The challenge

What intelligent applications could you create with the power of programmable logic?

There is no question that artificial intelligence and machine learning are hot right now. AI is already making everyday life better and easier with things like autonomous cars and personal assistant robots. With a promise that systems are only getting smarter, more accurate and accessible, the possible applications of AI seem endless.

AI computing and more specifically, machine learning computing, can be done remotely in the cloud, in a data warehouse, or at the "edge" right on a device. Edge computing is most ideal when real-time response and lowest latency is critical.

In this challenge, Avnet and Xilinx would like to see what types of edge artificial intelligence designs the Hackster.io community can develop using the new Ultra96 Development Board.

Some example edge application categories are:

Autonomous Vehicles

Drones or Robots

Industrial or Home IoT

Consumer Electronics

Check out Adam Taylor's project using an FPGA-based image processing platform for inspiration.

Prizes

The top three project submissions using the new Avnet Ultra96 Development Board will be awarded some nifty prizes, including a top-of-the-line Google Pixelbook!

No board? No problem! We’re giving away 30 Avnet Ultra96 Development Boards to the best ideas submitted on or before August 27th.

Don't worry if you miss the deadline! You can buy your own Ultra96 Development Board here ($249 USD).

Early Bird Prize

Any ideas submitted before August 27th are also eligible for the Early Bird prize: a trip to Silicon Valley to attend the 2018 Xilinx Developer Forum on October 1st and 2nd. The winner will also have a chance to showcase their completed project at the event!

Winners of the boards and trip to XDF will be announced August 31st. See below for more details on submission requirements.

The Hardware

The Avnet Ultra96 Development Board features a Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC, which integrates an ARM multicore, multiprocessing system with programmable logic that can be used to hardware accelerate compute-intensive tasks. This is critical in producing real-time response and decision making in systems – as many intelligent systems require.

Avnet Ultra96 Development Board

Resources to Help You Along

Download Vivado HL WebPACKEdition – a FREE software suite

Download a 60-day evaluation ofSDSoC Development Environment (Ultra96 development board comes with a full node-locked license)

Read the Ultra96 Getting Started Guide

Want to learn how to get started with FPGAs and programmable logic devices or searching for inspiration? Check out the MicroZed Chronicles or existing Xilinx projects on the Hackster.io platform hub.

Watch Alex Glow's Ultra96 unboxing video to get an overview of the board’s features.

Check out the three-part video series with Alex Glow, Robert Wolff (96Boards Community Manager and Engineer) and Sahaj Sarup (96Boards Applications Engineer) that introduces 96Boards, Xilinx's SDSoC software and Ultra96 demos: Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3

Virtual Workshop // Technical Webinar

Attend our upcoming technical webinar on September 12th and Ultra96 virtual workshop on September 25th.

Technical Support

Join Ultra96 Office Hours , hosted by 96Boards, to ask questions and connect live with specialists at Linaro, Avnet and Xilinx.

Open hours: Every Thursday @ 4-5 PM UTC/9-10 AM PT; Interview, discussion and Q&A (livestream + podcast); Link to office hours

Contest-specific office hours: Every Thursday @ 7-8 PM UTC/12-1 PM PT; Discussion and Q&A (conference call + discussion); Link to office hours

Click on the contest page's discussion tab and join fellow participants on the contest forum to discuss getting started, troubleshooting and more!

Contest Supporting Partner 96 Boards, by Linaro

Judging Panel

Judges will be announced soon! Stay tuned.

Judging Criteria

Criteria for Choosing Ultra96 Boards Winners:

Participant must submit a project idea using the application form on the Idea Submissions tab.

Participant must truthfully and honestly answer all questions on the form in order to be eligible.

Judging Criteria for Choosing Early Bird Prize Winner (Trip to Xilinx Developer Forum):

Is the project idea clearly articulated?

Does the project idea demonstrate the application of artificial intelligence?

Is the idea both creative and has potential for technical depth (not too simplistic)?

Can the full project feasibly be completed by Xilinx Developer Forum 2018?

Will the programmable logic inside the Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC be used?

Judging Criteria for Project Submissions:

Project submissions will be judged based on:

How detailed and well documented is the project?

Does the project have technical depth or is it too simplistic?

Is the concept creative?

How is intelligence applied?

Does the project leverage programmable logic? And how is it leveraged?

Project submissions should include:

Detailed description of your project. What is it, what does it do, how does it work?

Quality images and/or videos

Story with clear instructions

BOM (Bill of Materials)

Source code and schematics

Projects submitted to this contest will also be featured on the 96Boards.org community project gallery.