OSLO, Norway, June 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Ultra low power (ULP) RF specialist Nordic Semiconductor ASA (OSE: NOD) today announces its new nRF51 Series of ULP 2.4GHzRF integrated circuits (ICs).

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120628/538669 )

The first two ICs to debut in the nRF51 Series are the nRF51822, a multi-protocol Bluetooth^® low energy / 2.4GHz proprietary RF System-on-Chip (SoC), and the nRF51422, the world's first ANT™ / ANT+™ SoC.

These Flash-based devices share a new higher performance, lower power 2.4GHz multi-protocol radio, and a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M0 based processor that deliver up to 50% lower power consumption, RF link budget improvements of up to 9.5dB, and over 10x more processing power compared to Nordic's previous generation of ULP wireless ICs - redefining class-leading industry benchmarks.

Nordic's novel software architecture for Bluetooth low energy and ANTSoC solutions also frees designers from the integration effort, complexities, and restrictions of chip vendor-supplied software frameworks and instead allows customers to develop their designs quickly and easily using the highly popular and familiar ARM Cortex programming environment.

This major benefit is achieved by using a new and novel software architecture featuring a unique and powerful separation between protocol stack and user application code. This removes the need for developers to struggle with integration of application code as part of a vendor-imposed application development framework. Code development is now greatly simplified and accelerated and risks associated with integrating application and stack code significantly reduced.

With the launch of the Nordic Semiconductor nRF51 Series, developing applications employing one of the three main ULP wireless technologies - Bluetooth low energy, ANT / ANT+, and 2.4GHz proprietary RF - has never been more straightforward or accessible to the widest possible range of developers.

"We have worked closely with our most trusted customers for several years on the nRF51 Series," comments Thomas Embla Bonnerud, Director of Product Management at Nordic Semiconductor. "Our new multi-protocol radio combined with the ARM Cortex-M0 based processor not only slashes power consumption, but also significantly improves performance, available processing power, and extends the range of applications covered. We have also taken a completely novel approach with our software architecture that accelerates product development and lowers risks by offering developers unprecedented flexibility, ease-of-use, and code safety."

General availability is scheduled for early September 2012 and mass production is scheduled for Q4 2012.

About Nordic Semiconductor ASA

tinyurl.com/NordicSemi    

CONTACTS

Marketing contact: Anne Strand
Phone: +47-22-51-10-62
E-mail: Anne.Strand@nordicsemi.no
Website: http://www.nordicsemi.com

SOURCE Nordic Semiconductor ASA