New Broadcom chip could make your next TV an instant translator
Broadcom has announced it is teaming up with a company called CAMB.AI to develop a new AI chipset capable of performing real-time audio translation and dubbing directly on a user’s device.
The new SoC is being designed to run CAMB.AI’s audio translation models locally, without needing to connect to the cloud. The companies state this on-device processing will provide enhanced privacy, ultra-low latency, and drastically reduced wireless bandwidth consumption.
In addition to real-time audio translation, the chipset will also be able to generate audio descriptions of what is happening on a screen, a feature aimed at improving accessibility for users with vision issues. The companies have announced that the technology will be able to support on-device translation in over 150 languages.
A demo video of the audio description feature showed the AI describing a scene from a film in various languages, with a written translation also appearing on-screen. The voice model used for the technology is reportedly already in use by organizations such as NASCAR, Comcast, and Eurovision.
The technology is currently in the testing phase, and there is no timeline for when the new chipsets will begin to appear in consumer gadgets like televisions. The announcement follows other recent AI-related news from Broadcom, including a partnership with OpenAI to help manufacture its own chips.