Building FPGA-Enabled Practical Secure Edge AI Systems

Edge AI is often talked about in terms of processors, accelerators and model performance. In practice, the harder problem is usually getting the full system to work within real limits: power, heat, latency, reliability and security.

This talk will look at how FPGAs can help teams build practical Edge AI systems. FPGAs are not only useful for prototyping. They can also provide low-latency, predictable and adaptable compute at the edge, especially when fixed silicon is too early, software-only approaches are too slow or power-hungry, and the final system requirements are still changing.

The session will cover how FPGA-based designs can support real-time sensing, hardware-software partitioning, AI inference acceleration, secure data handling and system verification. It will also look at how FPGAs can help companies move from early demonstrators and customer pilots towards more mature products, including ASIC migration where that makes commercial sense.

Successful Edge AI is not only about peak compute performance. It is about building systems that can sense, decide and respond reliably and securely in the real world. FPGAs give teams a practical way to prove those systems earlier, reduce integration risk and make better design decisions before committing to fixed silicon.

Biography

Amar Abid-Ali is the Chief Executive Officer and one of the founding architects of Novomorphic, a system-first semiconductor design startup
based in Cardiff, powered by partnerships with Cadence, CSA Catapult, and the Welsh Government.

Born from the idea that the future of semiconductors lies in system thinking, Novomorphic is building the UK’s next-generation design
capability across advanced digital, mixed-signal, and compound semiconductor domains. Under Amar’s leadership, the company is scaling
fast, bridging world-class design tools with real-world commercial impact for clients across the UK and abroad.

Before launching Novomorphic, Amar served as Chief Commercial Officer at CSA Catapult, where he led partnerships, investment, and commercial strategy across AI, quantum, future telecoms, defence, net zero, and mobility. He helped secure major multi-party investments, deliver high impact R&D and commercial programmes, and founded the CSA Investor Summit, now a leading platform for deep-tech investment in the UK.

Earlier in his career, Amar held senior business development roles at Future Electronics and Avnet, driving growth across EMEA and building high performing commercial teams that turned technology into traction.

He holds an MSc in Data Communications from Brunel University and a BEng (Hons) in Electronics and Communications Engineering.