The Always-On Remote: AI and BLE Remake Smart Home Control

IRVINE, CA – December 29, 2025 – In a move poised to redefine our interaction with consumer electronics, Irvine-based AONDevices and semiconductor giant Realtek have announced a strategic partnership to create a new generation of voice-activated smart remotes. The collaboration combines AONDevices' super-low-power artificial intelligence processors with Realtek's market-leading Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) chipsets, promising to deliver always-on, context-aware controllers that could make fumbling for the remote a relic of the past.

The joint platform aims to solve one of the biggest challenges for smart devices: the trade-off between advanced functionality and battery life. By integrating on-device AI that operates at the microwatt level, the new remotes can remain constantly active and listening for commands without requiring frequent charging or battery changes. This development comes as the global smart remote market is projected to surge past $4.5 billion by 2030, fueled by consumer demand for seamless control over an ever-expanding ecosystem of smart home devices.

A Microwatt Revolution in the Living Room

The core of the new platform is AONDevices' AON1100 M3 processor, an Edge AI chip designed for extreme power efficiency. Unlike cloud-based voice assistants that require an internet connection and consume significant power to process commands, the AON1100 performs tasks like wake-word detection, voice command recognition, and even acoustic event detection directly on the device. This “edge processing” not only delivers near-instantaneous responsiveness but does so while consuming mere microwatts of power—a fraction of the energy used by traditional processors.

To put this in perspective, AONDevices' technology has demonstrated the ability to achieve 90% voice recognition accuracy in noisy environments while consuming as little as 260 microwatts. This level of efficiency is a game-changer for battery-powered devices. It enables a truly “always-on” state, where a remote can listen continuously for a user’s command without draining its battery in days or weeks. This breakthrough stands in stark contrast to many current voice remotes that require a button press to activate listening, a compromise made to conserve power.

Complementing this AI muscle is Realtek’s expertise in low-power connectivity. The platform utilizes the company’s RTL8762D and RTL8762E BLE chipsets, which are specifically engineered for energy-sipping performance in battery-operated devices. Realtek, a top-five global supplier of BLE integrated circuits, provides the robust and efficient wireless link necessary to transmit commands to TVs, media players, and smart home hubs. The combination of ultra-low-power AI and ultra-low-power connectivity creates a potent foundation for a new class of intelligent controllers.

“The AON1100 M3 and AONx360 platforms redefine what is possible for always-on, battery-powered remotes,” said Mouna Elkhatib, CEO & CTO of AONDevices, in the official announcement. “By integrating Realtek’s BLE chip and software stack, we are giving OEMs a clear and scalable path – from simple hands-free voice remotes to fully personalized AI-driven controllers.”

A Strategic Alliance for a Booming Market

This partnership is more than a technical integration; it is a calculated strategic move to capture a significant share of the rapidly growing smart device market. The global voice assistant market, a key driver for this technology, is projected to explode from approximately $6 billion in 2024 to nearly $79 billion by 2034. By combining their respective strengths, AONDevices and Realtek are offering original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) a powerful, turnkey solution to compete in this space.

AONDevices brings its specialized, award-winning expertise in niche Edge AI, a field populated by innovative competitors like Syntiant and Ambiq Micro. Realtek, on the other hand, brings immense scale, a vast portfolio of connectivity solutions, and deep relationships with countless OEMs across the consumer electronics landscape.

“Realtek’s Bluetooth solutions... are engineered for energy efficiency, making them ideal for battery-operated devices,” noted Yee-Wei Huang, Realtek's vice president and spokesperson. “AONDevices’ ultra-low-power AI aligns perfectly with Realtek’s focus on low-power Bluetooth. Together, we’re ushering in a new generation of smart remotes with connectivity and intelligence that were previously unattainable.”

For device manufacturers, this collaboration simplifies the development process significantly. Instead of sourcing and integrating separate AI and connectivity components, they gain access to a pre-validated platform. Development is further streamlined by AONDevices' AONx360 Base and Pro platforms, a toolchain that allows OEMs to prepare datasets, generate and train AI models, and validate performance in real-time. This enables rapid customization for a wide range of applications, from TV and media remotes to dedicated smart home controllers and other IoT accessories.

Beyond the Button: The Future of Personalized Control

The true promise of this technology lies in its potential to create a more intuitive and personalized user experience. An always-on, context-aware remote can do far more than just recognize a wake word. With on-device AI, it can learn to distinguish between different users' voices, enabling personalized responses—for instance, pulling up Dad’s favorite sports channel versus a child’s preferred streaming service.

Furthermore, the platform supports advanced features like acoustic event detection. A remote resting on a coffee table could potentially recognize the sound of a smoke alarm, a baby crying, or glass breaking and send an alert to a user's smartphone. It can also incorporate motion sensing, allowing for gesture-based controls or automatically waking a screen when the remote is picked up. This multi-sensor intelligence, processed locally for privacy and speed, moves the remote from a simple command tool to a proactive, intelligent hub for the smart home.

With multiple designs for the new Voice Smart Remote already under development, the first wave of these next-generation devices may not be far off. The partnership between AONDevices and Realtek provides a clear blueprint for a future where controlling our digital lives is as simple as speaking into the air, finally freeing us from the tyranny of the button.