“AI is rapidly becoming a key growth catalyst that will enable the number of IoT devices to exceed 100 billion in the next decade,” stated Matt Johnson, President & CEO of Silicon Labs. “Our upcoming Series 3 platform’s unparalleled capabilities and productivity will unlock new applications across diverse industries, including manufacturing, retail, transportation, healthcare, energy distribution, fitness, and agriculture, transforming each sector in remarkable ways.”

To achieve this vision, IoT devices must enhance connectivity, computing power, security, and AI/ML capabilities.  Silicon Labs has unveiled details about the Series 3 platform, which aims to make this a reality.

Series 3 SoCs: Advanced Modem and Secure Memory

The Series 3 devices are designed to meet the challenges posed by the rapid expansion of IoT, addressing the demand for more processing power at the edge across various applications, including smart cities, commercial buildings, smart factories, connected health, and portable, secure, compute-intensive applications.

Connectivity: The comprehensive Series 3 portfolio will feature dozens of products that cover all major protocols and frequency bands, enabling connections for nearly any device.  The first Series 3 device will include the world’s most flexible IoT modem, capable of true concurrency across three wireless networks with microsecond channel switching.

Compute: Series 3 devices will incorporate multicore Arm Cortex-M application processors, dedicated co-processors for radio and security subsystems, and high-performance machine learning subsystems for select devices.  With the most scalable memory architecture in its class, these devices will support complex applications and embedded real-time operating systems, featuring Cortex-M processors ranging from a Cortex-M33 at 133 MHz to dual Cortex-M55s exceeding 200 MHz.

Security: All Series 3 devices will implement Silicon Labs' Secure Vault High, along with features like Authenticated Execute in Place to ensure trusted communication between devices and the cloud. The platform will also include the world’s most secure memory interface, protecting against physical intrusions and safeguarding the device maker’s intellectual property.  Furthermore, Series 3 will adopt post-quantum encryption standards recently released by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Smart: Certain Series 3 devices will utilize Silicon Labs’ second-generation Matrix Vector Processor, which offloads complex ML operations from the main CPU to a specialized accelerator, enhancing ML performance by up to 100x in wireless, battery-powered devices while significantly reducing power consumption.

A critical driver for this IoT revolution is data flow between edge devices and the cloud.  This two-way communication positions IoT edge devices as ideal partners in the expanding AI landscape. These devices can make limited decisions at the edge—such as smart thermostats that adjust HVAC systems based on ambient temperatures—while also serving as data collectors that filter essential information for AI operators.

The first Series 3 SoC is currently being sampled by customers, with additional details expected in the first half of 2025.

Series 1 and Series 2 SoCs Continue to Bridge Connectivity Gaps

Silicon Labs’ Series 1 and Series 2 devices remain instrumental in scaling IoT, providing secure connectivity and enabling new applications.  The Series 2 platform has expanded with the launch of new Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth LE ICs: the SiWG917 wireless MCU (SoC), SiWN917 network co-processor for hosted applications, and SiWT917 radio co-processor IC for higher-end operating systems.  The SiWx917 family is designed for ultra-low-power Wi-Fi 6 applications, offering up to two years of battery life on a single AAA battery in select IoT scenarios.

Earlier this year, Silicon Labs introduced the BG26 and MG26 devices for Bluetooth and 802.15.4 connectivity. These wireless SoCs are built for future-proofing as IoT demands evolve and feature the same Matrix Vector Processor for dedicated machine learning as the upcoming Series 3. The MG26 and BG26 have doubled their predecessors’ Flash, RAM, and GPIO capacities, earning IoT Evolution’s Product of the Year award.

Series 2 devices also cater to the emerging field of Ambient IoT, allowing devices to draw power from environmental sources such as ambient light, radio waves, and kinetic motion.  In collaboration with PMIC manufacturer e-peas, Silicon Labs announced the xG22E, a new ultra-low-power variant of the xG22 wireless SoC, designed to operate within the ambient IoT power envelope.

Learn More About the Future of IoT at the Silicon Labs Works With Developers Conference

These SoCs represent just a fraction of Silicon Labs’ extensive portfolio of wireless SoCs and MCUs designed for IoT applications.  No other vendor matches the breadth, depth, and expertise of Silicon Labs.

To share this expertise with IoT developers and designers, Silicon Labs will host its fifth annual Works With Virtual Developers Conference on November 20-21.  This free event will feature over 30 sessions, keynotes, and labs, where attendees can learn about the trends shaping the IoT from Silicon Labs experts and industry leaders.