Chipmaker Intel has unveiled a new version of its neural networks plug-in device aimed at helping developers reach further into the domain of artificial intelligence learning and edge computing. The Neural Compute Stick 2 is effectively a USB stick containing the Movidius Myriad X Vision Processing Unit. The new unit is, in essence, a chip that performs eight times faster than previous stick versions, says Intel, and is designed to carry out accelerated computations related to computer vision and image recognition on network edge devices. Intel said the stick could be used to "prototype and deploy deep neural network applications smarter and more efficiently with a tiny, fanless, deep learning development kit designed to enable a new generation of intelligent devices." Developers insert the NCS 2 into a compatible USB 3.0 port on their computers and configure it with AI and computer vision know-how before slotting it into a smart device and testing its capabilities.