Atmosic unveils chips for ultra-low power connected devices

Atmosic has unveiled its ATM34/e Series of chips for ultra-low power connected devices.

The company was founded before 2018 to power devices that would be made by the billions for the internet of things. We’re fully into the deployment for these devices, and so now Campbell, California-based Atmosic is still improving its platforms to power such devices. The company made the announcement at CES 2024, the big tech trade show in Las Vegas this week.

This series introduces high-performance system-on-chips (SoCs) that herald the next wave of ultra-low power connected devices by integrating support for multiple protocols, including Matter, Thread, Zigbee, and Bluetooth LE 5.4.

Building upon the legacy of Atmosic’s groundbreaking ATM3 and ATM33/e SoCs, known for their Bluetooth LE support, the ATM34/e series signifies a significant evolution. It opens the door for IEEE 802.15.4 end devices, enabling seamless communication between smart home and mobile platforms, irrespective of brand differences.

The ATM34/e series, designed for sensors and switches, consumes 50% less active energy than competitors in most usage scenarios. This feat is achieved through Atmosic’s radio, drawing less than 1mA in receive mode and featuring a revolutionary energy-efficient transmitter offering a programmable output power range from -20dBm to +10dBm. These innovations not only significantly extend battery life but can also facilitate battery-free operation in select devices.

Atmosic CEO David Su said in a statement, “Atmosic’s multiprotocol ATM34/e is designed to maximize a device’s performance while minimizing energy consumption so product manufacturers can cost-efficiently bring sustainable products to market and meet the industry’s latest connectivity requirements.”

One of the notable features of the ATM34/e series is its scalable memory architecture, empowering developers to tailor memory footprint according to protocol, application, and cost targets. The integration of a 64MHz Arm Cortex M33F processor, along with Arm’s TrustZone technology, optimizes power, performance, and security.

The ATM34/e series incorporates advanced energy harvesting technology. This allows devices to efficiently capture, utilize, and store energy from various sources like RF, heat, light, and motion. Notably, the series offers enhanced energy harvesting efficiency with a wider input range and lower cold start voltage, crucial for long-lasting operations of lithium-ion batteries in smart sensors and similar applications.

The ATM34/e series is presently available in two packages—a 5×5 40-pin QFN and a 7×7 56-pin QFN. Both packages are pin-to-pin compatible with Atmosic’s ATM33/e series Bluetooth SoCs, providing customers an effortless transition to 802.15.4 support without necessitating product redesign. Product samples for the ATM34/e series are slated to be available in Q2 2024.