Videantis celebrates 10-year anniversary as a leading video semiconductor IP supplier

Hannover, Germany, May 15, 2014 – Videantis, a leader in video coding and computer vision processor IP, announced today that it is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the company’s founding. Since 2004, videantis has evolved from a small company offering a single-core video processor for standard definition applications into an organization that serves customers around the globe, who are shipping videantis-based SOCs into a variety of markets, including high-volume mobile and automotive applications. The product offering has significantly expanded and now includes the scalable, multicore v-MP4000HDX processor architecture, optimized software for multi-format HD and 4K video coding, and computer vision acceleration libraries. Compared to a host CPU, the processor provides a 100x performance increase and 1000x power reduction, ideal for bringing HD/UHD video coding and novel computer vision and image processing algorithms to high-volume SOCs.

“It’s hard to believe it’s already been ten years since we incorporated our company,” says CEO Hans-Joachim Stolberg. “The foundation has actually been laid in the 1990s at the Leibniz Universität here in Hannover, when we started developing the first generation of our efficient, low-power video processing architecture. We spun out and incorporated in 2004 when we had our first silicon proof and signed up our first customer.” Since then, the company has steadily grown into a trusted semiconductor video IP provider with customers around the globe that are in volume production.

Originally, videantis focused solely on video encode and decode applications, which have expanded into the company’s current portfolio of 15+ HD and 4K codecs. “In 2010, our customers started asking for computer vision algorithm acceleration, which has become an important part of our offering for automotive advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), gesture interfaces, augmented reality, and facial analysis applications today,” Stolberg says. “We’re proud to hear from our customers that our programmable processor architecture is the most power- and silicon-efficient video processing architecture they’ve seen in the market. In addition, we’re the only company that licenses a unified video IP solution that can both run video codecs and accelerate computer vision on the same silicon footprint.” The company provides a scalable solution, from cost-efficient lower resolution applications all the way up to UHD/4K. “As a result, we’re seeing strong demand in mobile, automotive, and emerging applications and are very bullish about our prospects for the next ten years.”

Key milestones:

• 1997: Founders start developing parallel media processors
• 2003: World’s first multi-core 0.18um SOC media processor running MPEG-4 ASP with Micronas and UMC, presented at ISSCC’04
• 2004: Spin out of Leibniz Universität Hannover with first licensee
• 2005: First set top box and media player design wins. Multi-core IP family introduced at Microprocessor Forum
• 2006: Dual-core 65nm chip with Infineon, Chartered, IBM, and Samsung
• 2007: First licensee in Asia, IP videophone design win
• 2008: First automotive and mobile design wins
• 2009: World’s first internet-connected set-top box enabled by videantis IP
• 2010: Low power 10-core v-MP4000HDX 40nm chip with Infineon and TSMC
• 2011: First licensees for computer vision and ultra-low delay codec. Deloitte Fast 50 award
• 2012: Robert Bosch takes license for in-vehicle infotainment solutions
• 2013: Round of funding to accelerate growth. Announced computer vision partner program with 3 launching partners
• 2014: Red Herring Top 100 award

“To our customers, partners, investors, fellow founders, and employees: it has been a wonderful decade of achievements,” Stolberg adds. “I thank you for all your hard and smart work, dedication, and loyalty to videantis, and to our commitment of achieving excellence. We’ve done amazing things together—and the best is still to come.”

Videantis is an exhibitor at the Embedded Vision Summit West, taking place in Santa Clara on May 29th. Attendees may stop by our booth or conference presentation to learn more about our products and technology that we will continue to provide to our global customers in the next decade.

About videantis

Headquartered in Hannover, Germany, videantis GmbH is a one-stop video IP and solution provider delivering flexible multi-standard HW/SW video, imaging, and vision solutions for mobile, consumer, and automotive markets. Based on a unified processor platform approach that is licensed to chip manufacturers, videantis provides tailored solutions to meet the specific needs of its customers. With their core competencies of deep video application expert know-how and strong SOC design and system architecture expertise, videantis passionately serves a worldwide customer base with a diverse range of target applications, such as mobile phones, advanced driver assistance systems, in-car infotainment, and over-the-top TV. For more information about videantis, please visit www.videantis.com.