Software Development Kit (SDK) designed to streamline the deployment of convolutional neural network (CNN) models on its PolarFire FPGA and SoC-based platforms. The SDK and associated CoreVectorBlox IP are available to customers at no charge, according to a company statement.

VectorBlox 3.0 incorporates sparsity-based model compression technology derived from Microchip's Neuronix acquisition. The SDK is built to skip zero-valued operations in sparse neural networks, which the company says can reduce compute and memory demands while preserving model accuracy. The toolchain integrates with Microchip's Libero SoC Design Suite.

"As AI models continue to grow in complexity, compression is becoming essential for deploying intelligence at the edge," said Shakeel Peera, corporate vice president and GM of Microchip's FPGA business unit. "With VectorBlox 3.0, we're leveraging sparsity-based model compression from our Neuronix acquisition to reduce compute demands while preserving accuracy."

The SDK targets power-constrained and mission-critical applications, including aerospace and defense systems. Microchip says the platform supports multiple AI workloads on a single device, allowing customers to consolidate vision or sensor-based AI functions on one low-power FPGA.

Two aerospace companies cited use of the technology. Planetek Italia said it used VectorBlox acceleration on PolarFire SoC to deploy AI pipelines aboard its AI-eXpress-1 satellite, launched in 2025, for Earth observation tasks including object detection and semantic scene analysis. Space autonomy firm AIKO said it validated the platform through its clear_CHARLES suite for onboard cloud and ship detection.

The SDK also supports Spacecraft Pose Network v2 (SPNv2), a neural network for estimating position and orientation using vision data, intended for applications such as autonomous rendezvous, satellite inspection, and space debris removal.

Microchip is headquartered in Chandler, Arizona, and supplies semiconductors across industrial, automotive, aerospace and defense, and other markets.

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