Cadence Tensilica HiFi Audio DSP is the First DSP IP Core to Support Dolby Atmos for PCs

Offloading Dolby Atmos to HiFi improves PC battery life

SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan 8, 2018—Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDNS) today announced that the Cadence^® Tensilica^® HiFi DSP core now supports Dolby Atmos^® for PCs, becoming the first DSP IP core to provide this capability. Cadence has optimized Dolby Atmos to run on the HiFi DSP, enabling consumers to experience Dolby Atmos over headphones or through PC speakers while reducing power consumption and improving battery life. A number of PCs featuring Dolby Atmos are currently available, including Huawei’s Matebook X and the Lenovo™ Yoga™ 920 2-in-1 convertible laptop.

Dolby Atmos delivers breathtaking, moving audio that flows around you, making you feel like you’re inside the action as sound comes alive with richness, depth, and precision. While cinema and home theater systems have multiple channels to facilitate this experience, headphones and built-in PC speakers are two-channel stereo. Reproducing the same audio experience over a device’s built-in speakers requires additional processing, which can impact battery life. Offloading Dolby Atmos to the HiFi DSP improves battery life without affecting the audio experience due to the DSP’s low-energy, high-performance processing.

“Our partnership with Cadence has helped bring Dolby Atmos not just to your living room, but now to your PC,” stated Mahesh Balakrishnan, Vice President, Enhanced Audio Experiences, Dolby Laboratories. “Cadence’s HiFi DSP maintains lower power consumption so that consumers can spend more time enjoying their favorite Dolby Atmos content on their PC.”

“Consumers expect a premium entertainment experience and long battery life with their PCs,” stated Larry Przywara, group director of marketing, audio/voice IP, Cadence. “Dolby Atmos running on the energy-efficient HiFi DSP delivers immersive audio with improved battery performance.”

Tensilica HiFi DSPs are the most widely licensed audio/voice/speech processors, with support for over 250 proven software packages and more than 105 software partners in the Tensilica Xtensions^™ partner program. More than 85 top-tier semiconductor companies and system OEMs have selected Tensilica HiFi DSPs for their audio, voice and speech products. For more information on the Tensilica HiFi DSP family, visit http://ip.cadence.com/ipportfolio/tensilica-ip/audio.

About Cadence

Cadence enables electronic systems and semiconductor companies to create the innovative end products that are transforming the way people live, work and play. Cadence software, hardware and semiconductor IP are used by customers to deliver products to market faster. The company’s System Design Enablement strategy helps customers develop differentiated products—from chips to boards to systems—in mobile, consumer, cloud datacenter, automotive, aerospace, IoT, industrial and other market segments. Cadence is listed as one of Fortune Magazine's 100 Best Companies to Work For. Learn more at cadence.com.