VeriSilicon's VC9800D IP Now Supports AV2 Decoding

The integration of AV2 decoding into VeriSilicon's VPU IP clears a hardware path for consumer device manufacturers to implement the next-generation codec. This move simplifies the adoption cycle for a standard promising superior compression efficiency for high-quality video. The broader industry will watch to see which semiconductor firms follow suit, and how quickly device manufacturers begin shipping AV2-capable products to capitalize on potential bandwidth savings for streaming services.

The announcement from VeriSilicon highlights the growing momentum behind AV2, with MarketScreener (June 2026) reiterating the significance of the VC9800D's support for the new codec. BriefGlance (June 2026) further contextualized VeriSilicon's move, describing its IP as a "quiet engine" for the next video revolution. This publication noted that the formal release of the AV2 standard in late May promises a 30-34% bitrate reduction compared to AV1 for equivalent visual quality, positioning it competitively against VVC, which has faced adoption challenges due to its royalty structure. While AV2 offers an open and royalty-free licensing model, BriefGlance also cautioned that patent assertion entities have indicated intentions to form patent pools, a potential complication for widespread adoption. Despite this, the backing of AOMedia members is expected to provide significant adoption tailwind. BriefGlance emphasized that AV2's compression gains come at the cost of increased computational complexity, making dedicated hardware acceleration, such as that provided by VeriSilicon's IP, crucial for broad implementation. History suggests that a critical mass of AV2-capable devices could take 5 to 7 years to reach consumers, with initial deployments likely leveraging software-based decoding in high-end devices and servers.