
Spark raises funds for third-generation UWB short-range wireless
Spark Microsystems Inc. (Montreal, Canada), a startup developing a low-power ultrawideband transceiver for IoT applications, has received CDN$7.1 million (about US$5.6 million) in funding from Sustainable Development Technology Canada.
The money is designated for the advancement of clean technology innovation. Spark argues that for applications up to about 100 metres a well-designed UWB system can achieve achieve energy efficiencies of 1nJ/bit, a factor of 30 below Bluetooth Low Energy.
The money will be used for the development and commercialization of Spark’s wireless UWB transceivers, targeting wireless connectivity and mobile applications spanning IoT sensing, gaming, audio, AR/VR/XR and metaverse-enabling technologies.
The funding was part of an investment of CDN$27.2 million (about US$21.5 million) provided by Sustainable Development Technology Canada to five startups and two scale-up companies.
Canadian sustain
Spark claims its UWB technology delivers 10x more data throughput, 60x lower latency, and 40x lower power consumption than Bluetooth/BLE.
Leah Lawrence, CEO of SDTC said: “As the number of wireless devices we use in our daily lives continues to rise, so does the energy needed to charge them. Spark Microsystems’ high-performance transceivers promise to reduce the power consumption of wireless devices, saving energy and reducing emissions. With this investment, SDTC is proud to support Spark Microsystems as they continue to innovate their third-generation product.”
“This new funding and the previous SDTC funding in 2017 acknowledges Spark’s steadfast commitment to sustainability and sets the stage for our world-class team based in Quebec, Canada, to develop innovative solutions for future battery-less devices powered by energy harvesting technologies.” said Fares Mubarak, CEO of Spark Microsystems.
Since its inception, SDTC has invested more than CDN$1.38 billion (US$1 billion) in companies, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 22.4 megatonnes annually.
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