Microchip Launches Cost‑Effective Far‑Field Voice Development Kit for Amazon AVS with Flexible Mic Configurations

Microchip, through its Microsemi subsidiary, has introduced the AcuEdge ZLK38AVS Development Kit, a turnkey solution that enables designers to build Amazon Alexa Voice Service (AVS) devices with far‑field voice pickup while keeping BOM costs low and accommodating a range of microphone array layouts.

The kit centers around the ZL38063 audio processor, which houses a 300 MHz DSP and dedicated hardware accelerators for real‑time voice processing. It delivers Stereo Acoustic Echo Cancellation (AEC) and barge‑in recognition, ensuring clear speech recognition even in high‑audio‑playback environments.

Designed for OEMs and third‑party developers, the kit supports one‑mic hands‑free and two‑ or three‑mic far‑field configurations that have already met Amazon’s qualification criteria. Its flexible mic options allow rapid adaptation to different form‑factor constraints without compromising performance.

Key capabilities include robust far‑field speech recognition in the presence of device playback and external noise, field‑programmable signal‑processing algorithms that enhance local trigger detection and cloud speech‑recognition accuracy, and Direction‑of‑Arrival estimation that pinpoints the primary voice source.

To demonstrate integration, the kit connects directly to a Raspberry Pi 3B and includes plastic mounting hardware that mimics a typical end‑application mic‑speaker arrangement. It also features an LED ring that visualizes sound location and a high‑quality speaker representative of a standard smart‑speaker setup. Microchip’s global audio labs and tuning facilities provide end‑to‑end support, from design to Amazon certification.