Ceva, Inc., a leading licensor of silicon and software IP for Smart Edge devices, has announced that Alif Semiconductor, a global supplier of secure and connected microcontrollers, has licensed and deployed Ceva’s Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and 802.15.4 IPs in its Balletto family of wireless microcontrollers. The Balletto family is a complete Edge AI/ML microcontroller solution for connected IoT platforms, offering integrated Bluetooth Low Energy 5.3 and 802.15.4 wireless subsystems and a dedicated network co-processor.
The Balletto family aims to meet the increasing demand for AI/ML workloads in battery-powered devices. It provides up to a 50x boost in machine learning performance and inference efficiency compared to traditional MCUs without neural co-processors. By leveraging Ceva’s Bluetooth Low Energy IP, the Balletto MCUs offer robust connectivity at ultra-low power consumption, supporting Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast broadcast audio. Additionally, the Balletto family utilizes Ceva’s 802.15.4 IP for Thread, Zigbee, and Matter support in smart home applications.
Mark Rootz, VP Marketing at Alif Semiconductor, expressed their focus on delivering outstanding performance for demanding wireless audio and smart home AI/ML use cases. He highlighted the reliability and robustness of Ceva’s Bluetooth Low Energy and 802.15.4 IPs, which allow Alif Semiconductor to differentiate their MCU offerings.
Tal Shalev, Vice President and General Manager of Ceva’s Wireless IoT Business Unit, emphasized the importance of wireless connectivity in intelligent devices. Ceva’s Bluetooth Low Energy IP has been widely deployed in billions of devices, including smartphones, tablets, wireless speakers, and wearables. Shalev expressed excitement about partnering with Alif Semiconductor to enable their Balletto family of intelligent MCUs with robust connectivity and high-bit rate audio.
Ceva’s Bluetooth IP platforms provide comprehensive solutions for both Bluetooth LE and dual-mode connectivity, supporting the latest Bluetooth features such as AoA/AoD/Direction Finding, LE Audio/Auracast, and Periodic Advertising with Response. The IP also includes an IEEE 802.15.4 addon for Thread, Zigbee, and Matter support.
Alif Semiconductor, known for its secure AI/ML-enabled microcontrollers, offers developers the ability to create scalable and connected AI-enabled embedded applications with exceptional power efficiency. Their microcontrollers are designed to handle heavy AI and ML workloads for battery-operated endpoint devices.
Ceva, Inc. is dedicated to delivering innovative technologies for the smart edge. Their wireless communications, sensing, and Edge AI technologies power a wide range of smart edge products, from smartwatches and IoT devices to autonomous vehicles and 5G mobile networks.
With Alif Semiconductor licensing Ceva’s Bluetooth Low Energy and 802.15.4 IPs, the collaboration aims to enhance the performance and connectivity of the Balletto family of wireless microcontrollers, enabling the development of advanced AI/ML applications for wireless audio and smart home use cases.
About Ceva, Inc.
Ceva, Inc. is a global company headquartered in Rockville, Maryland. They provide silicon and software IP solutions for smart edge devices, enabling reliable and efficient connectivity, sensing, and data inference.
About Alif Semiconductor
Alif Semiconductor is a leading supplier of secure AI/ML-enabled microcontrollers. Their products revolutionize the development of power-efficient embedded applications, offering scalability and connectivity for AI-enabled devices.