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BES chips power the 'night shift' in AI glasses

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#ai-glasses#hardware#edge-ai

Understand the hardware architecture behind the next generation of AI wearables and the race for integrated chips.

30-Second TL;DR

What Changed

BES provides low-power 'always-on' chips for AI glasses, acting as a secondary processor.

Why It Matters

The shift toward integrated, power-efficient AI glasses hardware is crucial for enabling all-day wearable AI assistants.

What To Do Next

If building hardware, evaluate the power-to-performance ratio of BES chips versus Qualcomm's AR platforms for your specific AI use case.

Who should care:Developers & AI Engineers

Key Points

  • •BES provides low-power 'always-on' chips for AI glasses, acting as a secondary processor.
  • •The company is developing the BES6100 to combine low-power and high-performance cores in one chip.
  • •Market competition is intensifying as smartphone brands develop proprietary chips.
  • •Global smart glasses shipments grew 44% in 2025, reaching 14.77 million units.

Deep Insight

AI-generated analysis for this event — not the original article.

Enhanced Key Takeaways

  • •BES (Hengxuan Technology) has historically focused on TWS (True Wireless Stereo) audio SoCs, leveraging its expertise in ultra-low-power Bluetooth connectivity to pivot into the AI wearable market.
  • •The company's strategy involves a 'dual-core' architecture approach, where the low-power core manages sensor fusion and voice activity detection (VAD) to extend battery life in compact form factors.
  • •BES has successfully integrated its chips into major consumer electronics ecosystems, including partnerships with leading Chinese smartphone OEMs that are aggressively expanding into the AR/AI glasses segment.
  • •The shift toward the BES6100 series represents a strategic move to reduce the bill-of-materials (BOM) cost for manufacturers by eliminating the need for a separate discrete MCU or co-processor.
  • •Industry data indicates that BES is increasingly competing with established players like Qualcomm and Airoha by offering more flexible, customizable SDKs for local AI model deployment on edge devices.

Competitor Analysis

Primary Focus
BES (Hengxuan)
Low-power/Audio-centric
Qualcomm (Snapdragon AR)
High-performance/Compute
Airoha (MediaTek)
Mid-range/Connectivity
Integration
BES (Hengxuan)
High (SoC + Audio)
Qualcomm (Snapdragon AR)
Very High (Full Platform)
Airoha (MediaTek)
Moderate (Connectivity)
AI Capability
BES (Hengxuan)
Edge-optimized (NPU)
Qualcomm (Snapdragon AR)
Advanced (Hexagon DSP)
Airoha (MediaTek)
Basic (NPU)
Market Position
BES (Hengxuan)
Cost-effective/Efficient
Qualcomm (Snapdragon AR)
Premium/Flagship
Airoha (MediaTek)
Value/Mass Market

Technical Deep Dive

  • BES6100 Architecture: Utilizes a heterogeneous multi-core design combining high-efficiency RISC-V cores for background tasks and a dedicated NPU for local AI inference.
  • Power Management: Implements proprietary dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) specifically tuned for 'always-on' voice and gesture recognition.
  • Connectivity: Supports multi-protocol wireless standards including Bluetooth 5.4 and low-latency proprietary links for real-time audio/data synchronization.
  • Memory Integration: Features on-chip SRAM optimization to minimize external DRAM access, significantly reducing power consumption during AI model execution.

Future ImplicationsAI analysis grounded in cited sources

BES will capture over 20% of the AI glasses co-processor market by 2027.
The trend toward integrated SoCs reduces hardware complexity, favoring suppliers that can combine audio and AI processing at a lower price point than premium competitors.
Smartphone OEMs will increasingly adopt proprietary silicon, threatening third-party chip suppliers.
Major brands are investing in in-house AI chips to differentiate their hardware, which may limit the addressable market for independent suppliers like BES in the high-end segment.

Timeline

2015-06
Hengxuan Technology (BES) is founded in Shanghai, focusing on audio SoCs.
2020-12
BES completes its IPO on the Shanghai Stock Exchange STAR Market.
2023-05
Company announces expansion into wearable AI processors, moving beyond traditional TWS audio chips.
2025-09
BES reports significant shipment growth as AI-enabled smart glasses gain mainstream traction.
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