Advanced Low-Power Audio Processing: Fraunhofer upHear Now Added to Cadence’s Audio Algorithm Partnership

The Fraunhofer upHear range of rendering technologies is now available on Cadence’s audio processing platform.

Fraunhofer IIS and Cadence, a leading computational software provider for the design of semiconductors, electronic systems, and embedded silicon IP, have a long history of partnering on industry-leading audio DSP technologies such as LC3/LC3 plus. Now, the Fraunhofer upHear range of rendering technologies is also available on Cadence’s audio processing platform.

upHear addresses key trends in the field of audio rendering for all types of consumer audio devices used at home, on the go, or at the workplace. Manufacturers using the Cadence Tensilica HiFi DSP platform can now choose and easily integrate the state-of-the-art upHear technologies into their embedded audio signal flows.

upHear − A perfect match for HiFi DSPs

The Cadence Tensilica HiFi DSP range for audio enables the high-performance processing that is needed for the entire spectrum of audio and speech processing algorithms, including AI and machine learning. HiFi DSPs are integrated into billions of SoCs and deployed across all major consumer audio markets, including smart speaker and headphone products. The high performance in combination with an ultra-low power demand is a key reason for the success of the Tensilica HiFi instruction set architecture (ISA), making it the top choice for audio device manufacturers, as shown by over 150 licensees worldwide.

Customers are increasingly demanding specialized features in smart audio devices like True-Wireless Earbuds (TWS). They seek pristine voice call quality and immersive spatial audio, all while expecting their battery-powered devices to last all day. From the HiFi DSP in a smartphone down to the TWS earbud − upHear delivers audio innovations for any device type.

 

upHear: The leading solution for input and output processing

upHear Microphone Processing meets all requirements of incoming signals, including cutting-edge AI-based voice enhancement. upHear Mobile Audio provides 3D audio rendering processing for low-power end devices.

In the field of incoming signals, upHear Microphone Processing offers a complete acoustic front end combined with advanced AI-based voice enhancement solutions. upHear Microphone Processing can be deployed across many device categories and configured for optimum performance under varying conditions. upHear AI-based Noise Reduction is an ultra-low complexity solution improving intelligibility for both incoming and outgoing speech signals. Due to its small computational footprint, it is the perfect choice for portable communication devices such as headphones or smartphones.

A woman wearing earbuds. There is text attached to the earbud mentioning "upHear Mobile Audio" and "upHear Microphone Processing".
On the output side, upHear Mobile Audio enables realistic spatial audio rendering on portable devices with low complexity. Designed for life-like experiences, it enhances media playback from conventional stereo to modern immersive formats and also enables spatial audio for Extended Reality (XR) audio. It is available for full quality integration even on the most resource-constrained systems such as DSPs in small TWS earbuds and low-power XR hardware.

“We are excited to elevate our products with upHear Technologies,” says Casey Ng, product marketing director for audio/voice DSPs at Cadence. “Fraunhofer has long been a partner for industry-leading coding solutions. The availability of upHear for our Tensilica HiFi DSPs empowers our customers to deploy comprehensive rendering technologies and provide optimally integrated end-to-end solutions that help create the products of tomorrow.”

 

Explore the future of immersive entertainment at the upHear suite at CES 2025 in Las Vegas

From January 7 to 10, Fraunhofer IIS will showcase the upHear technology at CES 2025 in Las Vegas. Visitors are welcome to visit the Fraunhofer suite 34-204 in the Venetian Tower. Please schedule an appointment beforehand.

For more information about upHear, please visit upHear.com.

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