Hailo-15 (7-20 TOPS Smart Camera SoC)
Overview
Hailo-15 is an AI Vision Processor series launched by Israel's Hailo AI in 2024-03, designed for smart camera applications. Three models: Hailo-15H (20 TOPS flagship, < 5W), Hailo-15M (11 TOPS mid-range), Hailo-15L (7 TOPS entry, < 3W). Integrates AI-ISP Gen3 (extreme low-light < 0.01 LUX noise reduction without IR LED), 4K30 H.265 video encoding, 12MP ISP, structure-defined dataflow NN Core, quad-core ARM A53. Runs Qwen 2.5-VL 3B VLM and other large models, a single SoC handling "AI-enhanced imaging + video analytics" dual workloads. A benchmark for smart transportation, industrial vision, security surveillance, and ADAS vision.
Core Specifications
| Item | Spec |
|---|---|
| Architecture | Hailo Structure-Defined Dataflow NN Core + ARM A53 application processor |
| Models | Hailo-15H (20 TOPS) / Hailo-15M (11 TOPS) / Hailo-15L (7 TOPS) |
| Process | Estimated 12nm or 7nm |
| CPU | Quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1.3 GHz (H/M) / 1.1 GHz (L), 10-12 k DMIPs |
| DSP | Vector DSP 256 MACs @ 700-750 MHz, 350-380 GOPS |
| NN Core | Hailo patented structure-defined dataflow architecture, 7-20 TOPS INT8 |
| AI-ISP | Gen3 AI-ISP, < 0.01 LUX extreme low-light NR (no IR LED needed) |
| ISP | 12MP resolution, 600 Mpixel/s pixel rate |
| Video Encode | 4K30 / 4K60 H.265/HEVC + H.264/AVC, multi-stream |
| Video Decode | Multi-stream H.265/H.264 |
| HDR | High dynamic range, 3-exposure fusion, WDR low-light processing |
| Noise Reduction | 2DNR + 3DNR + Chroma NR |
| Image Stabilization | EIS digital + lens distortion correction + flip/rotate |
| Memory | LPDDR4/4X 32-bit @ 4266 MT/s (H) / 3200 MT/s (L) |
| Storage | QSPI + SDIO 3.0 + eMMC 5.1 (up to HS200) |
| PCIe | PCIe Gen 3.0 x2 |
| Wired Interfaces | USB 3.1 Gen 2, GbE (1000 Mbit/s), I2C x4, I2S x4, SPI x4, CAN |
| Wireless | SOM integrated 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac + BT 5.0 |
| Security | Secure Boot, Secure Debug, hardware encryption, TrustZone, TRNG, Firewall |
| Power | < 5W (H) / < 3W (L) |
| Package | FCCSP 15x15 mm (H/M) / 13x13 mm (L) |
| Operating Temp | -40C ~ +85C (industrial grade) |
| SOM Size | 47x30 mm (Hailo-15 SOM) |
| Launch Date | 2024-03 (Mouser, Digi-Key availability) |
| Hailo-15 SOM 20 TOPS Price | ~$250 (Mouser channel) |
vs Hailo-8 / Hailo-8L
| Metric | Hailo-15H | Hailo-8L | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| TOPS | 20 | 13 | +54% |
| Integration | SoC (CPU + ISP + AI) | Pure AI accelerator | Fully integrated |
| AI-ISP | Gen3 (< 0.01 LUX) | None | All-new gain |
| Video Encode | 4K30 H.265 | External | All-new gain |
| Memory | LPDDR4X 32-bit | DDR4 | LPDDR4X upgrade |
| Power | < 5W | ~2.5W | Slightly higher (more SoC) |
| Application | All-in-one smart camera | Camera + host split | Integrated |
| Price (SOM) | ~$250 | ~$150 | +$100 |
| VLM Support | Qwen 2.5-VL 3B | Vision only | LLM-class |
On-Device AI Performance
| Model | Quantization | Performance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| MobileNet V3 | INT8 | 1000+ FPS | Extremely fast |
| YOLOv8n | INT8 | 200+ FPS | Object detection |
| ResNet-50 | INT8 | 500+ FPS | Classification |
| Qwen 2.5-VL 3B VLM | INT8 | 5-8 tok/s | Visual Q&A |
| Person detection + tracking | INT8 | 30 FPS | 4K |
| License plate recognition | INT8 | 50+ FPS | Multi-stream |
| Face recognition | INT8 | 100+ FPS | 1:N search |
| Fall detection | INT8 | 30 FPS | Elderly care |
Qwen 2.5-VL 3B on-device deployment: Hailo-15H is among the first smart camera SoCs to support 3B visual language model real-time inference (< 5W power). In security camera scenarios, it enables "what happened?" style VLM reasoning, upgrading traditional "object detection" to "scene understanding".
Use Cases
- Smart security cameras (Hikvision, Dahua, Axis, Bosch OEM)
- Traffic monitoring (violation capture, license plate recognition, flow statistics)
- Industrial vision (defect detection, AOI automated optical inspection)
- ADAS (DMS driver monitoring, OMS occupant monitoring)
- Smart retail (foot traffic analysis, heatmaps)
- Robot vision (home and commercial robot cameras)
- Access control / attendance (face recognition, ReID)
Vendor Information
| Item | Info |
|---|---|
| Vendor | Hailo AI (Tel Aviv, Israel, founded 2017) |
| Design | Hailo Israel R&D |
| Fab | Estimated TSMC |
| Software Stack | Hailo Dataflow Compiler (TensorFlow / ONNX / PyTorch conversion), HailoRT (runtime), Hailo Model Zoo (pre-trained model library) |
| AI Frameworks | TensorFlow, PyTorch, ONNX, OpenVINO, Keras |
| Pricing | Hailo-15H SOM 20 TOPS ~$250, Hailo-15L SOM 7 TOPS ~$130 |
| OEM Customers | Hikvision, Dahua, Axis, Qihoo 360, LenelS2 |
| Competitors | Ambarella CV series, Synaptics VS series, Novatek NT98562 |
Key Features
- Three-model gradient: H (20) / M (11) / L (7) TOPS covering premium to entry
- AI-ISP Gen3 (extreme low-light < 0.01 LUX, no IR LED cost savings)
- 4K30 H.265 video encoding (built-in)
- 12MP ISP (single chip supports 4K camera)
- Structure-defined dataflow NN Core (Hailo patented)
- < 5W (H) / < 3W (L) ultra-low power (PoE Type 1 Class 2 sufficient)
- Quad-core ARM A53 application processor (Linux/RTOS for general apps)
- -40C ~ +85C industrial grade (outdoor extreme weather capable)
- 47x30 mm SOM (ultra-compact, easy integration)
- Qwen 2.5-VL 3B VLM on-device inference support
- PCIe Gen 3.0 x2 high-speed interface
- Complete software ecosystem (Dataflow Compiler + HailoRT + Model Zoo)
Related Cards
- Hailo-8L (13 TOPS Edge AI) — Previous-gen entry
- NVIDIA Jetson Orin (40-275 TOPS Edge AI) — High-end edge comparison
- Blaize Xplorer (160 TOPS Edge) — Same-gen edge
- Mobilint Regulus (32 TOPS Korea) — Same-tier edge
- Hailo-15 Official Introduction
- Architecture: Edge AI — NPU architecture