Silicon Labs xG26 Sets New Standard in Multiprotocol Wireless Device Performance

Rhea-AI Summary

Silicon Labs (SLAB) announces the xG26 family of Wireless SoCs and MCUs, featuring doubled Flash, RAM, and GPIO capacity compared to previous models. The devices are designed to future-proof IoT against demanding applications like Matter, with enhanced performance, AI/ML hardware acceleration, and best-in-class security.

Insights

Market Research Analyst

With the launch of Silicon Labs' new xG26 family of Wireless SoCs and MCUs, we're observing a strategic move to solidify the company's position in the IoT market. The introduction of devices with doubled Flash, RAM and GPIO capacity is a significant upgrade from the previous xG24 family, which could potentially lead to an increase in the company's market share. In particular, the MG26 Multiprotocol SoC's focus on Matter over Thread indicates Silicon Labs' commitment to interoperability and security in smart home devices, an area that's gaining consumer interest.

From a market perspective, the embedded AI/ML hardware acceleration is a notable feature that could set Silicon Labs apart from competitors. The ability to process machine learning algorithms up to 8x faster while conserving energy is likely to appeal to device manufacturers looking for efficient and powerful components. This technological edge might translate into robust sales figures and could be a catalyst for stock growth, especially if Silicon Labs manages to capture a significant portion of the smart home market, which is projected to grow substantially in the coming years.

Financial Analyst

Investors should note the potential financial implications of Silicon Labs' new product launch. By doubling the computational and memory resources of their SoCs and MCUs, the company is positioning itself to cater to more advanced IoT applications, which may lead to higher average selling prices (ASPs). This could improve gross margins and contribute positively to the bottom line. Moreover, the focus on energy efficiency with AI/ML acceleration could result in lower operational costs for end users, enhancing the attractiveness of Silicon Labs' offerings.

However, it's important to monitor how the market responds to these new products, as R&D and manufacturing costs associated with such high-performance devices could be substantial. Investors should look for future earnings reports and management commentary for indicators of successful market penetration and cost management. The company's stock performance will likely reflect the success of the xG26 family in capturing IoT market share and delivering on its promise of future-proofing devices against emerging applications.

Technology Analyst

The technological advancements in Silicon Labs' xG26 family represent a leap forward in IoT device capabilities. The integration of Secure Vault™ and ARM TrustZone for security is particularly relevant in an era where cyber threats are increasingly prevalent. This could lead to a competitive advantage as security becomes a key selling point for IoT devices. Additionally, the multicore ARM® Cortex®-M33 CPU configuration highlights an industry trend towards more powerful and efficient edge computing.

Looking ahead, the scalability of the xG26 family and its pin compatibility with previous generations might reduce time-to-market for IoT device manufacturers, fostering a quicker adoption rate. The company's role as a leading semiconductor code contributor to the Matter standard also suggests a deep understanding of the ecosystem, which could result in highly optimized and compatible products. This expertise may become a significant differentiator as the IoT landscape evolves and becomes more complex.

Provides industry's highest combination of Flash, RAM, and GPIO for Matter over Thread

AUSTIN, Texas, April 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Silicon Labs (NASDAQ: SLAB), a leader in secure, intelligent wireless technology for a more connected world, today announced their new xG26 family of Wireless SoCs and MCUs, the IoT industry leader's highest performance device family to date. The new family consists of the multiprotocol MG26 SoC, the Bluetooth LE BG26 SoC, and the PG26 MCU. All three are designed to future-proof the IoT against some of the most demanding emerging applications, like Matter, with double the Flash and RAM of other Silicon Labs multiprotocol devices.

"As users from consumer to industrial sectors extract more benefits from their IoT deployments, their requirements are steadily increasing," said Matt Johnson, CEO of Silicon Labs, Inc. "The new xG26 family is built for the future, empowering device manufacturers with the confidence that their current designs will meet tomorrow's demands."

To help designers build devices capable of running advanced IoT applications, the xG26 family can be equipped with:

• Doubled Flash, RAM, and GPIO capacity compared to the xG24 device family, allowing IoT device builders to develop advanced edge applications. It also has double the number of general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pins as the xG24, meaning that device builders can connect it to twice as many peripherals for better system integration.
• Higher performance compute in a multicore format with an ARM® Cortex®-M33 CPU and dedicated cores for the radio and security subsystems, helping to free up the main core for customer applications.
• Embedded AI/ML hardware acceleration, enabling up to 8x faster processing of machine learning algorithms using as little as 1/6^th the power, achieving greater energy efficiency.
• Best-in-Class Security with Silicon Labs Secure Vault™ and ARM TrustZone. Using the Silicon Labs Custom Part Manufacturing Service, xG26 devices can also be hard-coded with customer-designed security keys and other features in the fabrication process, further hardening them against vulnerabilities.
• 2.4 GHz wireless connectivity leveraging Silicon Labs' proven, tested, and certified software stacks for 2.4 GHz wireless protocols, including Matter, Zigbee, OpenThread, Bluetooth Low Energy, Bluetooth Mesh, Proprietary, and Multiprotocol, with a best in class RF link budget that improves range and reduces transmission retries, providing a better user experience while improving battery life.

