Arrow, NXP, Synaptics Offer Alexa Integration Kit to Device Makers

Arrow Electronics, NXP Semiconductors, and Synaptics have announced a new joint solution aimed at helping device makers incorporate Amazon’s Alexa AI assistant into their products.

Synaptics and NXP technologies form the foundation of the solution. It’s based on Synaptics’ AudioSmart 2-Mic Dev Kit for Amazon AVS, which features Synaptics’ dual microphone board, voice input processor, and voice activation engine; and that Dev Kit is based on the pico-imx7d board, which features NXP’s i.MX7D System-on-Chip solution. Together, the technologies are designed to enable developers to easily implement voice-based Alexa interaction into any device featuring a mic and a speaker.

Arrow Electronics’ role, meanwhile, appears to be that of a middleman. In a statement announcing the solution, Arrow Electronics Semiconductor Marketing VP Murdoch Fitzgerald said his company “is excited to team with Synaptics and NXP to bring this new kit to the developer community and help accelerate the innovation of new smart home products.”

The solution’s announcement arrives at a time of intensifying interest in artificial intelligence, and particularly voice-controlled AI assistants for consumer devices. It also comes soon after NXP helped to sponsor an IoT innovation contest organized by Arrow Electronics, suggesting strengthening ties between the companies.

The development kit is now available for $375, exclusively through Arrow Electronics.