Qualcomm Announces Highly Flexible Smart Speaker Platform with Unique Combination of Support for Voice Assistants and Multi-Room Streaming Audio Capability
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Qualcomm Announces Highly Flexible Smart Speaker Platform with Unique Combination of Support for Voice Assistants and Multi-Room Streaming Audio Capability

Qualcomm Smart Audio Platform combines premium audio solutions, advanced far-field voice capture, wake-word detection, Qualcomm AllPlay multi-room audio technology, and support for voice assistants to help innovative voice interactions

SHENZHEN, China, June 14, 2017 — (PRNewswire) — Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM), today introduced at its voice and music developer conference in Shenzhen, a new Qualcomm® Smart Audio Platform to help manufacturers accelerate the development and commercialization of smart and networked speakers. The flexible solution offers two Qualcomm® SoC options based on APQ8009 and APQ8017, with a range of software configurations that are designed to allow OEMs to create truly optimized smart speakers across various product tiers and categories. The integrated platform brings together a unique combination of processing capability, connectivity options, voice user interfaces and premium audio technologies to help meet increasing consumer demand for comprehensively featured, highly intuitive smart speakers.

The integrated high-quality performance voice solution is designed to deliver advanced multi-mic far-field voice capability with highly responsive voice activation and beamforming technologies. The platform's voice software also incorporates echo-cancellation, noise suppression and "barge-in" capability, supporting a reliable voice interface in loud or noisy environments even when users are far from the smart speaker.

Qualcomm® AllPlay™ multi-room audio technology supports OEMs to utilize Qualcomm's high performance open ecosystem for whole-home audio music streaming. AllPlay compatible speakers are designed to be easily configured to play synchronized music across multiple rooms, different music in multiple speaker zones, and multi-channel wireless surround sound to multiple speakers in the same room. Consumers can play music from popular cloud-based streaming music services including Hi-Res 32-bit/192kHz content, local music libraries on mobile phones, or DLNA media servers. The AllPlay ecosystem includes a growing number of manufacturers and commercially available speakers from OEMs including, but not limited to, Panasonic, Hitachi, House of Marley, and Magnat, providing consumers with the flexibility to mix and match different brands of speakers in their audio network. Moreover, the new platform supports Qualcomm® aptX™ HD audio technology, which is designed to deliver 24-bit high-definition wireless audio over Bluetooth®.

"The Qualcomm Smart Audio Platform combines high-performance processing power, world-class Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, advanced far-field voice capture and wake-word detection, AllPlay multi-room audio streaming technology, and support for major voice ecosystems in a single solution," said Anthony Murray, senior vice president and general manager, voice and music, Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd. "This platform is ideal for traditional speaker manufacturers wanting to make the move to a connected platform as it is designed to bring together all the necessary hardware, software and tools needed to reduce development time. It also offers a great degree of flexibility for those manufacturers who want to push the boundaries when it comes to possible future applications for smart speakers."

Key benefits:

Key software features:

To help reduce development time and overheads there are a number of system-on-module solutions and reference designs available now from ODMs including but not limited to Wistron, Compal, Quanta and Pegatron. Comprehensive Developer Platforms for APQ8009 and APQ8017 is expected to be available from Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd. for customers who prefer more development flexibility.

The Qualcomm Smart Audio Platform is expected to be available Q3 2017 (planned, subject to change). For more information on how to get started, please visit the press kit.

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm's technologies powered the smartphone revolution and connected billions of people. We pioneered 3G and 4G – and now we are leading the way to 5G and a new era of intelligent, connected devices. Our products are revolutionizing industries, including automotive, computing, IoT, healthcare and data center, and are allowing millions of devices to connect with each other in ways never before imagined. Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, all of our engineering, research and development functions, and all of our products and services businesses, including, our QCT semiconductor business. For more information, visit Qualcomm's website, OnQ blog, Twitter and Facebook pages.

Qualcomm and Hexagon are trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated, registered in the United States and other countries. AllPlay is a trademark of Qualcomm Connected Experiences, Inc., registered in the United States and other countries. aptX is a trademark of Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd., registered in the United States and other countries. Wi-Fi is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. Bluetooth is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc.

Qualcomm Smart Audio Platform, APQ8009, APQ8017, Qualcomm Hexagon and Qualcomm AllPlay are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. Qualcomm aptX is a product of Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd.

Qualcomm Contacts:
Pete Lancia, Corporate Communications
Phone:  1-858-845-5959
Email:  corpcomm@qualcomm.com

John Sinnott, Investor Relations
Phone: 1-858-658-4813
Email: ir@qualcomm.com

 

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SOURCE Qualcomm Incorporated

Contact:
Qualcomm Incorporated