MG26 Multiprotocol SoC Designed to be Most Advanced SoC for Matter over Thread
Silicon Labs is all-in on Matter, the rapidly deploying application layer that allows devices to be interoperable between the leading IoT networks and ecosystems. Silicon Labs is Matter's leading semiconductor code contributor and third-largest contributor. The experience gained from working on Matter gave Silicon Labs deep insight into what it takes to build a device capable of growing with the needs of the Matter standard as it adds support for new device types, security enhancements, and more. Most device types have already seen Matter's code requirements grow by 6% in the first 18 months since Matter 1.0 was released in October 2022.

Consumers who invest in building Matter-enabled Smart Homes don't want their new devices to become obsolete in a few years. Instead, they want confidence that the Matter device they purchased last year will work with the same devices and be as secure as the next Matter device they buy next year. That's Matter's interoperability and security promise, which is why Silicon Labs designed the MG26 to be the most advanced SoC for the Matter standard.

Building off the same platform as the award-winning MG24 Multiprotocol Wireless SoC, the MG26 doubles its predecessor's Flash and RAM capacity and can be configured with up to 3200 kB of Flash and 512 kB of RAM. It also has double the number of general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pins as the MG24, meaning that device builders can connect it to twice as many peripherals for better system integration.

To enable greater intelligence for not only Matter-enabled applications, but all applications, the MG26, BG26, and PG26 also use Silicon Labs' proprietary Matrix Vector AI/ML hardware accelerator. This dedicated core is optimized for machine learning and can process ML operations up to 8x faster using as little as 1/6^th the energy as a traditional embedded CPU. This significantly improves the family's energy efficiency because the device can offload ML-based activation or wake cues to the accelerator, allowing more power-hungry functions to sleep and minimize battery drain. This is ideal for smart home battery-operated devices like sensors or switches, where consumers look for them to fade into the background of their home and not draw their attention with the need for constant battery changes.

Silicon Labs Extends IoT Leadership with New SoC and MCU Family
Silicon Labs is one of the world's leading pure-play IoT companies, and no other can match its breadth, depth, and expertise in the Internet of Things. That's why the xG26 launches as a family. While the MG26 is ideal for Matter, the BG26 Bluetooth SoC brings all the same features and is optimized for Bluetooth LE and Bluetooth Mesh, and the PG26 brings low-power intelligence to unconnected applications like CCTV cameras, remotes, and children's toys. Pin compatibility between select xG26 and xG24 devices and shared hardware and software development tools like Silicon Labs Simplicity Studios allows for easy development and seamless migration from other Silicon Labs Series 2 devices.

Learn more about how to begin developing cutting-edge IoT devices using Silicon Labs, be sure to :

• The Silicon Labs Matter Developer Journey
• The Silicon Labs Bluetooth Developer Journey
• The Silicon Labs 32-Bit Microcontrollers product page
• Register for the PG26 Unboxing Tech Talk

About Silicon Labs
Silicon Labs is a trailblazer in wireless connectivity for the Internet of Things. Its integrated hardware and software platform, intuitive development tools, and unmatched ecosystem support make Silicon Labs the ideal long-term partner in building advanced industrial, commercial, and home and life applications. Silicon Labs leads the industry in high performance, low power, and security with support for the broadest set of multi-protocol solutions.

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SOURCE Silicon Labs

FAQ

What is the ticker symbol of Silicon Labs?

The ticker symbol of Silicon Labs is SLAB.

What is the xG26 family announced by Silicon Labs?

Silicon Labs introduced the xG26 family of Wireless SoCs and MCUs, the highest performance device family to date, designed to future-proof IoT against demanding applications like Matter.

What are the key features of the xG26 family?

The xG26 family offers doubled Flash, RAM, and GPIO capacity compared to previous models, higher performance compute with a multicore format, embedded AI/ML hardware acceleration, and best-in-class security features.

What wireless protocols are supported by the xG26 family?

The xG26 family supports 2.4 GHz wireless connectivity with protocols including Matter, Zigbee, OpenThread, Bluetooth Low Energy, Bluetooth Mesh, Proprietary, and Multiprotocol, enhancing range, reducing transmission retries, and improving battery life.

Why is the MG26 SoC designed to be the most advanced for Matter over Thread?

The MG26 SoC is designed to be the most advanced for Matter over Thread to ensure interoperability and security promises of the Matter standard, with doubled Flash and RAM capacity compared to its predecessor, and enhanced intelligence capabilities.