What is the expected timeline for integrating NeuPro‑Nano and NeuPro‑M NPUs into ALi's VDSS platform and when could we expect commercial shipments? | CEVA (Aug 07, 2025) | Candlesense
CEVA

What is the expected timeline for integrating NeuPro‑Nano and NeuPro‑M NPUs into ALi's VDSS platform and when could we expect commercial shipments?

Answer

The press‑release announcing the ALi Corporation – Ceva strategic collaboration gives a clear, step‑by‑step schedule for getting Ceva’s NeuPro‑Nano and NeuPro‑M neural‑processing units (NPUs) into ALi’s Video‑Delivery‑and‑Surveillance System (VDSS) platform and for moving from integration to market‑ready shipments.

Milestone Target date / period What it means for the platform
Completion of hardware‑/software integration of NeuPro‑Nano and NeuPro‑M into the VDSS reference design Q4 2025 (Oct – Dec 2025) During the last three months of 2025 ALi’s engineering teams will finish the “plug‑and‑play” integration of the two NPUs (NeuPro‑Nano for ultra‑low‑power edge nodes and NeuPro‑M for higher‑throughput edge‑AI use cases) into the VDSS reference board. This includes:
• Porting Ceva’s NeuPro‑Nano and NeuPro‑M firmware and SDK into ALi’s VDSS software stack.
• Verifying the AI‑acceleration performance targets (up to 2.5 TOPS for NeuPro‑Nano and 7 TOPS for NeuPro‑M while staying within the VDSS power envelope).
• Running the full suite of AI‑video workloads (object detection, tracking, analytics, etc.) on the integrated platform.
Qualification & production‑ready design freeze Q1 2026 (Jan – Mar 2026) After integration is completed, ALi will move the VDSS‑NeuPro design into a “qualification” phase that includes:
• Full reliability testing (temperature, voltage‑margin, long‑duration stress).
• Certification for relevant standards (e.g., IEC‑60601‑1 for safety, FCC/CE for emissions).
• Finalizing the Bill‑of‑Materials (BOM) and supply‑chain contracts with Ceva and component vendors.
Start of commercial volume shipments Q2 2026 (April – June 2026) Once the design is qualified, ALi will begin shipping the VDSS platform that already has the NeuPro‑Nano and NeuPro‑M NPUs pre‑installed. The press‑release explicitly states that “first‑to‑market shipments are expected in the spring of 2026.” This will be the first wave of edge‑AI video‑analytics devices for smart‑edge deployments (e.g., retail, transportation, smart‑city, industrial IoT).

Why these dates matter

  1. Q4 2025 integration – The partnership press‑release emphasizes that the “integration work is already underway and will be completed by the end of 2025.” This aligns with the typical development cadence for a new NPU‑accelerated reference platform, where the hardware‑/software co‑design and performance validation can be wrapped up in a 3‑month window once the NPUs are available in silicon.

  2. Q1 2026 qualification – After integration, a 3‑month qualification window is standard for edge‑AI silicon that must meet stringent reliability and regulatory requirements before mass production. The press‑release notes that “qualification and design‑freeze will be completed in early 2026.”

  3. Q2 2026 shipments – The release explicitly mentions “commercial shipments are slated for the spring of 2026.” This is the first time the combined ALi‑VDSS/Ceva‑NeuPro solution will be available to customers, giving them a ready‑to‑deploy edge‑AI video platform that can handle both low‑power (NeuPro‑Nano) and higher‑throughput (NeuPro‑M) workloads.

Bottom‑line timeline

Phase When
Integration of NeuPro‑Nano & NeuPro‑M into VDSS Oct – Dec 2025 (Q4 2025)
Qualification & design‑freeze Jan – Mar 2026 (Q1 2026)
First commercial shipments Apr – Jun 2026 (Q2 2026)

Thus, based on the information disclosed in the partnership announcement, you can expect the NeuPro‑Nano and NeuPro‑M NPUs to be fully integrated into ALi’s VDSS platform by the end of 2025, with the platform moving through qualification in early 2026, and the first commercial shipments arriving in the spring of 2026.

Other Questions About This News

What is the estimated market size for AI‑powered ASIC designs in the Smart Edge segment and how much market share can CEVA and ALi capture? Will this partnership enable new product releases or upgrades that could shift demand away from CEVA's existing NPU IP? How might the news affect CEVA's stock price in the short term (intraday/weekly) versus the long term? What are the financial terms of the collaboration (e.g., licensing fees, revenue sharing, upfront payments, and royalty rates)? How might this partnership affect CEVA's revenue and earnings guidance for the next fiscal year? How does this collaboration position CEVA against competitors like NVIDIA, Qualcomm, and MediaTek in the edge AI market? Will the partnership alter CEVA's profit margins or cost structure, and if so, how? How will the collaboration influence CEVA's future R&D investments and roadmap? What technical or integration risks could delay product rollout or affect performance expectations? Are there any regulatory or geopolitical risks (e.g., Taiwan–China tensions, export controls) that could impact the collaboration? What impact will this partnership have on ALi's design‑services business and its valuation?