ST Powers Next-Generation IoT Devices with Multiprotocol Bluetooth® & 802.15.4 SoC

The new STM32WB wireless System-on-Chip (SoC) devices combine a fully-featured Arm® Cortex®-M4-based microcontroller to run the main application as well as an Arm Cortex-M0+ core to offload the main processor and offer real time operation on the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5 and IEEE 802.15.4 radio. The radio can also run other wireless protocols concurrently, including OpenThread, ZigBee®, or proprietary protocols, giving even more options for connecting devices to the Internet of Things (IoT).

Today, only a few manufacturers offer similar dual-processor wireless chips capable of managing the user application and the radio separately for optimum performance, and with such large memory size. Alternatives typically utilize entry-level Arm Cortex-M industry-standard cores, which introduce architecture limitations.

Combining the higher-performing Cortex-M4 with a Cortex-M0+ for network processing, the STM32WB leverages ST’s ultra-low-power MCU (microcontroller) technologies to combine superior RF performance for longer battery life. The SoC also includes essential circuitry (balun) for connecting to the antenna, which engineers must usually design themselves, as well as generous user and system memory, hardware encryption, and customer-key storage for brand and IP protection.