- Anker reveals THIS
- The new chip uses Computer in Memory
- Could enable larger AI models on lower-powered devices
Anker is getting into the silicon business, specifically building a CIM (Compute In Memory) solution that will support integrated processing of large models inside small, low-power Bluetooth headphones.
SO is Anker’s first step in a long-term plan to bring large-model local AI to mobile, wearable, and IoT technologies. Anker’s chip technology is based on neural network-style computing, eschewing traditional computing architecture in which the CPU processes commands based on data and instructions it derives from memory. The transition from one to the other is a process that consumes a lot of energy. Neural networks, like the human brain, don’t really respect that division. Letting everything run in one place saves a considerable amount of energy. That’s why CIM is attractive to Anker as a solution to bring more powerful AI to its lower-power, small-battery devices.
Basically, THUS, which is being manufactured in Germany, performs its calculations inside NOR flash memory cells, which are known for their low-power operation; They are slower than traditional memory for writing data, but actually faster than NAND memory for reading operations.
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By placing the models that AI needs in the same place as computing, SO could not only reduce power consumption but also, Anker says, make it possible to put larger models on devices that typically can’t accommodate them due to their small batteries (at least based on traditional power needs).
The first platform will be an as-yet-unnamed pair of Bluetooth headphones where SO will support more powerful ambient noise cancellation than was possible with traditional built-in AIU platforms. A larger integrated model means AI can more effectively eliminate unwanted noise for better call clarity. Anker will naturally call the feature Clear Calls.
The chip will also add a couple more features, “Signature Sound” and “Voice Control,” although Anker didn’t offer more details on these features in our briefing. What we do know is that Anker will reveal all the details about its first headphones with THUS on May 21, 2026.
Thinking about memory
CIM (also known as “computing in memory”) is not a new concept, and has been largely ignored by most chip designers (some wonder if it is “still alive”) and certainly by most people building larger and larger models, for larger, more powerful, and more agentic AI operations.
Still, if Anker, which says it won’t become a chip company, succeeds, it could be a big moment for all kinds of low-power devices, which have traditionally relied on cloud-based AI and the larger models they can house there.
Imagine smarter smartwatches. Even smartphones could be affected if other companies, like Apple, for example, adopt CIM technologies for future versions of Apple Silicon.
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