Cochlear launches its first smart hearing implant system for Koreans at the World Congress of Audiology

Cochlear launches its first smart hearing implant system for Koreans at the World Congress of Audiology

• The new Cochlear^™ Nucleus^® Nexa^™ System is a smart hearing implant featuring internal memory and upgradeable firmware.¹⁺
• Since the first cochlear implant surgery in Korea in 1988, Cochlear has proudly helped more than 5,000 people in Korea to hear with one of our devices.

Seoul, South Korea, 27 May 2026: Cochlear, the global leader in implantable hearing solutions, today launched the Cochlear^® Nucleus^® Nexa^® System, a smart hearing implant system featuring internal memory and upgradeable firmware,¹⁺ at the 37^th World Congress of Audiology (WCA 2026) in Korea.

Yoonyi Lee, General Manager, South Korea, Cochlear, explains the internal components of the smart hearing implant: “There are more than 20 years of research and development advances built into the Nucleus Nexa System. The smart hearing implant system is powered by a new chipset—the only update to an implant’s internal chipset in the cochlear implant industry in nearly 20 years. The new chipset utilises advanced processing, upgradeable firmware and onboard memory to drive the 'smarts' of the system and allows the implant to do many things that traditional cochlear implants are simply unable to do.”

Upgradable firmware unlocks access to continuous innovation like a smart phone.

The smart cochlear implant system offers a hearing implant solution with upgradable implant firmware, providing a new approach to how people with hearing loss can access future technology.¹⁺ Traditional cochlear implants available today can only access future innovation by upgrading their sound processor. With the smart cochlear implant system this limitation is removed. People with a smart cochlear implant system will be able to experience new features and advancements as they become available, via both updates to the firmware in their smart implant and upgrades to their sound processor over time.

Jan Janssen, Chief Technology Officer at Cochlear, likens the Nucleus Nexa Implant to a smartphone for hearing: “This is the first cochlear implant system with its own firmware on the implant, meaning users can upgrade to new features and innovations over time. Similar to how a smartphone receives a firmware update, people with a smart cochlear implant can stay connected to technology updates.”

Built‑in implant memory restores hearing settings in seconds.

The Nucleus^® Nexa^® System also offers built-in memory, allowing the personalised hearing settings (MAPs) of the user to be securely stored directly on their Nexa implant.¹ This innovation helps ensure users can seamlessly transfer their settings to a new sound processor if their current one is lost or damaged.

“Previously, if a user misplaced or damaged their sound processor, they would need to visit a clinic to obtain a replacement sound processor. This replacement device would need to be programmed with the user’s personalised hearing settings in the clinic by a cochlear implant professional, taking valuable time from both the professional and the user. With the ‘Smart Sync’ feature, the user simply needs to pick-up or receive a “blank” sound processor and the personalised settings are automatically copied to the replacement sound processor allowing a person to hear with their cochlear implant again in a matter of seconds,” explained Janssen.

Reinforcing Cochlear’s long term commitment to advancing hearing care in Korea.

Stu Sayers, President of Asia Pacific & Latin America at Cochlear, explained why the World Congress of Audiology is an important opportunity to introduce a smart cochlear implant system that demonstrates Cochlear's commitment to innovation: "We're excited to meet with colleagues and partners in person at the 37^th World Congress of Audiology. With the theme 'Broadening the Horizon of Audiology,' it's the ideal platform to introduce the Nucleus Nexa System, which features upgradable implant firmware so people can access future hearing technology advancements. The World Congress program covers important topics, including AI in hearing healthcare, advanced clinical applications, and hearing health. Our focus on innovation and lifetime support for the thousands of people in Korea and around the world who rely on our products to hear is at the heart of what we do."

“The Nucleus Nexa System combines more than 40 years of proven reliability of our implants with our passion to make a remarkable impact on the lives of people living with hearing loss. With onboard diagnostics that monitor system performance to ensure optimal hearing, it reduces the burden on users and carers, setting a new standard in implantable hearing technology,” added Mr Sayers.

 

Commercial availability: The Cochlear^® Nucleus^® Nexa^® System is now available to eligible candidates in South Korea. For further information, please visit https://www.cochlear.com/kr/ko/home

About hearing loss in Korea

Hearing loss represents a significant global health burden with 466 million people living with disabling hearing loss worldwide.² The burden of hearing loss in South Korea:

• Around 1 in 4 adults in South Korea has hearing loss, with prevalence increasing sharply with age, particularly among people aged over 60 years.^2-3
• Diagnosed adult hearing loss is rising in South Korea, increasing by approximately 4–6% per year, largely due to population ageing and improved detection through the national health system.^4-5
• Permanent hearing loss affects an estimated 1–3 per 1,000 newborns in South Korea; while newborn hearing screening coverage exceeds 90%, delays to diagnostic follow‑up remain a challenge.⁶

About cochlear implants

Unlike hearing aids which increase the volume of sound, cochlear implants work by enhancing sound clarity, bypassing the damaged part of the ear entirely to stimulate the hearing nerve directly. Cochlear implants focus on enhancing clarity of sound, while hearing aids mostly work by making sounds louder.^7-8 This clarity could help people reclaim their confidence and fully immerse themselves in the meaningful moments of everyday life.

In Korea, cochlear implantation is considered for children aged ≥12 months with severe bilateral hearing loss (≥70 dB HL) and for infants <12 months with profound hearing loss (≥90 dB HL), particularly when there is limited benefit or insufficient auditory development after an adequate hearing aid trial (typically ≥3 months), consistent with national insurance coverage criteria and clinical practice.

About the Cochlear^® Nucleus^® Nexa^® System

The smart hearing implant system includes the Nucleus^® Nexa^® Implant, the Nucleus Kanso^® 3 Nexa Sound Processor and the Nucleus^® 8 Nexa Sound Processor. The Nucleus Nexa Implant and sound processors are supported by Nucleus SmartNav, Nucleus Smart App, Custom Sound^® Pro fitting software and wireless accessories. The Nucleus^® Nexa^® System can learn about its user’s listening needs and the environment they are in. It can then automatically adjust listening or power management settings to help people hear more clearly ^9-11 or maximise battery life.^1#*Confidential: Users can enjoy clearer sound streamed directly from compatible* mobile devices and, in the future, at airports, concert venues and more using Bluetooth^® LE Audio and Auracast^™ broadcast audio.^¥

About Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH)

People have always been Cochlear’s inspiration, ever since Professor Graeme Clark set out to create the first multi-channel cochlear implant after seeing his father struggle with hearing loss. Since 1981, Cochlear has helped more than 750,000 people of all ages in more than 180 countries to hear. As the global leader in implantable hearing solutions, Cochlear connects people with life’s opportunities, and welcomes them to the world’s largest hearing implant community.

Cochlear has a global workforce of more than 5,000 people, with a passion for progress, who strive to meet the needs of people living with hearing loss. The company continually innovates to anticipate future needs, investing more than AUD$3 billion to date in research and development to push the boundaries of technology and help more people hear.

www.cochlear.com

 

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