Advanced Bionics Deploys CEVA DSP Core

Editor: The CI manufacturers continue to work to improve their products. Here's the latest technological development from the folks at Advanced Bionics.

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September 2007

Ultra-low power DSP core from CEVA provides unmatched sound quality and extends battery life for state-of-the-art cochlear implant system

CEVA, Inc. (Nasdaq: CEVA; LSE: CVA), a leading licensor of innovative intellectual property (IP) platform solutions and DSP cores for wireless, consumer and multimedia applications, today announced that Advanced Bionics has licensed and deployed the CEVA-TeakLite(TM) DSP core in its Harmony HiResolution Bionic Ear System.

The CEVA-TeakLite core, used in the external (behind the ear) sound processor of the Harmony system, is a key component in providing unmatched hearing capability for severe-to-profoundly deaf individuals that would otherwise have little or no perception of sound. The device benefits from the CEVA core's support for CD-quality audio, wide input dynamic range and powerful dual-loop automatic gain control. This technology is used in the Harmony system, with its breakthrough HiRes Fidelity 120(TM) processing feature, to help cochlear implant recipients appreciate music, use the telephone, and hear in noisy environments, without having to make adjustments to their processor. The ultra-low power requirements of CEVA's most widely-deployed DSP core enables extended battery life so Harmony system recipients can use their processor all day on a single battery charge.

"We are very pleased to be working with Advanced Bionics and contributing to the sophisticated technology required for its state-of-the-art cochlear implant system," said Gideon Wertheizer, CEO of CEVA. "Our CEVA-TeakLite DSP core is ideally suited to meet the demanding requirements for these rugged, yet streamlined and intelligent low-power devices."

Advanced Bionics' high-tech, high-performance cochlear implant systems help maximize the hearing potential of people experiencing severe-to-profound hearing loss (deafness), intended to provide a better quality of life for users. The cochlear implant marketplace demands ever-increasing technical advances in order to address the needs of users ranging from young children to our growing aging population.

The CEVA-TeakLite is a broadly used general-purpose DSP core optimized for low-power and high-performance digital signal processing applications. The core enables a large range of high-volume applications such as cellular handsets, DVDs, disk drives, VoIP gateways, IP phones, mobile audio, as well as hearing aid systems. The CEVA-TeakLite is a highly efficient low-power single MAC DSP core, measuring less than 0.2mm2 in a 90nm process, and utilizing an optimized 16-bit instruction set. The fully synthesizable, process-independent CEVA-TeakLite can be ported to any ASIC or foundry-based designs.

About Advanced Bionics

Advanced Bionics, founded in 1993 by Alfred E. Mann, is a global leader in the development of implantable technologies that improve the lives of hearing impaired individuals. Headquartered in Valencia, California, Advanced Bionics is the only American manufacturer of cochlear implants -- the only technology approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to restore a human sense.

About CEVA, Inc.

Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., CEVA is a leading licensor of innovative intellectual property (IP) platform solutions and DSP cores for wireless, consumer and multimedia applications. CEVA's IP portfolio includes comprehensive platform solutions for multimedia, audio, voice over packet (VoP), Bluetooth, Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) and Serial ATA (SATA), and a wide range of programmable DSP cores and subsystems with different price/performance metrics serving multiple markets. In 2006, CEVA's IP was shipped in over 190 million devices.