Amazons AZ1 Neural Edge processor will make Alexa voice commands even faster

Amazon unveiled the AZ1 Neural Edge processor, a silicon module that will speed up Alexa’s ability to answer your queries and commands by hundreds of milliseconds per response. The company built this module alongside MediaTek, and it will allow for on-device neural speech recognition for new products. It’s built into the new Echo smart speaker and Echo Show 10 smart display it announced today. These products, Amazon says, have “the on-device memory needed to support this level of processing.” The AZ1 will be built into more products in the Echo lineup going forward.

Amazon’s preexisting products without the AZ1 send both the audio and its corresponding interaction to the cloud to be processed and back. Comparatively, these new ones that...

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