Dolphin Design unveils an innovative IP for sound classification cutting down energy by 99%

Grenoble -- June 27, 2023 -- Dolphin Design, a leader in semiconductor IP solutions for power management, audio, and processing with ASIC design services, today announced the launch of WhisperExtractor, a game-changer mixed-signal IP for the voice and audio-enabled SoCs. WhisperExtractor IP indeed enables voice and sound classification at µW level power budget, paving the way to breakthrough always-on voice user interface and always-on sound detection. This IP enhance battery-powered applications aiming at Keyword Spotting (KWS), Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), Natural Language Processing (NLP), or power-efficient sound classification such as intelligent security camera.

WhisperExtractor relies on a disruptive technology that addresses one of the major challenges of battery-powered devices that want to enable voice-user interaction or sound classification, which is power efficiency. It has become critical to have efficient and low-power SoC design to enhance the end-user experience.

How does WhisperExtractor works?

Conventional signal processing methods to process Mel Frequency Spectrum Coefficients (MFCC) require a significant amount of energy to convert analog signals to digital and perform signal processing calculations and advanced software capabilities. It makes it difficult to implement always-on voice listening or sound classification without draining too much current from the battery.

WhisperExtractor is based on mixed-signal architecture to efficiently extract the MFCC needed for audio classification without requiring any software programming. It connects directly to an analog microphone and outputs the data needed by an AI accelerator block to handle inference/classification. This new approach shatters the limitations of conventional practices, empowering power consumption beyond previous boundaries.

The advanced architecture of this innovative IP helps reduce power consumption by up to 99% at system level, enabling an always-on listening function at a power budget of just µW, with a simple 32 kHz clock.

It frees massive headroom on DSP or CPUs and wakes up the system only when necessary.

Key Features and Benefits of WhisperExtractor:

1. Unrivalled Power Efficiency: µW level power consumption, extending application live time of battery-operated devices.
2. Always on domain friendly: 32 kHz clock input, RC or crystal oscillator.
3. Seamless software integration: MFCCs without any software programming.
4. Versatile: Built-in support of various use cases, voice classification, sound classification…

“We are proud to bring this cutting-edge technology to the IP market,” said Hakim Jaafar VP Marketing at Dolphin Design. “WishperExtractor furthers our investment in our comprehensive set of IPs that enable the cost-effective design of power efficient SoCs. Be it our audio converters, power management, or processing IPs. With this ground-breaking IP, we prove once again that innovation is part of our DNA, so stay tuned! “

The Dolphin Design IP catalog encompasses more than 300 references of audio converters, power management, and processing IPs that are commodity features in SoCs. These IPs, which are proven in multiple foundries and processes enable numerous fabless and system makers that aim at designing a more energy-efficient SoC while focusing their in-house resources on more valuable tasks to differentiate their SoC.

Find out more about WhisperExtractor :

https://www.dolphin-design.fr/audio-ip/whisperextractor/ ‎

About Dolphin Design

Dolphin Design is a leading provider of semiconductor IP solutions, specializing in ASIC and IP design targeting markets such as Defense, Automotive, industrial, Personal electronics, and IoT. Dolphin Design cutting-edge technology IPs in AI computing, Power management, High-quality Audio, Power metering, and Design Safety/robustness, allow their thousand customers and partners to accelerate design cycles, fosters faster time-to-market, and build products/solutions that address the challenges of any industries and support a more sustainable world.

With a customer-centric approach, Dolphin Design provides exceptional support for successful project outcomes.

Visit www.dolphin-design.fr for more information.