Axelera AI Export and Deployment

Ultralytics partners with Axelera AI to enable high-performance, energy-efficient inference on Edge AI devices. Export and deploy Ultralytics YOLO models directly to the Metis® AIPU using the Voyager SDK.

Axelera AI provides dedicated hardware acceleration for computer vision at the edge, using a proprietary dataflow architecture and in-memory computing to deliver up to 856 TOPS with low power consumption.

Selecting the Right Hardware

Axelera AI offers various form factors to suit different deployment constraints. The chart below helps identify the optimal hardware for your Ultralytics YOLO deployment.

graph TD
    A[Start: Select Deployment Target] --> B{Device Type?}
    B -->|Edge Server / Workstation| C{Throughput Needs?}
    B -->|Embedded / Robotics| D{Space Constraints?}
    B -->|Standalone / R&D| E[Dev Kits & Systems]

    C -->|Max Density <br> 30+ Streams| F[**Metis PCIe x4**<br>856 TOPS]
    C -->|Standard PC <br> Low Profile| G[**Metis PCIe x1**<br>214 TOPS]

    D -->|Drones & Handhelds| H[**Metis M.2**<br>2280 M-Key]
    D -->|High Performance Embedded| I[**Metis M.2 MAX**<br>Extended Thermal]

    E -->|ARM-based All-in-One| J[**Metis Compute Board**<br>RK3588 + AIPU]
    E -->|Prototyping| K[**Arduino Portenta x8**<br>Integration Kit]

    click F "https://store.axelera.ai/"
    click G "https://store.axelera.ai/"
    click H "https://store.axelera.ai/"
    click J "https://store.axelera.ai/"

Hardware Portfolio

The Axelera hardware lineup is optimized to run Ultralytics YOLO26 and legacy versions with high FPS-per-watt efficiency.

Accelerator Cards

These cards enable AI acceleration in existing host devices, facilitating brownfield deployments.

Integrated Systems

For turnkey solutions, Axelera partners with manufacturers to provide systems pre-validated for the Metis AIPU.

• Metis Compute Board: A standalone edge device pairing the Metis AIPU with a Rockchip RK3588 ARM CPU.
• Workstations: Enterprise towers from Dell (Precision 3460XE) and Lenovo (ThinkStation P360 Ultra).
• Industrial PCs: Ruggedized systems from Advantech and Aetina designed for manufacturing automation.

Supported Tasks

The following tasks are supported across YOLOv8, YOLO11, and YOLO26 models.

Installation

Ultralytics Installation

pip install ultralytics

For detailed instructions, see our Ultralytics Installation guide. If you encounter difficulties, consult our Common Issues guide.

Axelera Driver Installation

1. Add the Axelera repository key:

   sudo sh -c "curl -fsSL https://software.axelera.ai/artifactory/api/security/keypair/axelera/public | gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/axelera.gpg"
   

2. Add the repository to apt:

   sudo sh -c "echo 'deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/axelera.gpg] https://software.axelera.ai/artifactory/axelera-apt-source/ ubuntu22 main' > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/axelera.list"
   

3. Install the SDK and load the driver:

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install -y metis-dkms=1.4.16
   sudo modprobe metis
   

Exporting YOLO Models to Axelera

Export your trained YOLO models using the standard Ultralytics export command.

from ultralytics import YOLO

# Load a YOLO26 model
model = YOLO("yolo26n.pt")

# Export to Axelera format
model.export(format="axelera")  # creates 'yolo26n_axelera_model' directory

yolo export model=yolo26n.pt format=axelera

Export Arguments

For all export options, see the Export Mode documentation.

Output Structure

yolo26n_axelera_model/
├── yolo26n.axm              # Axelera model file
└── metadata.yaml            # Model metadata (classes, image size, etc.)

Running Inference

Load the exported model with the Ultralytics API and run inference, similar to loading ONNX models.

from ultralytics import YOLO

# Load the exported Axelera model
model = YOLO("yolo26n_axelera_model")

# Run inference
results = model("https://ultralytics.com/images/bus.jpg")

# Process results
for r in results:
    print(f"Detected {len(r.boxes)} objects")
    r.show()  # Display results

yolo predict model='yolo26n_axelera_model' source='https://ultralytics.com/images/bus.jpg'

Axelera AI Benchmarks

The Metis AIPU maximizes throughput while minimizing energy consumption.

Benchmarks based on Axelera AI data. Actual FPS depends on model size, batching, and input resolution.

Real-World Applications

Ultralytics YOLO on Axelera hardware enables advanced edge computing solutions:

• Smart Retail: Real-time object counting and heatmap analytics for store optimization.
• Industrial Safety: Low-latency PPE detection in manufacturing environments.
• Drone Analytics: High-speed object detection on UAVs for agriculture and search-and-rescue.
• Traffic Systems: Edge-based license plate recognition and speed estimation.

Recommended Workflow

1. Train your model using Ultralytics Train Mode
2. Export to Axelera format using model.export(format="axelera")
3. Validate accuracy with yolo val to verify minimal quantization loss
4. Predict using yolo predict for qualitative validation
5. Deploy to a high-performance end-to-end pipeline without PyTorch dependency — see the YOLO on Voyager SDK examples for composable Python pipelines using axelera-rt

Device Health Check

Verify your Axelera device is functioning properly:

# if axdevice cannot be found, please run at least one inference (see above) to ensure the required packages are installed
axdevice

For detailed diagnostics, see the AxDevice documentation.

Maximum Performance

This integration uses single-core configuration for compatibility. For production requiring maximum throughput, the Axelera Voyager SDK offers:

• Multi-core utilization (quad-core Metis AIPU)
• Streaming inference pipelines
• Tiled inferencing for higher-resolution cameras

See the model-zoo for FPS benchmarks or contact Axelera for production support.

Known Issues

For support, visit the Axelera Community.

FAQ

What YOLO versions are supported on Axelera?

The Voyager SDK supports export of YOLOv8, YOLO11, and YOLO26 models. See Supported Tasks for per-model task availability.

Can I deploy custom-trained models?

Yes. Any model trained using Ultralytics Train Mode can be exported to the Axelera format, provided it uses supported layers and operations.

How does INT8 quantization affect accuracy?

Axelera's Voyager SDK automatically quantizes models for the mixed-precision AIPU architecture. For most object detection tasks, the performance gains (higher FPS, lower power) significantly outweigh the minimal impact on mAP. Quantization takes seconds to several hours depending on model size. Run yolo val after export to verify accuracy.

How many calibration images should I use?

We recommend 100 to 400 images. More than 400 provides no additional benefit and increases quantization time. Experiment with 100, 200, and 400 images to find the optimal balance.

Where can I find the Voyager SDK?

The SDK, drivers, and compiler tools are available via the Axelera Developer Portal.

📅 Created 4 months ago ✏️ Updated 2 days ago

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