Nordic combines ARM M33 and RISC-V cores in fourth generation Bluetooth chip
Nordic Semiconductor has launched its fourth generation multicore low power Bluetooth chip, combining multiple ARM and RISC-V cores on a silicon on insulator process technology.
The nRF54H20 uses multiple ARM Cortex M33 cores running up to 320MHz, with each processor is optimized for a specific type of workload, and multiple in-house RISC-V cores. It is built on the low power 22FDX SOI process from Global Foundries although power figures are not available.
The nRF54H20 belongs to the nRF54H Series, the “H” branch of the wider nRF54 Series and is aimed at advanced wearables, smart home and Matter designs as well as medical and healthcare, audio, industrial and gaming.
The chip supports the coming Bluetooth 5.4 and future Bluetooth specifications, plus LE Audio, Bluetooth mesh, Thread and Matter with 2 MB non-volatile memory and 1 MB of RAM.
The nRF54H20 includes several digital and analog interfaces new to the Nordic range, including a high performance external memory interface (400 MBps), high-speed USB (480 Mbps), two I3C peripherals, a CAN FD controller, and a 14-bit ADC.
A new multiprotocol 2.4 GHz radio offers -100 dBm RX sensitivity when receiving a 1 Mbps Bluetooth LE signal. Combined with up to 10 dBm TX power, the nRF54H20 offers an ample link budget for enhanced robustness and longer range with a receive current consumption that is half that of the nRF5340. For applications that are mainly receivers, such as earbuds and wearables, the low energy consumption allows for more compact batteries or extended battery life.
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The nRF54H20 is also certified to PSA Certified Level 3, the highest level in the Platform Security Architecture (PSA) Certified IoT security standard. The SoC supports security services such as Secure Boot, Secure Firmware Update, and Secure Storage and includes cryptographic accelerators that are hardened against side-channel attacks and tamper sensors that detect an attack in progress and take appropriate action.
“Decades of ultra low power wireless expertise have come together to form the nRF54 Series,” says Svenn-Tore Larsen, CEO of Nordic Semiconductor. “Our first SoC from the fourth generation of Bluetooth LE solutions, the nRF54H20, not only represents a significant milestone for Nordic, but also allows Nordic’s customers to build end-products far more advanced and efficient than those we see today.”
“A disruptive product like the nRF54H20 happens through a long-term commitment to R&D, and Nordic has been willing to make that commitment,” says Svein-Egil Nielsen, CTO/EVP R&D and Strategy, Nordic Semiconductor. “Early feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and Nordic’s customers can be assured that the nRF54H20 is just one SoC in an ambitious roadmap of next-generation IoT solutions that will far exceed their expectations.”
“The ground-breaking nRF54H20 is a major technical achievement. It is a truly worthy successor to our nRF51, nRF52, and nRF53 Series, and we expect our nRF54 Series to again disrupt the low power wireless segment,” says Kjetil Holstad, EVP Product Management, Nordic Semiconductor. “It is not just an evolution of our wireless SoC line, but a revolution. We look forward to our customers using the nRF54 Series to build the next wave of advanced and complex IoT end-products.”
The nRF54H20 SoC is now available for sampling to selected customers. Interested parties should contact their local Nordic sales representative.
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