diff --git a/lib_com/options.h b/lib_com/options.h
index f2fe9b93f2f65345a7a7b276811a02e099be25ae..3644edb3ca376008710fbe792c84b6ab8a01c21f 100644
--- a/lib_com/options.h
+++ b/lib_com/options.h
@@ -161,6 +161,7 @@
 /*#define FIX_I4_OL_PITCH*/                             /* fix open-loop pitch used for EVS core switching */
 #define TMP_FIX_1119_SPLIT_RENDERING_VOIP               /* FhG: Add error check for unsupported config: split rendering with VoIP mode */
 #define FIX_1285_RENDER_CONFIG_PTR_COMPARE              /* Philips: Warning about pointer comparison in the render config reader */
+#define FIX_1298_MEMORY_OPT_IVAS_CORE_ENC               /* VA: issue 1298: Memory saving in ivas_core_enc() */
 
 /* #################### End BE switches ################################## */
 
diff --git a/lib_enc/ivas_core_enc.c b/lib_enc/ivas_core_enc.c
index d690e0a52d92ee8639d41b548a6a58db3fa39e3b..72b1b686d4eb27f2d2110d73eeb73bfaf965df16 100644
--- a/lib_enc/ivas_core_enc.c
+++ b/lib_enc/ivas_core_enc.c
@@ -90,8 +90,13 @@ ivas_error ivas_core_enc(
     float *inp[CPE_CHANNELS];
     float new_inp_resamp16k[CPE_CHANNELS][L_FRAME16k]; /* new input signal @16kHz, non pre-emphasised, used by the WB TBE/BWE */
     float old_syn_12k8_16k[CPE_CHANNELS][L_FRAME16k];  /* ACELP core synthesis at 12.8kHz or 16kHz to be used by the SWB BWE */
+#ifdef FIX_1298_MEMORY_OPT_IVAS_CORE_ENC
+    float *shb_speech;
+    float *hb_speech;
+#else
     float shb_speech[L_FRAME16k];
     float hb_speech[L_FRAME16k / 4];
+#endif
     float *new_swb_speech;
     float new_swb_speech_buffer[L_FRAME48k + STEREO_DFT_OVL_MAX];
     float bwe_exc_extended[CPE_CHANNELS][L_FRAME32k + NL_BUFF_OFFSET];
@@ -154,8 +159,9 @@ ivas_error ivas_core_enc(
 
     input_Fs = sts[0]->input_Fs;
     input_frame = (int16_t) ( input_Fs / FRAMES_PER_SEC );
-
+#ifndef FIX_1298_MEMORY_OPT_IVAS_CORE_ENC
     set_f( new_swb_speech_buffer, 0, L_FRAME48k + STEREO_DFT_OVL_MAX );
+#endif
 
     for ( n = 0; n < n_CoreChannels; n++ )
     {
@@ -336,6 +342,10 @@ ivas_error ivas_core_enc(
          * WB BWE encoding
          *---------------------------------------------------------------------*/
 
+#ifdef FIX_1298_MEMORY_OPT_IVAS_CORE_ENC
+        hb_speech = new_swb_speech_buffer; /* reuse existing buffer: hb_speech[L_FRAME16k/4]; */
+#endif
+
         if ( input_Fs >= 16000 && st->bwidth < SWB && st->hBWE_TD != NULL )
         {
             /* Common pre-processing for WB TBE and WB BWE */
@@ -359,6 +369,10 @@ ivas_error ivas_core_enc(
          *---------------------------------------------------------------------*/
 
         new_swb_speech = new_swb_speech_buffer + STEREO_DFT_OVL_MAX;
+#ifdef FIX_1298_MEMORY_OPT_IVAS_CORE_ENC
+        set_f( new_swb_speech_buffer, 0, L_FRAME48k + STEREO_DFT_OVL_MAX );
+        shb_speech = new_inp_resamp16k[n]; /* reuse existing buffer: shb_speech[L_FRAME16k] */
+#endif
 
         if ( !st->Opt_SC_VBR && input_Fs >= 32000 && st->hBWE_TD != NULL )
         {