The BG22L and BG24L SoCs for Bluetooth® LE connectivity were unveiled by Silicon Labs; the letter “L” stands for the new application-optimized Lite devices.
The BG22L offers the most competitive mix of security, processing power, and connection for high-volume, cost-sensitive, and low-power applications. It is optimized for popular Bluetooth applications such as asset tracking tags and tiny appliances.
Even in the most congested places, such as dense warehouses and multi-family housing complexes, the BG24L SoC supports Bluetooth Channel Sounding for asset monitoring and geofencing, and it has the Silicon Labs accelerator for AI/ML applications.
BG24L Accelerates Adoption of Bluetooth® 6.0 and Channel Sounding
When the Bluetooth SIG revealed Bluetooth 6.0 in September 2024, one of the most anticipated features was Channel Sounding. It enables two-way connections to be used by Bluetooth 6.0 devices, such as the BG24L SoC, to calculate their distance from one another with sub-meter accuracy.
This opens a range of applications from item discovery to access control. Keys, wallets, and other Bluetooth 6.0-enabled objects, for instance, might be found by users with a quarter of the power of other range technologies. Channel Sounding provides comparable item-finding capabilities to retail shelves, distribution hubs, and other commercial and industrial settings.
Wireless access control is another application for channel sounding. Devices using Bluetooth 6.0 will be able to connect to automobiles, package lockers, and other objects that typically need a passcode or interaction. The locker or car can open automatically by detecting the signal of the approaching, securely assigned Bluetooth device if it detects that a device is nearby.
This low-cost SoC for high-volume Bluetooth Channel Sounding has a 78 MHz ARM Cortex M33 processor, 768 kB of Flash, and 96 kB of RAM in a 5 mm x 5 mm QFN40 package.
Visit the Silicon Labs YouTube channel to see a demonstration of the Bluetooth Channel Sounding application using a similar SoC.
For AI and Machine Learning Applications, The BG24L Also Includes:
- Silicon Labs’ proprietary Matrix Vector Processor (MVP) AI/ML accelerator.
- With the embedded MVP accelerator, the BG24L provides up to 8x faster inferencing performance using only 1/6th of the power compared to performing the same calculations on the Cortex M, thereby extending battery life.
- This makes BG24L an ideal ML inferencing platform for time-series data on IoT applications such as sensors and predictive maintenance.
- Using AI/ML development tools from Silicon Labs and its partners, BG24L is the easiest and most accessible IoT platform for exploring the possibilities of edge AI.
BG22L Offers Up to Ten Years of Battery Life on a Coin Cell Battery
The possibilities of Bluetooth applications are being expanded by developments like Channel Sounding and AI/ML. With billions of devices utilizing Bluetooth for basic sensors, asset tracking, beacons, and simplified Wi-Fi setup for appliances, there are still chances to take advantage of the technology’s fundamental advantages.
For these popular wireless applications that require strong, secure Bluetooth communication, the BG22L is competitively built.
The outstanding balance of low cost, low power consumption, high dependability, and superb performance is provided by BG22L SoCs.
It has an ultra-low power receive mode and a Precision Low-Frequency RC Oscillator (PLFRCO), which saves the manufacturer money and bills of materials while removing the requirement for an external oscillator without sacrificing performance. With these improvements, BG22L can run on a single coin cell battery for up to ten years.
Additionally, Bluetooth 5.4 and Bluetooth Direction Finding are supported by the BG22L. It comes in a 4 mm by 4 mm QFN32 package with an ARM Cortex M33 processor running at 38.4 MHz, up to 352 kB of flash, and up to 24 kB of RAM.
Get Started with Silicon Labs Bluetooth SoCs Today
Both the BG22L and the BG24L are planned for general availability in Q2 of 2025.