Ambarella Launches Powerful Edge AI 8K Vision SoC With Industry-Leading AI and Multi-Sensor Perception Performance

Rhea-AI Summary

Ambarella (NASDAQ: AMBA) announced the CV7, a 4nm edge AI vision SoC optimized for multi-stream video and on-device AI for consumer 8K cameras, enterprise security, robotics, industrial automation and automotive edge applications.

The CV7 delivers 20% lower power vs the prior CV5, 2.5x AI performance via a third-generation CVflow accelerator, 2x video encode throughput (single 4Kp240 or dual 8Kp30), quad-core Arm Cortex-A73 CPU (2x CPU performance) and improved low-light imaging down to 0.01 Lux. Samples are available now and the CV7 is being demonstrated at CES.

Positive

• Power consumption reduced by 20% versus CV5
• AI performance improved by 2.5x over CV5
• Video encode throughput 2x enabling single 4Kp240 or dual 8Kp30
• Quad-core Arm Cortex-A73 delivers 2x CPU performance

Negative

• None.

Key Figures

Process node 4nm CV7 edge AI vision SoC fabrication technology

Edge AI SoCs shipped 39 million Cumulative edge AI SoCs shipped across Ambarella’s portfolio

Power reduction 20% less power CV7 vs. predecessor SoC power consumption

AI performance gain 2.5x CV7 AI performance vs. previous-generation CV5 SoC

Low-light sensitivity 0.01 Lux Minimum illumination level for impressive image quality

Encode boost 2x Hardware-accelerated video encoding performance vs. CV5

Max 4K stream 4Kp240 Maximum single-stream video encode supported by CV7

Multi-4K streams over 4x 4Kp30 Concurrent 4K streams for multi-imager enterprise cameras

Market Reality Check

$77.11 Last Close

Volume Volume 935,699 is 1.33x the 20-day average of 702,874, indicating elevated interest ahead of and around the CES launch. normal

Technical Price $75.16 is trading above the 200-day MA $68.32, reflecting a bullish pre-news trend.

Peers on Argus 1 Up

AMBA gained 6.1%, outpacing several semiconductor peers that are also up but less strongly (e.g., ACLS +5.53%, CAMT +4.48%, IPGP +2.7%, ONTO +2.01%, FORM +2.32%). Momentum scanner today highlights only AMKR, suggesting AMBA’s move is more stock-specific than a broad sector rotation.

Historical Context

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Dec 22	AI product update	Positive	+0.4%	Expanded CVflow AI SoC family and drone deployment using CV5.
Nov 25	Earnings results	Positive	+1.6%	Q3 FY2026 revenue growth and improved non-GAAP profitability guidance.
Nov 07	Earnings call notice	Neutral	+5.3%	Scheduled Q3 FY2026 earnings call and webcast details.
Aug 28	Earnings results	Positive	+16.8%	Strong Q2 FY2026 revenue growth and raised full-year outlook.
Aug 07	Earnings call notice	Neutral	+2.6%	Announcement of Q2 FY2026 earnings call timing and access details.

Pattern Detected

Recent AMBA news, especially earnings and AI product updates, has typically been followed by positive price reactions, with no clear instances of selling into good news in the last five events.

Recent Company History

Over the past six months, Ambarella has combined solid financial execution with steady edge AI product momentum. Q2 and Q3 FY2026 earnings on Aug 28 and Nov 25 showed strong revenue growth and were followed by gains of 16.78% and 1.56%. AI-focused announcements, including the drone-related CV5 news on Dec 22, produced modest upside. Conference-call scheduling headlines in August and November also saw positive but smaller moves. Today’s CV7 8K edge AI SoC launch extends this pattern of AI-centric product evolution around CES.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement introduces Ambarella’s CV7, a 4nm edge AI vision SoC targeting 8K, multi-sensor perception and low-power applications across consumer, enterprise security, robotics and automotive. It extends prior CVflow-based launches by delivering 2.5x AI performance over CV5, improved low-light imaging down to 0.01 Lux, and higher encode capabilities such as 4Kp240. Investors may track design wins, integration into drones, security and ADAS, and how these capabilities support the company’s broader edge AI growth narrative.

