Real-Time AI Video Analysis: 16 Cameras on 1 PC | Arcobel
Edge AI Showcase

Real-Time AI Video Analysis: 16 Cameras on One Standard PC

Real-time multi-camera AI video analysis is often associated with high-power rackmount servers and complex infrastructure. Arcobel proves that processing high-density video streams can run locally on an accessible, standard industrial PC setup.

16
Camera Streams
Metis AI Card
100%
Local Processing

By leveraging a dedicated hardware accelerator, a standard PC running a single Axelera Metis AI PCIe accelerator card can capture, analyse, and process 16 video feeds simultaneously in real time without bottlenecking the CPU.

Practical Setup

Live Crowd-Control Application

360-degree surround monitoring

  • Sixteen cameras positioned in a circle and divided across four separate zones.
  • AI-powered person detection continuously analysed images from all cameras to count occupants per zone.
  • Virtual traffic lights triggered immediate visual warnings when occupancy exceeded predefined limits.
  • Demonstrates converting multi-channel raw video data into actionable real-time insights.
Key Advantages

Why Process Video at the Edge?

Local computing performance

  • Low latency: Fast local analysis enables rapid real-time responses to detected events.
  • Reduced bandwidth: Keeps heavy video data local without straining external networks.
  • Network independence: Systems operate reliably without relying on continuous cloud connectivity.
  • Efficient scaling: Replaces heavy server hardware with compact, targeted Edge AI acceleration.

Demonstrated Edge AI Hardware Platform

All 16 video streams are processed simultaneously on a single compact system using the following hardware configuration:

Component Configuration
Processor 12th-generation Intel® Core™ i3 processor
Memory 8 GB DDR5 memory
AI Accelerator 1 × Axelera Metis AI PCIe Card (1x AIPU, 4GB, Active Cooling)
Camera Array 16 × Cameras positioned in a 360-degree surround array

This setup proves that multi-camera AI vision applications can run efficiently on accessible industrial hardware. Offloading neural network inference to the Axelera Metis card frees the Intel Core i3 host processor for standard computing tasks and system control.

From Crowd Control to Industrial Deployment

While this configuration was configured for multi-zone crowd management, the underlying computer vision architecture easily adapts to diverse industrial use cases:

01
Occupancy & Crowd Management

Real-time person detection, zone counting, and capacity thresholds across large venues.

02
Safety & Restricted Zone Monitoring

Automated visual boundary protection and instant safety breaches detection.

03
Industrial Quality Inspection

High-speed visual quality evaluation and object classification across assembly lines.

04
Multi-Camera Object Tracking

Continuous event tracking and flow analysis across multiple connected video feeds.

System Design

Developing the Right Edge AI Solution

Key requirements to evaluate

  • Number of cameras, video resolution, and target frame rates.
  • Required processing speed, latency targets, and AI model choices.
  • Available interfaces, network connectivity, and storage options.
  • Operating environment, thermal conditions, and physical form factor.
Arcobel Integration

Application-Ready Systems

End-to-end hardware configuration

  • Selecting, configuring, and integrating industrial computing hardware.
  • Combining host platforms with AI accelerators like the Axelera Metis PCIe card.
  • Tailoring hardware components around specific software pipelines.
  • Ensuring long-term product availability and lifecycle management.

Building a successful AI vision application requires more than selecting an accelerator card. Arcobel combines system integration expertise with robust industrial hardware to build efficient, scalable solutions tailored for real-world Edge AI vision deployments.

Customer Case: Axelera AI

Discover how Axelera AI acceleration hardware is integrated into real-world computer vision applications.

Read Customer Case  →

Discuss Your Edge AI Application

Are you developing a real-time multi-camera vision system? Contact our engineering team to discuss your hardware specifications.

