SoundHound Unveils Edge and Cloud Connectivity Solutions for Voice AI

SoundHound AI, a provider of voice artificial intelligence, has launched a suite of Edge and Cloud connectivity solutions that will allow companies to voice-enable almost any product, device, or service. These include fully-embedded Edge technology (including a new EdgeLite option), exclusively cloud-connected technology, or a hybrid combination of Edge+Cloud.

SoundHound's on-device Edge solutions allow companies adopting voice technology to grant their end-users greater levels of privacy by keeping data stored locally, so it never reaches the cloud. For cloud connectivity, SoundHound allows full control over data privacy so companies can communicate transparently with their users about how information is managed.

"Voice technology is now a must for products destined for the consumer market, but that doesn't mean it's one-size-fits-all. Here we're offering a range of connectivity options that deliver fast and accurate voice AI to meet different needs," said James Hom, co-founder and chief product officer of SoundHound, in a statement. "The availability of more Edge options will allow businesses to store and protect sensitive data locally, which could help brands build customer trust. Our hybrid options help supercharge speed and accuracy. So whatever the use case or computing capacity, we can match it for optimal results."

Available connectivity options include the following:

• EdgeLite -- With this fully-embedded voice solution companies can process data locally without cloud-related data privacy concerns. Developers have access to natural language commands with less memory and CPU impact, a bundled wake word, and the ability to instantly update commands.
• EdgeLite+Cloud -- All the capabilities of EdgeLite, with the added flexibility to access the cloud to answer queries or push product updates.
• Edge -- Fully-embedded voice AI solution with as much natural language understanding (NLU) capabilities to meet customer demand for hands-free convenience without cloud-related data privacy concerns. It includes full accessibility to custom commands and the ability to create custom domains for proprietary on-device functionality.
• Edge+Cloud -- The capabilities of Edge with the flexibility and power of cloud connectivity. Allows companies to deliver the level of cloud connectivity that best matches their products and users.
• Cloud-Only -- Equips voice assistants with real-time data and information from the cloud for delivery of the most relevant responses to user queries, with no restrictions from device CPU and memory capabilities.

SoundHound's Edge+Cloud solutions use Active Arbitration technology to ensure the voice assistant will always return the most accurate answer, fast. Active Arbitration delivers a query to the cloud and the embedded system simultaneously, which facilitates a faster, more accurate conversational experience.

"Increasingly, consumers are using their voices to interact with products and devices, and yet many brands are still struggling to settle on the best path when it comes to adopting voice AI," said Keyvan Mohajer, co-founder and CEO of SoundHound, in a statement. "We're providing this range of solutions to help any company meet customer expectations of speed and accuracy, with results delivered in the style of natural conversation. And with the right technology in place, voice quickly becomes a new channel to strengthen a brand’s relationship with its customers."