Ceva Bluetooth Low Energy and 802.15.4 IPs Bring Ultra-Low Power Wireless Connectivity to Alif Semiconductor's Balletto Family of MCUs

Rhea-AI Summary

Ceva, Inc. (NASDAQ: CEVA) announced that Alif Semiconductor has licensed and deployed Ceva's Bluetooth Low Energy and 802.15.4 IPs in its Balletto family of wireless microcontrollers. The Balletto family is a complete Edge AI/ML microcontroller solution for connected IoT platforms, featuring:

- Integrated Bluetooth Low Energy 5.3 and 802.15.4 wireless subsystem
- Dedicated network co-processor
- Up to 50x boost in machine learning performance and inference efficiency
- Support for Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast broadcast audio
- Thread, Zigbee, and Matter support for smart home applications

This collaboration aims to meet the growing demand for AI/ML workloads in battery-powered devices, particularly in wireless audio and smart home use cases.

Positive

• Ceva's Bluetooth Low Energy IP has been deployed in billions of devices
• Alif Semiconductor's Balletto family offers up to 50x boost in machine learning performance compared to traditional MCUs
• The Balletto family supports multiple wireless protocols including Bluetooth LE 5.3, Thread, Zigbee, and Matter
• Integration of Ceva's IP allows Alif to focus R&D resources on differentiating their MCU for demanding AI/ML use cases

Negative

• None.

Tech Expert

The integration of Ceva's Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and 802.15.4 IPs into Alif Semiconductor's Balletto family of microcontrollers (MCUs) represents a significant technological advancement. BLE 5.3 and 802.15.4 are cutting-edge wireless standards that provide low-power, high-efficiency connectivity, essential for battery-powered IoT devices. The inclusion of a neural co-processor specifically for AI/ML workloads further distinguishes Balletto MCUs. This move positions Alif Semiconductor at the forefront of the IoT market, offering robust performance for smart home and wireless audio applications. The enhanced connectivity and machine learning capabilities mean that Balletto MCUs can handle more data-intensive tasks efficiently, making them highly attractive for next-gen IoT products.

Market Research Analyst

From a market perspective, Alif Semiconductor's partnership with Ceva is a strategic effort to capture the expanding IoT space. The Balletto family’s advanced features, including BLE Audio and Auracast, cater to growing trends in wireless audio and smart home ecosystems. The demand for efficient, AI/ML-enabled MCUs is rising as more devices become interconnected and smarter. By leveraging Ceva's proven IP, Alif Semiconductor reduces the risk associated with new technology development and accelerates product time-to-market. Investors should note the potential for increased market share in an industry expected to see substantial growth. This collaboration is likely to enhance Alif's competitive positioning, potentially leading to higher revenue streams and profitability.

Financial Analyst

Financially, this announcement could have positive implications for both Ceva and Alif Semiconductor. For Ceva, this partnership extends its market reach and reinforces its reputation as a reliable IP supplier, potentially driving future licensing deals. For Alif, integrating Ceva’s state-of-the-art IPs can translate into competitive products that command higher margins due to their enhanced capabilities. Given the surge in IoT and smart home markets, products like the Balletto family are well-positioned for strong sales performance. Investors should watch for upcoming earnings reports from both companies for signs of increased revenue driven by this collaboration. Additionally, the emphasis on low power consumption and machine learning could attract environmentally conscious investors, boosting stock appeal.

Balletto BLE 5.3 and Matter Wireless Microcontroller family features Neural Co-Processor for AI/ML Workloads targeting wireless audio and the smart home

ROCKVILLE, Md., July 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ceva, Inc. (NASDAQ: CEVA), the leading licensor of silicon and software IP that enables Smart Edge devices to connect, sense and infer data more reliably and efficiently, today announced that Alif Semiconductor®, a leading global supplier of secure, connected, power efficient Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) enabled microcontrollers (MCUs) and fusion processors, has licensed and deployed the Ceva-Waves Bluetooth Low Energy and 802.15.4 IPs in its Balletto™ family of wireless microcontrollers.

The Balletto family is a complete Edge AI/ML microcontroller solution for connected IoT platforms with integrated Bluetooth Low Energy 5.3 and 802.15.4 wireless subsystem and a dedicated network co-processor, enabling connectivity and class leading machine learning performance in a single chip. The Balletto family opens a new frontier for battery-powered EdgeML applications, delivering up to 50x boost in machine learning performance and inference efficiency versus traditional MCUs that lack neural co-processors. The Ceva-Waves Bluetooth Low Energy IP provides Balletto MCUs with the robust connectivity at ultra-low power consumption, and supports Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast broadcast audio, for customers who wish to leverage Balletto to create highly differentiated wireless audio products. The Balletto family also relies on Ceva-Waves 802.15.4 IP for Thread, Zigbee and Matter support in smart home applications.

