MulticoreWare Inc – Crafting Responsible AI Solutions
Amidst the digital age, software development stands as a vital cornerstone for sustained advancement. It ensures heightened productivity and team efficiency with minimal investment. For entrepreneurs, enlisting the aid of a top-tier development team facilitates business automation and fosters company growth.
Highlighted in The Enterprise World’s feature on The Most Trusted Sensor Solution Providers is MulticoreWare Inc. They specialize in expediting software development processes.
In this conversation with AGK Karunakaran, President and CEO, delve deeper into the company’s journey.
Tell us about MulticoreWare and what motivated its establishment.
Our journey at MulticoreWare commenced in 2009, during a pivotal moment in processor technology. At the time, processor performance was shifting from clock frequency to the number of cores, ushering in the era of multicore processors. However, there was a noticeable gap in software development tailored to these heterogeneous processor architectures.
As GPUs gained prominence and multi-core, multi-architecture platforms became prevalent, our clients encountered challenges in efficiently utilizing these platforms. It was in response to this need that we collaborated with leading parallel programmers and researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to establish a company dedicated to providing software and middleware solutions for this evolving market.
What are the main products or services your company specializes in, and how do they differ from others in the market?
MulticoreWare is a software development firm offering cutting-edge solutions for multicore and multi-thread CPUs, GPUs, DSPs, FPGAs, and various AI hardware accelerators. If your project targets a multi-core, heterogeneous platform, we are the team you need!
Today, we are recognized as industry leaders in services such as HEVC video compression, machine learning, and software performance optimization. Our clientele spans across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia Pacific, encompassing diverse vertical markets such as media and broadcasting, security, smart cities, robotics, retail, sports analytics, AR/VR, and Automotive and Transportation sectors. Our inclusion on the Inc. 5000 list in 2014 attests to our status as one of America’s fastest-growing private companies.
Furthermore, we have expanded our portfolio to include products and solutions related to Compilers (HPC, Heterogeneous computing), HW Profiler Tools, Video Codec products (HEVC, VVC), Computer Vision products and solutions, Machine Learning (Convolutional Neural Networks) products and solutions, and various sensor perception and inference stacks for edge and ADAS applications.
MulticoreWare also specializes in high-performance machine learning, AI Analytics Solutions, autonomous vehicle sensor data processing, and autonomous embedded software solutions catering to diverse markets.
As global leaders in professional-grade video software technology, we focus on cost-efficient storage and transfer of multimedia content. Our contributions to open-source initiatives, such as the x266™ consortium for Versatile Video Coding (VVC) and the x265™ stack for High Efficiency Video Codec (HEVC), have positioned us as pioneers in next-generation video technology. Additionally, our Ultraziq™ library enhances video quality and turnaround time for OTT and live streaming applications.
In the realm of AI, MulticoreWare has developed critical IP encompassing Human Behaviour AI, including Face Recognition, Pose Estimation, Action Intelligence, and other aspects of human intelligence. We serve a wide array of clients with our AI/ML/DL algorithms and analytics solutions, optimized for cloud or edge computing implementations in various programming languages and frameworks.
Can you tell us about your team?
Since our inception, we’ve prioritized building a diverse team with representation from both industry and academia. This approach is crucial in our line of work, as it enables us to stay abreast of new technologies and adapt them to our products and services. Many team members have been with us for decades, bringing a wealth of energy, passion, and vision.
We maintain this philosophy today, fostering R&D partnerships with universities for joint projects. This not only facilitates fresh talent recruitment but also enriches our versatile team.
Please provide a brief overview of your professional background. Over the past 25 years, I have navigated transitions in the homogeneous and heterogeneous multi-core market, bootstrapped start-up ventures, spearheaded system-level product design and engineering management, and formulated overarching business strategies. My track record includes successfully establishing, expanding, and managing operations internationally.
Beyond the corporate realm, I have actively engaged with non-governmental organizations, particularly in the realm of education. I’ve advocated for a high-quality, low-cost, easily replicable educational model to address systemic gaps.
Additionally, my involvement with TiE, Silicon Valley, has been significant. Serving as President and sitting on the board of directors, I’ve been closely associated with TiECON, one of the premier conferences for entrepreneurs. Since the early 90s, TiECON has had a profound impact on numerous entrepreneurs, including myself.
What are the significant milestones in your business journey?
I’ve always believed that any product or technology we create should have a positive impact on the wider community. At MulticoreWare, we’ve achieved this by developing products on open-source platforms, which have allowed a large community of developers to contribute and advance this initiative. Our creation of the open-source Versatile Video Coding (VVC) product, Next-Gen Video Technology, through the x266™ consortium, and the latest x266™ open-source stack, has set the standard in High Efficiency Video Codec (HEVC). It’s widely utilized by top broadcasting partners.
