Actions Technology and Ceva launch first Bluetooth 7.0-ready audio chips
Actions Technology and Ceva have launched the ATS296X-series SoCs, which utilize Bluetooth High Data Throughput (HDT) technology to increase peak speeds from 2 Mbps to 7.5 Mbps. The chips are designed to enable lossless multichannel audio and low-latency performance for home theater systems and soundbars ahead of the Bluetooth 7.0 specification.
Key Takeaways
- ATS296X-series SoCs increase peak Bluetooth throughput by 275%, reaching approximately 7.5 Mbps.
- Hardware enables native support for wireless multichannel home audio, including soundbars with satellite speakers.
- Ceva's HDT platform has completed four industry interoperability events to validate multi-vendor performance.
- Collaboration between Actions and Ceva has already deployed over 100 million wireless audio SoCs to date.
Why It Matters
This launch provides a commercial path for manufacturers to adopt Bluetooth 7.0 features before the standard's final ratification. By tripling data rates, HDT addresses the primary bottleneck for high-fidelity wireless audio, allowing Bluetooth to compete with proprietary 2.4GHz and Wi-Fi solutions for home theater integration. For the streaming ecosystem, this facilitates a shift toward wireless-first surround sound systems that require zero proprietary dongles. Success will depend on the speed of mobile handset adoption of the 7.0 spec; track for initial integration in 2027 flagship smartphones.
Additional Context
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) is expected to officially adopt the next core specification, featuring High Data Throughput (HDT), in late 2026. Per PCMag (March 2026), the HDT advancement is intended to move Bluetooth beyond its 2.1 Mbps ceiling, making it a viable alternative for high-resolution audio and large file transfers that previously necessitated Wi-Fi. While the ATS296X chips represent an early hardware implementation, broader consumer availability will depend on the ratification of draft specifications and subsequent software profile updates from device vendors.
The competitive landscape for Bluetooth audio SoCs is intensifying as the global market is projected to reach $2.4 billion by 2034. Per Semiconductor Insight (July 2026), market leaders like Qualcomm and MediaTek have focused on dual-transmission architectures and adaptive active noise cancellation to secure premium TWS (True Wireless Stereo) segments. Actions Technology, which supplies major brands such as Sony, Harman, and TCL, is positioning its new HDT-enabled silicon to capture the growing demand for mid-range and premium soundbars and wireless microphones.
Technical validation for HDT has been underway throughout early 2026. Per Tbreak (August 2026), Rohde & Schwarz and Realtek conducted the industry's first public HDT test setups in March 2026 using combo chips and specialized audio silicon. These tests validated the use of high-order QAM modulation to maintain energy efficiency while nearly quadrupling data rates, a critical requirement for maintaining battery life in the next generation of lossless wireless earbuds and portable speakers.
Read full article at audioxpress.com
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