"Our Balletto family of connected, intelligent MCUs are tailored to meet the growing demand for AI/ML workloads in battery-powered devices," said Mark Rootz, VP Marketing at Alif Semiconductor. "Ceva's Bluetooth Low Energy and 802.15.4 IPs provide us with a highly-proven and robust connectivity solution for our chip design, allowing us to focus our R&D resources on differentiating our MCU to deliver outstanding performance for the most demanding wireless audio and smart home AI/ML use cases."

"Wireless connectivity is a fundamental requirement of every intelligent device, and we're proud to be the trusted supplier of embedded wireless IP to industry leaders and innovators alike, including Alif Semiconductor," said Tal Shalev, Vice President and General Manager, Wireless IoT Business Unit at Ceva. "Our Bluetooth Low Energy IP has powered billions of devices to date, and we're excited to partner with Alif to enable their Balletto family of intelligent MCUs with robust connectivity and high-bit rate audio."

About Ceva-Waves Bluetooth
The Ceva-Waves Bluetooth IP platforms provide comprehensive solutions for both Bluetooth LE and Bluetooth dual mode connectivity, spanning RF, Modem, Baseband Controller, and complete Host and Profile software stacks. All the latest features of Bluetooth are supported, including AoA / AoD / Direction Finding, LE Audio / Auracast, Periodic Advertising with Response, and other enhancements such as Channel Sounding. It also comprises an IEEE 802.15.4 addon for Thread, Zigbee and Matter support.  With more than 4.5 billion devices shipped to date and dozens of licensees, the Ceva-Waves Bluetooth IP is widely deployed in consumer, automotive, industrial, medical and IoT devices with many of the world's leading semiconductors companies and OEMs, including smartphones, tablets, beacons, wireless speakers, wireless headsets and earbuds, hearing aids and other wearables.

The Ceva-Waves Bluetooth IP is part of the Ceva-Waves unique and broad family of wireless connectivity IP platforms that also includes the Ceva-Waves Wi-Fi, UWB, NB-IoT and Links multi-protocol platforms. For more information, visit https://www.ceva-ip.com/app/connectivity/.

About Alif Semiconductor:
Alif Semiconductor is the industry-leading supplier of next-generation secure AI/ML-enabled 32-bit microcontrollers. Since 2019, Alif's expanding offering of microcontrollers and fusion processors has been revolutionizing the way developers can create broad, scalable, and connected AI-enabled embedded applications that are genuinely power efficient. Alif Semiconductor is the only choice for power efficient microcontrollers that can handle heavy AI and ML workloads for battery-operated endpoint devices. For more information go to https://alifsemi.com/products/balletto .

About Ceva, Inc.
At Ceva, we are passionate about bringing new levels of innovation to the smart edge. Our wireless communications, sensing and Edge AI technologies are at the heart of some of today's most advanced smart edge products. From Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, UWB and 5G platform IP for ubiquitous, robust communications, to scalable Edge AI NPU IPs, sensor fusion processors and embedded application software that make devices smarter, we have the broadest portfolio of IP to connect, sense and infer data more reliably and efficiently. We deliver differentiated solutions that combine outstanding performance at ultra-low power within a very small silicon footprint. Our goal is simple – to deliver the silicon and software IP to enable a smarter, safer, and more interconnected world. This philosophy is in practice today, with Ceva powering more than 17 billion of the world's most innovative smart edge products from AI-infused smartwatches, IoT devices and wearables to autonomous vehicles and 5G mobile networks.

Our headquarters are in Rockville, Maryland with a global customer base supported by operations worldwide. Our employees are among the leading experts in their areas of specialty, consistently solving the most complex design challenges, enabling our customers to bring innovative smart edge products to market.

Ceva: Powering the Smart Edge™

Visit us at www.ceva-ip.com and follow us on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.

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SOURCE Ceva, Inc.

FAQ

What wireless technologies does Alif Semiconductor's Balletto family of MCUs support?

The Balletto family supports Bluetooth Low Energy 5.3 and 802.15.4 wireless technologies, enabling connectivity for Bluetooth LE Audio, Auracast broadcast audio, Thread, Zigbee, and Matter protocols.

How does the Balletto family's machine learning performance compare to traditional MCUs?

The Balletto family delivers up to 50x boost in machine learning performance and inference efficiency compared to traditional MCUs that lack neural co-processors.

What are the target applications for Alif Semiconductor's Balletto MCUs?

The Balletto family is designed for battery-powered EdgeML applications, particularly targeting wireless audio products and smart home AI/ML use cases.

How does Ceva's IP contribute to the Balletto family of MCUs?

Ceva's Bluetooth Low Energy and 802.15.4 IPs provide Alif Semiconductor's Balletto MCUs with robust connectivity and ultra-low power consumption, enabling wireless audio and smart home applications.