Key Terms

system-on-chip (SoC) technical

"announced during CES the CV7 edge AI vision system-on-chip (SoC), which is optimized"

A system-on-chip (SoC) is a single microchip that packs the main electronic components of a computer — such as the processor, memory, graphics and input/output controllers — that would otherwise be separate parts. Like a Swiss Army knife replacing multiple tools, an SoC reduces size, power use and manufacturing cost while shaping device performance and features, so investors watch it as a key driver of product competitiveness, margins and market share.

transformer-based networks technical

"especially those running CNNs and transformer-based networks at the edge—such as AI"

Transformer-based networks are a type of artificial intelligence system that reads and weighs large amounts of text or data to identify the most relevant bits, similar to a skilled librarian quickly finding key passages across many books. They power advanced language and pattern recognition tasks, and matter to investors because they can cut costs, speed product development, enable new services, or change competitive advantage — all of which can affect revenue, expenses and valuation.

adas technical

"360-degree surround-view and video-recording applications, and passive driver assistance systems (ADAS)."

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are electronic systems in vehicles that assist the driver with safety tasks. Examples include automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control. These systems use sensors and cameras to improve vehicle safety.

hdr technical

"track record of providing industry-leading image signal processing, including high dynamic range (HDR), dewarping"

High-dose-rate (HDR) refers to a form of localized radiation therapy that delivers a strong, concentrated beam of radiation to a targeted spot for a short time, often using a temporary implant placed close to a tumor. Investors care because HDR treatments can offer faster procedures, shorter hospital stays and potentially better targeting than traditional options, which can affect adoption of related devices, treatment volumes, reimbursement and therefore a healthcare company's revenue prospects.

h.264 technical

"hardware-accelerated video encoding (H.264, H.265, MJPEG), which boosts encode performance"

H.264 is a widely used video compression standard that shrinks video files and streams so they use less storage and bandwidth while keeping picture quality. For investors, H.264 matters because it affects costs and reach for companies that deliver or store video—lower bandwidth and broader device support can reduce expenses, improve user experience, and influence licensing or technology choices that impact revenue and margins.

h.265 technical

"hardware-accelerated video encoding (H.264, H.265, MJPEG), which boosts encode performance"

H.265, also called HEVC, is a technical standard for compressing video so files take up less space and use less internet bandwidth. Think of it as a smarter way to pack a suitcase: you can fit the same amount of video into a smaller digital space or stream higher-quality images without using more data. Investors care because adoption affects companies’ streaming costs, viewer experience, device compatibility and potential licensing or royalty revenue.

vision-language models (VLMs) technical

"as well as the latest transformer-based AI networks and vision-language models (VLMs)."

Vision-language models are computer programs that can look at images and read or generate related text, combining visual and written understanding much like a person who can both see a picture and describe it. For investors they matter because these models enable new products and efficiencies—from improved search and automation to smarter customer tools—potentially affecting revenue, costs and competitive advantage across industries.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

New 4nm CV7 System-on-Chip Provides Ideal Combination of Simultaneous Multi-Stream Video and Advanced On-Device Edge AI Processing With Very Low Power Consumption

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ambarella, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMBA), an edge AI semiconductor company, today announced during CES the CV7 edge AI vision system-on-chip (SoC), which is optimized for a wide range of AI perception applications. Examples include advanced, AI-based 8K consumer products (e.g., action and 360-degree cameras), multi-imager enterprise security cameras, robotics (e.g. aerial drones), industrial automation and high-performance video conferencing devices. The CV7 is also ideal for multi-stream automotive designs—especially those running CNNs and transformer-based networks at the edge—such as AI vision gateways and hubs in fleet video telematics, 360-degree surround-view and video-recording applications, and passive driver assistance systems (ADAS). These applications can all leverage the CV7 for its simultaneous processing of multiple video streams up to 8Kp60 and exceptional image quality, in combination with high-performance edge AI and low power consumption.

“Joining our wide portfolio of edge AI SoCs, with more than 39 million shipped to date, the CV7 enables consumer and enterprise security camera developers to deliver the most advanced imaging features and the highest edge AI performance, for improved video analytics and higher image quality in their next-generation products,” said Fermi Wang, President and CEO of Ambarella. “Additionally, this new SoC’s extremely low power consumption reduces thermal-management requirements for smaller form factors and longer battery life across a broad range of AIoT applications, thanks to its 4nm process technology and Ambarella’s proprietary AI SoC architecture, which is purpose built for the edge.”

