Shares AI-Powered Hearing Innovations at Phoenix Lecture and Announces Strategic MOU with MEEMPA to Expand into the Middle East and GCC Markets
Chia-Wen Yeh, Chairman of Unitech Computer (UTEC), co-founder of Realtek Semiconductor, and Chairman of Rehear Audiology, was honored with the College of Engineering Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award by National Cheng Kung University (NCKU). On November 5, he was also invited to deliver a keynote lecture at NCKU’s Phoenix Lecture Series, titled “From Hearing Sounds to Hearing Clearly: How AI Enhances Human Hearing.”
Drawing on his experience transitioning from the semiconductor industry to hearing healthcare, Chairman Yeh shared how the integration of semiconductor chips, acoustics, and AI technologies can transform everyday earphones into intelligent devices offering personalized listening experiences and hearing care applications.
Chia-Wen Yeh, Chairman of Rehear Audiology, delivers a keynote speech titled "From Hearing to Hearing Clearly: How AI Elevates Human Hearing" at the NCKU Phoenix Lecture.
Coinciding with the lecture, Rehear Audiology announced a major international milestone: the signing of a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Medical Electrical Equipment Maintenance Professionals Association (MEEMPA) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The two parties will collaborate across Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region to introduce advanced AI hearing care technologies, conduct clinical validations, and foster a localized medical ecosystem—marking another triumph for Taiwan’s biomedical sector on the global stage.
Rehear Audiology General Manager Ying-Jui Lee (left) and MEEMPA Chairman Omar Mohammed Alsohime (right) sign the strategic Memorandum of Understanding.
Tapping into an Untapped Global Market of 280 Million Pairs: Shifting from "Hardware Specs" to "Hearing Capabilities"
Chairman Yeh pointed out that while Taiwan’s annual consumer True Wireless Stereo (TWS) market reaches 1.6 million units and global shipments hit 410 million units, as many as 68.4% (approximately 280 million pairs) still lack Over-the-Counter (OTC) hearing aid capabilities. Historically, the earphone market has been locked in a hardware specification war centered on sound quality, noise cancellation, and price. Moving forward, "hearing capability" will define the next industry trend—rather than reinventing hardware, algorithm empowerment enables existing TWS architectures to evolve new capabilities that actively care for human hearing.
Turning Audiology into Deployable Intelligence; Empowering Earphones to "Hear More Clearly"
Combining five cross-disciplinary strengths—semiconductor ICs, electro-acoustics, audiology, AI algorithms, and medical regulatory compliance—Rehear Audiology has developed Taiwan’s first Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) integrated platform for personalized hearing care. Breaking away from the traditional mindset of merely "building a better hearing aid," Rehear is "redefining earphones." By modularizing core audiological workflows, any standard Bluetooth earphone can deploy Rehear’s solution via an app, rapidly transforming into a smart terminal equipped with medical-grade hearing fitting and health management functions.
Overcoming Three Major Fitting Hurdles: Bringing the Audiology Clinic into Earphones
During his speech, Chairman Yeh unveiled Rehear Audiology’s proprietary "AI Hearing Trilogy" breakthroughs:
- Measure (Accurate Assessment): Utilizing anti-phase Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) to suppress ambient noise, Rehear successfully "brings a quiet audiometric booth into the earphone." The technology complies with ANSI S3.6 clinical standards and has completed Institutional Review Board (IRB) clinical validity verification at Taipei Veterans General Hospital.
- Understand & Fit (Precise Compensation): By analyzing a user’s hearing profile and needs to establish a personalized hearing model and prescription, Rehear eliminates the drawbacks of blind, full-frequency volume amplification. It achieves multi-band precision gain and dynamic range compression, shortening the traditionally time-consuming fitting process to under 15 seconds while translating the clinical judgment of senior audiologists into standardized AI software.
- Adjust & Verify (Clinical Verification): Eliminating the discomfort and high equipment costs of traditional Real-Ear Measurement (REM)—which requires deep insertion of probe-tube microphones—Rehear developed the world-leading AI Auto-REM and ear-canal acoustic compensation technology. In just 13 seconds, the AI model accurately calibrates eardrum sound pressure level (SPL) variations caused by different ear canal geometries, achieving an average estimation error of just 2.38 dB, rivaling the rigor of professional clinical REM.
Leveraging Unitech Computer’s Distribution Network to Drive Personalized Audio Applications
In the consumer market, Rehear Audiology’s personalized audio technology has been integrated into Parati true wireless smart earphones, with Unitech Computer serving as the exclusive distributor in Taiwan starting in 2026. Combining Genuine C&C’s supply chain integration capabilities with Unitech Computer’s distribution channels and customer service resources, Parati brings RehearFit™ ear-canal compensation and AI noise cancellation into everyday listening and conversation scenarios, demonstrating the commercial viability of Rehear’s technology.
Upholding Medical Responsibility and Allying with MEEMPA to Connect Global Ecosystems
"Simply adding a hearing test app does not make a product a medical device; shoulders bearing medical responsibility are what truly define our mission," stated Chairman Yeh. Rehear Audiology firmly believes that true medical device accountability requires delivering solutions that Measure accurately, Understand deeply, Fit precisely, and Verify clinically. Rehear has already secured granted invention patents in Taiwan, the United States, China, and Europe, obtained ISO 13485 medical device quality management certification alongside multinational safety approvals, and is actively pursuing international regulatory clearances including Taiwan’s TFDA, U.S. FDA 510(k) for SaMD, and Australia’s TGA.
The partnership with Saudi Arabia’s MEEMPA represents a pivotal step built upon this rigorous medical foundation. As an officially established non-profit professional association in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia dedicated to advancing the localization and technical training of medical equipment, MEEMPA will facilitate deeper collaboration between Rehear and the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA). Together, they will support the Saudi government in promoting the clinical adoption of AI hearing technologies and localizing end-user products across the Gulf states, building a comprehensive regional hearing care ecosystem.
Rehear Audiology signs a strategic MOU with Saudi Arabia's MEEMPA to advance deep collaboration with the SFDA and jointly build a hearing care ecosystem across the Gulf region.
From a pioneer in semiconductors to a trailblazer in biomedical AI, Chairman Yeh concluded: "Yesterday, earphones played sound; today, earphones control sound; tomorrow, earphones elevate hearing." Backed by a robust intellectual property portfolio and clinical validation, Rehear Audiology will continue to build a bridge connecting consumer electronics scalability with professional medical healthcare, leading global hearing wellness into a new era.
