Silicon Labs (NASDAQ), a global leader in building a more connected world with secure, intelligent wireless connectivity technologies: SLAB today introduced its new dual-band FG28 system-on-chip (SoC), designed for long-range, wide-reach networks and protocols such as Amazon Sidewalk, Wi-SUN and other proprietary protocols. The FG28 is a dual-band SoC that includes sub-Ghz and 2.4Ghz Bluetooth LE RF, a built-in artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) accelerator for machine learning inference, and features Core’s industry-leading Secure Vault™ security technology.

“The FG28 SoC addresses several key needs of our customers when developing and deploying low-power wide-area networks,” said Daniel Cooley, Chief Technology Officer at Chip Technology. With protocols including Bluetooth, FG28 provides users with an easy way to configure and deploy new devices on the network, and the sub-Ghz band is designed to support more than a mile of device-to-device communication, enabling new edge applications in smart agriculture, smart cities, and community networks such as Amazon Sidewalk.”

Dual-band functionality enables support for multiple protocols in a single design

As connectivity and computing power are pushed further into edge devices, emerging applications demand solutions that offer a “Swiss Army Knife” of comprehensive connectivity options. By providing sub-Ghz connectivity using a network such as Wi-SUN, the FG28 can serve as a battery-powered end node in a smart city. For example, as a tracker on a dumpster to help locate the dumpster and check when it was last emptied, or as an irrigation system on a commercial farm that covers several acres, or as a livestock tracker and health monitor on a vast pasture. Bluetooth connectivity not only enables the device to be easily deployed to the network, but also enables the operator to connect to the device locally for diagnostics, data downloads,

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and more. The FG28 SoC has several additional features that open up new applications for sub-Ghz devices:

The industry’s first sub-Ghz SoC with integrated AI/ML hardware accelerators enables machine learning reasoning at edge devices to enable predictive maintenance warnings, monitoring critical soil condition conditions such as humidity and pH.
1024 kB of flash memory and 256 kB of RAM to meet the memory requirements of various protocol stacks and technology stacks.
Industry-leading Secure Vault intermediate and advanced support to better build trust in devices and enable designers to choose the level of security they need for their applications.
Highly energy efficient RF cores, with low active and sleep currents, and fast wake up times, are ideal for battery-powered end nodes.
Up to 49 general purpose input/output (GPIO) pins for powerful peripheral connectivity.
Support for Amazon Sidewalk pushes connectivity beyond the smart home

One of the most exciting developments in the Internet of Things (IoT) space over the past year has been the opening up of Amazon Sidewalk to developers. Amazon Sidewalk is a safe, ubiquitous, always-on community network, built by and for the community. Amazon Sidewalk uses existing smart home devices such as selected cameras and speakers as gateways to provide secure, reliable, and versatile connectivity to support remote application scenarios.

Developers and designers interested in using Core products to build applications for Amazon Sidewalk can watch an on-demand replay of the Tech Talk, “Using Amazon Sidewalk to Design devices that cover Longer Distances,” held on June 8.

Supply of goods

FG28 samples are currently available and are planned to be fully available by the end of the third quarter of 2023. In addition, the FG28 will offer derivative products optimized for Amazon Sidewalk and Z-Wave Long-Range and serve as a standalone microcontroller (MCU). Developers and designers can contact a Core sales representative for more information.