Custom silicon is no longer just Apple's party trick. Anker has pulled back the curtain on Thus, its in-house AI audio chip, and the company is making some genuinely bold claims about what it can do.
The chip is described as the world's first neural-net compute-in-memory (CIM) AI audio chip, which is a mouthful, but the core idea is straightforward.
Instead of shuttling data back and forth between a processor and memory — a process that wastes more than 90% of a chip's energy — Thus fuses the two into a single architecture. The result is up to 150x the computing power of the chip in Anker's previous flagship earphones, based on internal lab tests.
What That Actually Means for Listeners
On-device AI audio processing has historically been hamstrung by the limited compute available in something small enough to fit in your ear. Thus is Anker's attempt to fix that at the hardware level rather than just throwing more software at the problem.
The chip handles four key functions: noise elimination for clearer calls, active noise cancellation using eight microphones with on-chip processing, on-device voice control supporting 20 commands without any cloud dependency, and what Anker calls “Signature Sound” — multiple AI audio models running simultaneously on a single chip.
The zero-cloud voice control is probably the most interesting claim here. Sending voice commands to a server introduces latency and raises the obvious privacy questions. If Thus genuinely handles all 20 commands locally, that's a meaningful step forward.
A Guinness World Record Attempt
Anker is swinging for the fences with the marketing too. The company is officially attempting a Guinness World Records title for the highest speech quality score — measured using the G-MOS objective test standard — for TWS earbuds. Whether that attempt succeeds or not, it's a statement of intent about where the company thinks Thus-equipped earbuds sit.
The full product reveal is scheduled for May 21st. Soundcore, Anker's audio brand, will be the first to ship products powered by Thus.
Early Bird Perks
Ahead of the launch, Anker is running a sign-up page at soundcore.com where you can enter to win a free pair of Thus-equipped earbuds (no purchase required).
Signing up also unlocks early bird benefits including a 45-day return window, a 30-day trial before you have to pay, and a free Soundcore Care membership worth £9.99.
It's smart pre-launch positioning. Whether the chip lives up to its billing is something we'll have to wait until next week to find out.
