Audinate scales Dante infrastructure with 4-channel adapters and AI camera control

Audinate is moving beyond its core audio-over-IP dominance to provide a unified software and hardware layer for the entire AV-over-IP stack. By integrating AI-driven camera control (Iris) and higher-density analog-to-digital adapters, the company is addressing the growing complexity of hybrid environments where IT-style manageability is now a requirement. This shift forces competitors in the video-over-IP space to match its interoperability across diverse hardware vendors. For the broader ecosystem, it signals a transition from simple connectivity to centralized, cloud-managed orchestration. Watch for Audinate’s fiscal 2026 data on software and cloud subscription revenue to gauge the adoption rate of these unified control platforms over legacy hardware sales.

The InfoComm 2026 launches follow a period of strategic transition for Audinate. In February 2026, the company reported a return to revenue growth for the first half of fiscal year 2026, generating US$21.1 million—a rise from US$18.9 million in the prior year. This rebound comes after a challenging 2025 where revenue dropped 32% to US$40 million due to inventory rebalancing among manufacturing partners, as reported by the Australian Financial Review and company filings in August 2025. This pivot is heavily supported by a shift toward software-led revenue, which delivered an 82.6% gross margin in early 2026 compared to 74.2% in 2024.

Central to this strategy is the integration of Iris, which Audinate acquired as Iris Studio in June 2025 for US$24 million. The acquisition provided the AI-powered base for the PTZ control platform demonstrated at InfoComm. Per industry analysis by RH Consulting in March 2025, Dante remains the audio-over-IP leader with 14 times as many products on the market as its nearest competitor, despite the emergence of standards-based rivals like AES67 and Milan. However, the company is facing increased pressure to expand into video and management software as traditional audio hardware markets mature.

Technological convergence on the InfoComm floor further suggests an industry-wide push for cloud-managed workflows. For instance, Aurora Multimedia recently introduced architecture to support Dante and AES67 over Wi-Fi, challenging the wired-only requirements of previous enterprise AV designs. As Audinate targets 13–15% gross profit growth for the full 2026 fiscal year, its success will likely depend on whether IT managers adopt subscription-based tools like Dante Director and Iris for large-scale, distributed campus deployments.