Agora launches AI noise suppression to clean real-time streaming audio

This launch addresses the rising demand for hardware-agnostic audio clarity in fragmented user environments like remote work and mobile gaming. By embedding 100-plus noise profiles directly into the SDK, Agora reduces the developer's need for third-party audio cleaning plugins, lowering the total cost of ownership for real-time platforms. Competitively, it positions Agora against native noise-cancellation efforts from Microsoft Teams and Zoom, while offering a more customizable solution for niche B2B streaming apps. Market watchers should track adoption rates in the 15% growth segment of telehealth and enterprise collaboration, where HIPAA-compliant, clear audio is a critical regulatory and operational requirement.

The rollout of Agora’s AI noise suppression arrives as the platform reports a significant financial pivot. Per Nasdaq in March 2026, Agora achieved its first full year of GAAP profitability since 2018, with 2025 revenues reaching $141.1 million. This stability has allowed the company to shift its strategic focus toward 'Conversational AI' as a core infrastructure play. In March 2026, Agora unveiled its Conversational AI Agent solutions, which unify speech-to-text, large language models (LLMs), and text-to-speech technologies. This broader AI stack aims to automate customer service and sales interactions, areas where background noise suppression is required to ensure accurate AI transcription and processing.

Acknowledging the competitive landscape, industry data from May 2026 indicates that high-quality audio is now a baseline expectation rather than a premium feature. According to MarketScreener and other analysts, the global real-time communication market is projected to reach over $81 billion by 2029, driven largely by AI-integrated features. Agora currently faces direct competition from providers such as Twilio, Vonage, and specialist firms like Krisp, which also offer real-time noise cancellation. However, Agora’s integration of these tools into its global Software-Defined Real-Time Network (SD-RTN), which powers over 60 billion minutes of live media monthly, provides a scale that independent software vendors struggle to match. Revenue from its Agora-branded services grew 16.1% year-over-year in 2025, signaling that developers are increasingly prioritizing integrated AI tools to simplify their media stacks.