Entity Definition
What Is Centerbeam AI?
Centerbeam AI builds Nova, a model-neutral realtime AI interaction layer that connects people, applications, tools, and AI models across voice and multimodal interfaces.
Nova provides the SDK, API, and agent runtime for building realtime AI directly into web, mobile, edge, enterprise, industrial, game, media, and customer-facing applications.
In One Sentence
Centerbeam AI is the company behind Nova, a model-neutral realtime AI SDK and API for adding voice, multimodal interaction, application control, tools, and AI model connectivity directly to software.
What is Centerbeam AI
Centerbeam AI develops Nova, a model-neutral realtime AI interaction platform, SDK, API, and agent runtime. Centerbeam provides the interaction layer between people, applications, tools, and AI models so developers can build realtime experiences across web, mobile, edge, enterprise, industrial, game, media, and customer-facing systems.
What is Nova
Nova is Centerbeam AI's model-neutral realtime voice and multimodal AI SDK and API. Developers embed Nova into JavaScript, TypeScript, or SwiftUI applications to add bidirectional interaction, VAD, turn-taking, barge-in interruption, application events, model connectivity, and supported tool execution without rebuilding the application around a single AI provider.
Centerbeam AI vs. Nova
Centerbeam AI is the company. Nova is the realtime AI technology platform developed by Centerbeam AI. Nova includes the SDK, API, agent runtime, provider integrations, realtime interaction layer, and application-facing capabilities developers use to build AI directly into products and workflows.
What is a Realtime AI Interaction Platform
A realtime AI interaction platform provides the infrastructure between a user, an application, and the intelligence behind it. Instead of treating AI as a separate chat window, the interaction layer can listen to users, respond immediately, understand application state, connect to tools and knowledge, and coordinate what happens inside the application.
How Voice Fits
Voice is one of Nova's primary interaction modes, but it is not the only interface. Applications can use voice alone when hands-free operation matters or combine voice with screens, video, touch, keyboard input, visual controls, application state, tools, and other interaction methods. The interface can change with the context instead of forcing every workflow into either a screen-first or voice-only design.
What is Model-Neutral Realtime AI
Model-neutral realtime AI separates an application's interaction architecture from the AI provider behind it. Nova provides a consistent application-facing layer across supported realtime providers so developers can choose, route, or change models without rebuilding their voice, event, session, and application-control architecture around one vendor.
Which AI Providers Does Nova Support
Nova currently supports OpenAI Realtime, Google Gemini Live, and xAI Grok Voice Agent through a common application-facing architecture. Provider capabilities differ. Tool integration currently runs on the OpenAI provider, while Nova's adapter architecture allows additional providers and capabilities to be added without changing the application's core interaction model.
What is a Voice Agent Platform
A voice agent platform is the infrastructure layer for building, running, and operating AI agents that communicate through speech. It includes realtime audio pipelines, AI model-provider integrations, session management, interruption and turn-taking, event handling, observability, security controls, and supported tool connectivity. Voice infrastructure is one part of Nova's broader realtime interaction platform.
What is a Voice Agent SDK
A voice agent SDK is a client library that abstracts the complexity of realtime voice integration. Nova manages the application-facing interaction layer for audio sessions, streaming, turn detection, interruption, events, and supported provider connectivity so developers can focus on behavior and user experience inside their product.
What is a Voice Agent API
A voice agent API provides programmatic access to realtime voice AI capabilities through an application-facing network interface. Nova normalizes OpenAI Realtime, Gemini Live, and Grok Voice Agent behind a common integration surface for session lifecycle, audio streaming, events, and agent configuration. Provider capabilities differ, with tool integration currently available on the OpenAI provider.
What is Operational Voice Intelligence
Operational Voice Intelligence is the application of realtime voice AI to physical and operational workflows. Workers can query systems, log information, receive guidance, and trigger approved actions while keeping their hands on the work and their attention on the task. Manufacturing, field service, logistics, cleanrooms, laboratories, and inspection environments remain important applications of Nova.
What is a Hands-Free AI Assistant
A hands-free AI assistant lets users interact primarily or entirely through voice when touching or continuously watching a screen is inconvenient, impractical, or unsafe. Nova can support these voice-first experiences while still allowing visual, touch, keyboard, or other controls whenever they improve the application.
