- Anker unveils THUS
- The new chip uses Computer in Memory
- It could enable larger AI models on lower-powered devices
Anker is getting into the silicon business, specifically building a CIM (Compute In Memory) solution that will support onboard large model processing inside tiny, low-powered Bluetooth earbuds.
THUS is Anker's first step in a long-term plan to bring local, large-model AI to mobile, wearable, and IoT technologies. Anker's chip technology relies on Neural network-style computing, eschewing the traditional compute architecture in which the CPU processes the commands based on data and instructions it derives from memory. The transit from one to the other is an energy-intensive process. Neural Networks, like the human brain, don't really respect that division. Letting it all work in one place saves considerable energy. That's why CIM is attractive to Anker as a solution for bringing more powerful AI to its small-battery, lower-powered devices.
Basically, THUS, which is being fabbed in Germany, performs its computations inside NOR flash memory cells, which are known for their low-power operation; they're slower than traditional memory for writing data but actually faster than NAND memory for reading operations.
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By putting the models the AI need in the same spot as computation, THUS could not only conceivably lower power consumption, but also, Anker claims, make it possible to put larger models in devices that normally cannot house them because of their tiny batteries (at least based on traditional energy needs).
The first platform will be a pair of as-of-yet-unnamed Bluetooth earbuds where THUS will support more powerful environmental noise cancellation than was possible with traditional on-board AIU platforms. A larger on-bud model means the AI can more effectively cut out unwanted noise for better call clarity. Anker will call the feature, naturally, Clear Calls.
The chip will also add a pair of other features, "Signature Sound" and "Voice Control," though Anker didn't offer any further details on these features in our briefing. What we do know is that Anker will reveal all the details about its first THUS-bearing headphones on May 21, 2026.
Thinking in memory
CIM (also known as "in-Memory Compute") isn't a new concept, and it's been widely ignored by most chip designers (some wonder if "it's still alive") and certainly by most people building ever-larger models, for bigger, more powerful, and more agentic AI operations.
Still, if Anker, which says it's not becoming a chip company, succeeds, it could be a big moment for all kinds of low-powered devices, which have traditionally relied on cloud-based AI and the larger models they can house there.
Imagine smarter smart watches. Even smartphones could be impacted if other companies, like say, Apple, adopt CIM technologies for future Apple Silicon builds.
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