Pioneering Performance: How Allegro DVT Is Accelerating AV1 Adoption in Silicon

Allegro DVT is no stranger to the leading edge. With over two decades of innovation, France-based Allegro DVT has earned the trust of silicon vendors worldwide through its high-performance intellectual property (IP) cores and its deep expertise in video compliance and testing. Nouar Hamze, CEO of Allegro DVT, explained why AOMedia, AV1, and Allegro DVT have such a positive synergy.

Early Adopters

The company’s involvement in the Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia) goes back almost to the beginning. “We joined AOMedia back in 2016, shortly after it was created,” said Hamze. “From the beginning, we believed in open video codecs. Given who the founding members were, it was clear to us that AV1 would be a huge success.”

That early conviction has paid off. Allegro DVT was the first IP vendor to launch AV1 encoder and decoder IP cores that chipmakers could license and embed into their hardware. “We released our first AV1 IP solutions in 2019,” said Hamze. “Since then, we’ve been continuously advancing both encoding and decoding capabilities.”

Leading with Hardware-Accelerated AV1

Allegro DVT is now on its third generation of AV1 encoder IP.

“With every generation, we’re pushing for better compression efficiency and video quality,” Hamze explained. “It’s challenging to get the best performance from hardware, because we have to strike the right balance between silicon cost, memory bandwidth and power consumption. But we’ve built that expertise.”

The decoder side is equally robust. From the beginning, Allegro DVT targeted high-end AV1 decoding, supporting all profiles defined by the standard, from 8-bit 4:2:0 to 12-bit 4:4:4. That full-spectrum support is vital for emerging applications beyond streaming.

Expanding Use Cases: Beyond Streaming

AV1 adoption is typically associated with high-profile streaming platforms like Netflix, YouTube, Meta and Amazon. But Allegro DVT sees a broader pattern emerging across diverse verticals.

“We’re seeing real traction with AV1 in automotive and video surveillance,” said Hamze. “Some automotive makers are already moving to AV1. Cars now have 12 to 16 cameras — each needs video compression, and AV1 is becoming the codec of choice.”

“High-end video surveillance is also embracing AV1. That was a bit unexpected,” Hamze admitted. “But AV1’s efficiency and feature set are compelling, even in places where you wouldn’t expect to see the latest codec standards adopted first.”

Powering AV1 Readiness with Compliance Tools

Allegro DVT’s influence on the AV1 ecosystem doesn’t stop at hardware. Its suite of AV1 compliance streams has become essential to silicon vendors implementing AV1 decoding.

“We provide carefully designed AV1 compliance streams that stress the limits of decoding implementations,” Hamze said. “These are used by almost every silicon vendor implementing AV1 today.”

What makes Allegro DVT especially effective is the complementarity between its product lines. The teams that design compliance streams have deep codec expertise — insight that directly informs the design of encoder and decoder IPs. “It gives us a unique advantage,” said Hamze. “We understand the standard inside out, and that shows up in the quality of our solutions.”

AV1 at the Edge and in the Cloud

AV1 is often assumed to require specialized hardware, but Allegro DVT sees strong potential for deployment even on mobile and low-end devices. “It’s perfectly suitable,” Hamze said. “There are now very efficient software decoders that allow low- and mid-range mobile devices to receive AV1 content — even without hardware acceleration.”

This flexibility enhances AV1’s appeal as a codec for the modern internet, enabling high-quality video experiences across device classes and network conditions. “AV1 reduces bandwidth while increasing video quality,” Hamze noted. “It supports everything from low-res video up to HD and 4K, and it enables advanced features like HDR.”

Looking Ahead with AOMedia

Allegro DVT continues to be an active participant in AOMedia’s work, both to stay ahead of technical developments and to remain close to key industry stakeholders. “As a small company, AOMedia gives us direct access to major players in the industry,” said Hamze. “It’s a great opportunity for dialogue and visibility — and for insights into where codec development is heading.”

AV1’s success is no longer hypothetical. It’s real, and it’s growing. And companies like Allegro DVT are playing a pivotal role in expanding its reach — quietly powering the devices, cameras and vehicles that are already streaming the future.