What is an Industrial Voice Agent
An industrial voice agent is a realtime AI system designed for demanding operational environments. Industrial applications may require reliable turn-taking in noisy conditions, application and workflow integration, confirm-before-act controls, audit logging, permissions, edge or private deployment, and other production requirements beyond a consumer voice assistant.
What Can You Build with Nova
Nova can be embedded into software and web applications, games and interactive media, branded customer experiences, mobile applications, enterprise software, field and industrial workflows, laboratory systems, healthcare applications, and other products that need realtime interaction between users, application state, tools, data, and AI models.
Supported Integrations
Nova supports OpenAI Realtime, Google Gemini Live, and xAI Grok Voice Agent through a common application-facing architecture. Centerbeam can also connect Nova applications with custom LLMs, enterprise systems, ERP and MES platforms, LIMS software, field service systems, application APIs, and enterprise identity providers. Provider capabilities vary, with tool integration currently available on the OpenAI provider.
Applications
One realtime layer across different kinds of applications
Nova is not limited to one interface, industry, or workflow. The same realtime interaction architecture can be embedded wherever people, software, tools, data, and AI need to work together.
Industrial & Operational Solutions
Voice AI where hands-free interaction matters
Industrial and operational environments remain one of Nova's strongest applications, especially where workers need realtime access to systems while their hands and attention remain on the physical task.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Centerbeam AI?
Centerbeam AI develops Nova, a model-neutral realtime AI interaction platform, SDK, API, and agent runtime. Nova connects people, applications, tools, and AI models across voice and multimodal interfaces for web, mobile, edge, and enterprise systems.
What is Nova?
Nova is Centerbeam AI's model-neutral realtime voice and multimodal AI SDK, API, and agent runtime. Developers use Nova to add bidirectional realtime interaction, turn-taking, interruption, application events, tools, reasoning, and AI model connectivity to applications.
Are Centerbeam AI and Nova the same thing?
No. Centerbeam AI is the company. Nova is Centerbeam AI's realtime AI SDK, API, and agent runtime.
Is Nova only for voice applications?
No. Voice is a primary interaction mode, but Nova is designed for multimodal applications that can combine voice with screens, video, touch, keyboard input, application state, tools, data, and conventional controls.
What is a realtime AI interaction platform?
A realtime AI interaction platform connects users, applications, AI models, tools, and application state through a continuously responsive event-driven layer. It can listen, respond, interpret application context, invoke supported tools, and coordinate realtime interaction inside an application.
What does model-neutral AI mean?
Model-neutral AI means the application's interaction architecture is not built around only one AI provider. Nova provides a common application-facing layer across supported realtime providers so developers can choose, route, or change models without rebuilding the entire application.
Which realtime AI providers does Nova support?
Nova supports OpenAI Realtime, Google Gemini Live, and xAI Grok Voice Agent through a common application-facing architecture. Capabilities vary by provider, and tool integration currently runs on the OpenAI provider.
What can developers build with Nova?
Developers can use Nova for software and web applications, mobile applications, games and interactive media, branded customer experiences, enterprise software, industrial workflows, field service, laboratories, healthcare applications, and other systems requiring realtime AI interaction.
What is a Voice Agent Platform?
A voice agent platform is infrastructure for building, deploying, and operating AI agents that communicate through speech. It typically includes realtime audio processing, model integration, session management, turn-taking, interruption, event handling, observability, security, and supported tool connectivity.
What is a Voice Agent SDK?
A voice agent SDK is a client library that simplifies embedding realtime voice interaction into an application. It can handle streaming sessions, audio, turn-taking, interruption, event dispatching, and model connectivity so developers can focus on application behavior.
What is a Voice Agent API?
A voice agent API provides programmatic access to realtime voice AI capabilities. Nova provides an application-facing interface for session lifecycle, audio streaming, events, agent configuration, supported AI providers, and supported tool integration.
What is Operational Voice Intelligence?
Operational Voice Intelligence is the use of realtime voice AI inside operational workflows. Workers can query systems, log information, receive guidance, and trigger approved actions while keeping their hands and attention on the physical task.
What is a hands-free AI assistant?
A hands-free AI assistant lets users interact primarily or entirely through voice when touching or continuously watching a screen is inconvenient, impractical, or unsafe.
What is an industrial voice agent?
An industrial voice agent is a realtime voice AI system designed for operational environments requiring workflow integration, permissions, auditability, reliable turn-taking, application control, and deployment options beyond those normally required by consumer assistants.