Crop of New SoCs, Eval Kits, and Modules Support Booming IoT Demand

By some market projections, as many as 40 billion IoT devices may be deployed by 2030. To keep up with such a meteoric pace, engineers need powerful hardware platforms that make development easy and reduce time to market. Silicon Labs, Morse Micro, and U-blox recently released IoT solutions to meet this steep design demand.

Silicon Labs’ Low-Power SoC

Silicon Labs has launched an ultra-low-power SoC integrating Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth LE 5.4.

The SiWx917 (family reference manual linked) includes a wireless subsystem featuring a 160-MHz, multi-threaded network wireless processor with baseband digital signal processing. It also has a 2.4-GHz RF transceiver with integrated power amplifiers, delivering up to +19.5-dBm WLAN output. The application subsystem houses a 180-MHz Arm Cortex-M4 processor with a dedicated matrix-vector processor for computational efficiency, paired with embedded SRAM and Flash memory.

 SiWx917Y family block diagram. Image used courtesy of Silicon Labs

The SoC supports 192–320 KB of configurable RAM for wireless and system tasks and features advanced power-saving mechanisms like TWT and ultra-low standby currents (65 µA at a 1-second listen interval) to extend battery life significantly. It is compatible with IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ax standards and offers high-security features, including AES, RSA, and TRNG, within a 7 mm x 7 mm QFN package.

Morse Micro's Long-Range IoT Eval Kit

Morse Micro recently announced the MM6108-EKH05 evaluation kit, a platform based around the company’s MM6108 HaLow SoC.

Engineered for long-range, low-power IoT applications, the solution features integrated Wi-Fi HaLow and Bluetooth connectivity alongside an STM32U585 ultra-low-power microcontroller. The board supports multiple power inputs, including USB-C and battery connectors, with hardware options for SPI and SDIO interfacing.

Features of the MM6108-EKH05. Image used courtesy of Morse Micro

The IoT-focused MM6108-EKH05 facilitates connectivity through SMA and U.FL antenna connectors and integrates advanced sensors, including a three-axis accelerometer and temperature/humidity sensors. It includes 16 MB of SPI Flash memory and programmable GPIOs and offers developers built-in tools for power measurement and low-power operation, supported by the HaLow Access Point ecosystem. It’s also compatible with multiple development environments, including the CMSIS Pack and MM IoT SDK.

U-blox's LTE Cat 1bis Module

U-blox recently released its SARA-R10001DE, a single-mode LTE Cat 1bis module for IoT applications requiring medium data speeds, global coverage, and efficient power usage. 

The solution integrates a multi-IMSI eSIM for worldwide LTE connectivity, offering downlink speeds of up to 10 Mbps and uplink speeds of 5 Mbps. Designed for professional-grade applications, it complies with the AEC-Q104 qualification and 3GPP Release 14 standards and also incorporates U-blox CellLocate for positioning and Wi-Fi radio for hotspot scanning.

U-blox SARA-R10001DE. Image used courtesy of U-blox

The module supports power-saving technologies like eDRX and PSM, with idle power consumption as low as 3 µA. For connectivity, it offers interfaces including USB 2.0, dual UARTs, and up to six configurable GPIOs, all packaged in a compact 96-pin LGA form factor (16 mm x 26 mm x 2.2 mm). Other features include eSIM for on-device provisioning and remote updates.

Keeping Pace With the IoT Boom

The steady growth in connected devices demands solutions that balance performance, power efficiency, and scalability. With their new releases, companies like Silicon Labs, Morse Micro, and U-blox aim to provide these solutions to engineers and facilitate a future with billions of connected devices.