For higher or worse, laptop computer docking stations have typically been “dumb” gadgets. Synaptics and its prospects are hoping to vary that.
Right now, there are two fundamental applied sciences that “compete” within the docking stations area: USB4 (which Intel places its personal spin on with its Thunderbolt 4 expertise) and DisplayLink (a expertise Synaptics purchased in 2020). Thunderbolt provides extra uncooked bandwidth to docks, whereas DisplayLink makes use of compression applied sciences to ship a high-speed video expertise that approximates Thunderbolt.
Normally, the best Thunderbolt docks compete towards DisplayLink docks, and it’s simple to get misplaced within the uncooked horsepower {that a} Thunderbolt dock gives. Synaptics, nonetheless, believes its high-speed signaling finesse can provide it a leg up in future gadgets.
Synaptics sells its DisplayLink chips to dock makers like Anker, Kensington, Plugable, and Ugreen, making Synaptics the important thing chipmaker in these docking stations. Although Synaptics does plan a serious growth into the “competing” USB4 expertise, it just lately confirmed off a dock idea at a tech exhibition at its headquarters (in San Jose, California) this week, which turned the dock into one thing like a skinny shopper with primary video and presumably even apps residing on the edge.
As of now, maybe the closest approximation to Synaptics’ imaginative and prescient can be the Anker Prime Charger, a 250W USB-C charging dock with an built-in show. But Synaptics was particularly happy with its Astra collection of IoT SOCs, whose SL2610 collection leverages a “Kelvin” NPU that Google contributed to the trade as an open-source design. What do you get whenever you take an everyday dock and add an Astra? A “smart” dock.
Mark Hachman / Framework
Synaptics confirmed off some workplace purposes, client purposes, and video all working on an Astra growth board related to a Plugable DisplayLink dock. At CES 2026, the corporate expects to indicate off some LLM AI fashions working on high of that, mentioned Ganesh Tekkatte, director of product advertising and marketing at Synaptics.
“It’s a traditional dock, but it’s now also an AI-enabled dock,” added Harsha Rao, vp of excessive velocity interfaces and distributed compute at Synaptics.
Synaptics calls this “edge AI,” and it was a key focus for the demonstrations that the corporate confirmed off. It all sounds considerably acquainted, with one demonstration exhibiting gesture controls getting used to regulate a client video streaming machine, with visible recognition coming subsequent. That’s a function we’ve seen earlier than with the Microsoft Kinect (although, years later, Synaptics can now do it far smaller and for a lot cheaper). Another alternative is the automotive area, the place your automotive might acknowledge you and alter your seat, heating, and leisure choices in a different way than with different drivers in your loved ones. In the PC market, Rao mentioned an clever dock might change a enterprise PC in a lodge’s convention middle or lodge room, or in a shared enterprise surroundings.
Putting intelligence in a dock might clear up three issues: diagnosing any issues that the consumer might need proper on the edge; clever bandwidth monitoring and administration; and failure evaluation of equipment related to the dock.
Intelligent bandwidth administration may very well be an fascinating function, since DisplayLink normally works with a generic 10Gbps USB-C port reasonably than a specialised Thunderbolt connection. Rao mentioned the dock might acknowledge that sure apps (like e-mail) might all the time be routed to a related 1080p show whereas extra intensive apps (like CAD) be directed to a 4K show. “And the idea is that you could connect that with an on-screen display, because nobody wants to use the joystick [on the back of the display],” Rao mentioned.
Rao additionally mentioned Synaptics can also be engaged on a USB4 answer, which can debut in a few yr and a half. He known as DisplayLink a “poor man’s GPU, and said that the market was moving toward a more universal USB4 solution that could provide a cost-effective solution to Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 5. “And now is the time for us to do that.”
Edge AI through sight and sound
Synaptics additionally confirmed off its imaginative and prescient for common presence detection utilizing the Astra chip. Presence detection is nothing new—in Windows (Settings > Accounts > Sign-in choices), you would possibly see an possibility for “dynamic lock,” which makes use of a paired Bluetooth cellphone to detect whenever you’re close by. But Synaptics is working with Dell’s Pro collection laptops to combine a presence-detection sensor with the webcam, and is working with Lenovo so as to add presence detection to Lenovo’s shows as nicely.
Mark Hachman / Framework
In the demonstration, the presence detection merely recognized which of two shows the consumer was , and blurred the opposite. Synaptics has additionally carried out gesture management for transferring the display screen and controlling quantity operate, although its prospects aren’t obligated to make use of it. One of Synaptics’ prospects used the webcam for presence detection, however Synaptics would like a devoted edge sensor that would present the identical operate for about 20 cents extra and as much as 50 milliwatts.
Synaptics additionally confirmed off how a wise show might sense the “owner” of the show and prioritize their voice throughout a video name.
Mark Hachman / Framework
Again, this all feels considerably acquainted. Brian Krzanich’s tenure at Intel was marked by BMX bikers performing stunts on a CES stage, and claims that edge sensors would provide the information for which Intel’s CPUs consistently clamor. “We are the only company that can actually put a solution mindset to this,” Rao mentioned.
“What I find out with my docking customers is what their compute needs, then we go talk to the processor [team],” Rao mentioned. “Intel can not do that. The edge is not just coming with a sledgehammer and saying, we’ve got a processor. We actually go to there and say, what is the solution that I can solve with all the LEGO blocks we have?”