Contact Our Technical Team  →

Direct Telephone & Regional Support:

Netherlands (HQ): +31 (0)412 660 066
Belgium: +32 (0)2 357 02 00
Germany / DACH: +49 (0)211 5403 9655

Email: [email protected]

Edge AI Case Study

Real-Time AI Video Analysis: 16 Cameras on One Standard PC

Real-time multi-camera AI video analysis is often associated with high-power rackmount servers and complex infrastructure. Arcobel proves that processing high-density video streams can run locally on an accessible, standard industrial PC setup.

16
Camera Streams
Metis AI Card
100%
Local Processing

By leveraging a dedicated hardware accelerator, a standard PC running a single Axelera Metis AI PCIe accelerator card can capture, analyse, and process 16 video feeds simultaneously in real time without bottlenecking the CPU.

Reference Configuration

Multi-Zone Crowd Monitoring

360-degree surround monitoring

  • Sixteen cameras positioned in a circle and divided across four separate zones.
  • AI-powered person detection continuously analyses images from all cameras to count occupants per zone.
  • Virtual traffic lights trigger immediate visual warnings when occupancy exceeds predefined limits.
  • Converts multi-channel raw video data into actionable real-time insights.
Key Advantages

Why Process Video at the Edge?

Local computing performance

  • Low latency: Fast local analysis enables rapid real-time responses to detected events.
  • Reduced bandwidth: Keeps heavy video data local without straining external networks.
  • Network independence: Systems operate reliably without relying on continuous cloud connectivity.
  • Efficient scaling: Replaces heavy server hardware with compact, targeted Edge AI acceleration.

Edge AI Hardware Platform

All 16 video streams are processed simultaneously on a single compact system using the following hardware configuration:

Component Configuration
Processor 12th-generation Intel® Core™ i3 processor
Memory 8 GB DDR5 memory
AI Accelerator 1 × Axelera Metis AI PCIe Card (1x AIPU, 4GB, Active Cooling)
Camera Array 16 × Cameras positioned in a 360-degree surround array

This setup proves that multi-camera AI vision applications run efficiently on accessible industrial hardware. Offloading neural network inference to the Axelera Metis card frees the Intel Core i3 host processor for standard computing tasks and system control.

From Crowd Control to Industrial Deployment

This configuration handles multi-zone crowd management, and the underlying computer vision architecture easily adapts to diverse industrial use cases:

01
Occupancy & Crowd Management

Real-time person detection, zone counting, and capacity thresholds across large venues.

02
Safety & Restricted Zone Monitoring

Automated visual boundary protection and instant safety breach detection.

03
Industrial Quality Inspection

High-speed visual quality evaluation and object classification across assembly lines.

04
Multi-Camera Object Tracking

Continuous event tracking and flow analysis across multiple connected video feeds.

System Design

Developing the Right Edge AI Solution

Key requirements to evaluate

  • Number of cameras, video resolution, and target frame rates.
  • Required processing speed, latency targets, and AI model choices.
  • Available interfaces, network connectivity, and storage options.
  • Operating environment, thermal conditions, and physical form factor.
Arcobel Integration

Application-Ready Systems

End-to-end hardware configuration

  • Selecting, configuring, and integrating industrial computing hardware.
  • Combining host platforms with AI accelerators like the Axelera Metis PCIe card.
  • Tailoring hardware components around specific software pipelines.
  • Ensuring long-term product availability and lifecycle management.

Building a successful AI vision application requires more than selecting an accelerator card. Arcobel combines system integration expertise with robust industrial hardware to build efficient, scalable solutions tailored for real-world Edge AI vision deployments.

Customer Case: Axelera AI

Discover how Axelera AI acceleration hardware is integrated into real-world computer vision applications.

Read Customer Case  →

Discuss Your Edge AI Application

Are you developing a real-time multi-camera vision system? Contact our engineering team to discuss your hardware specifications.

Contact Our Technical Team  →

Direct Telephone & Regional Support:

Netherlands (HQ): +31 (0)412 660 066
Belgium: +32 (0)2 357 02 00
Germany / DACH: +49 (0)211 5403 9655

Email: [email protected]