Compared to its predecessor, the CV7 consumes 20% less power, thanks in part to Samsung’s 4nm process technology, which is Ambarella’s first on this node. The CV7 is also architected using Ambarella’s algorithm-first design philosophy to efficiently run all processing tasks simultaneously, with extremely high performance and low power consumption—continuing the company’s leadership position for the industry’s best AI performance per watt.

In contrast to competing multi-chip solutions, the CV7 is a highly integrated SoC with multiple functional blocks, resulting in superior performance, smaller form factors, improved time-to-market and reduced bills-of-material. The CV7 incorporates Ambarella’s proprietary AI accelerator, image signal processor (ISP), and video encoding, together with Arm^® cores, I/Os and other functions, to provide customers with the most powerful and efficient AI vision SoC in its class.

That high AI performance is powered by Ambarella’s proprietary, third-generation CVflow^® AI accelerator, with more than 2.5x AI performance over the previous-generation CV5 SoC. This allows the CV7 to support a combination of CNNs and transformer networks, running in tandem.

The CV7 also continues Ambarella’s track record of providing industry-leading image signal processing, including high dynamic range (HDR), dewarping for fisheye cameras, and 3D motion-compensated temporal filtering (MCTF)—all with higher performance and better image quality than its predecessor—using a combination of traditional ISP techniques and AI enhancements. The result is that the CV7 provides impressive image quality in low light, down to 0.01 Lux, as well as improved HDR for video and images with more vivid details in scenes with starkly contrasting bright and dark areas.

Also contributing to the CV7’s advancements is its hardware-accelerated video encoding (H.264, H.265, MJPEG), which boosts encode performance by 2x over the CV5. This improvement enables a max video encode of a single 4Kp240 stream, or dual 8Kp30. Additionally, for the next generation of multi-imager enterprise security cameras, the CV7 can easily support, running concurrently, over 4x 4Kp30 with multiple streams, as well as the latest transformer-based AI networks and vision-language models (VLMs).

The CV7’s on-chip general-purpose processing was also upgraded to a quad-core Arm Cortex-A73, offering 2x higher CPU performance over the previous SoC. Additionally, its 64-bit DRAM interface provides a significant improvement in available DRAM bandwidth compared to the CV5.

CV7 SoC samples are available now, and it is being demonstrated at Ambarella’s invitation-only exhibition during CES in Las Vegas this week. For more information or to schedule a demo during the show, please contact your Ambarella representative or visit www.ambarella.com/products/aiot-industrial-robotics.

About Ambarella
Ambarella’s products are used in a wide variety of edge AI and human vision applications, including video security, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), electronic mirrors, telematics, driver/cabin monitoring, autonomous driving, edge infrastructure, drones and other robotics applications. Ambarella’s low-power systems-on-chip (SoCs) offer high-resolution video compression, advanced image and radar processing, and powerful deep neural network processing to enable intelligent perception, sensor fusion and planning. For more information, please visit www.ambarella.com.

Ambarella Contacts

• Media contact: Molly McCarthy, mmccarthy@ambarella.com, +1 408-400-1466
• Investor contact: Louis Gerhardy, lgerhardy@ambarella.com, +1 408-636-2310
• Sales contact: https://www.ambarella.com/contact-us/
  
  

All brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Ambarella reserves the right to alter product and service offerings, specifications, and pricing at any time without notice. © 2026 Ambarella. All rights reserved.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9694cf89-305a-4a9a-a0ea-e8ede1cdf9e1

FAQ

What performance gains does Ambarella CV7 (AMBA) deliver versus CV5?

The CV7 offers 2.5x AI performance, 2x video encode throughput and 20% lower power versus CV5.

When did Ambarella announce the CV7 SoC and where is it shown?

Ambarella announced the CV7 on January 5, 2026 and is demonstrating it at CES in Las Vegas.

What video and imaging capabilities does CV7 support for AMBA customers?

CV7 supports simultaneous multi-stream video up to 8Kp60, single 4Kp240 or dual 8Kp30 encode and low-light imaging to 0.01 Lux.

Is Ambarella CV7 available for evaluation and sampling?

Yes. SoC samples are available now and demos can be scheduled via Ambarella representatives.

Which workloads can CV7 run on-device for AMBA use cases?

CV7 runs CNNs and transformer-based networks concurrently, including transformer-based AI networks and vision-language models.

What manufacturing node and partners power the Ambarella CV7 SoC?

The CV7 is built on a 4nm process node, cited as Ambarella’s first design on that node.