Silicon Labs Unveils the Series 3 IoT Platform, Pledges 100x Performance Gains for On-Device ML, AI

Silicon Labs has announced its new "Series 3" Internet of Things (IoT) platform — coming with the impressive claim of a 100-fold boost in performance for on-device machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) workloads.

"Our Series 3 platform is built for a more connected world that demands development flexibility and that more intelligence be pushed to the edge," claims Silicon Labs chief executive officer Matt Johnson of the company's latest launch. "Series 3 not only meets the needs of developers and device manufacturers today but is built to meet their needs for the next decade."

Silicon Labs' Series 3 is designed to replace, as the name implies, its current Series 2 hardware, using a 22nm process node to deliver performance, efficiency, and scalability gains. Of these, none are so impressive as the company's claim that Series 3 parts "will bring more than 100x processing capability" through accelerators for on-device machine learning and artificial intelligence projects — though the company has not yet released benchmarks demonstrating this.

The third-generation IoT platform will also bring multiple radio connectivity options, Silicon Labs has confirmed, "including but not limited to" Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Wi-Fi, Wi-SUN, IEEE 802.15.4, and proprietary protocols, all of which will be supported by a common code base. "Proprietary improvements" to "critical power points," meanwhile, will "add years to a device's battery life," the company claims.

On the software side, Silicon Labs has announced release of Simplicity Studio 6, its development platform, with full support for all current and future parts. The biggest change: the decoupling of the integrated development environment (IDE) from the productivity tools, allowing the use of third-party IDEs — starting with a beta Microsoft Visual Studio Code extension.

"We recognize that development is not a one-size-fits-all approach," says Silicon Labs' Michael Norman of the move away from requiring the use of the company's own IDE. "That's why we wanted to present developers with the most complete set of tools, support for an expansive universe of providers, and let them choose. We want to offer a great platform, tools, and support and get out of their way."

At the same time, Silicon Labs has also announced a new pair of systems-on-chips (SoCs) designed for those building on Amazon's Sidewalk connectivity platform: the SG23 and SG28. Of these, the SG23 has a single-band sub-gigahertz radio for long-range end-node device use, with the dual-band SG28 adding Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) support.

More information on the Silicon Labs Series 3 platform is available on the company website, though technical details are not expected to be released until after the close of the company's Works With Developers Conference.