Onsemi recently announced that its new, secure RSL15 wireless microcontroller (MCU) provides the industry’s lowest power consumption. Enabled with Bluetooth® Low Energy wireless connectivity, the RSL15 addresses the growing demand of connected industrial applications for security without sacrificing power consumption.

To validate energy efficiency, the RSL15 was certified by the Embedded Microprocessor Benchmark Consortium (EEMBC). The organization’s ULPMark™-CoreMark benchmark program measures the energy efficiency of microcontrollers used in embedded systems while active. The RSL15 now leads its class by attaining a ‘performance’ score of 60.5. Within the ULPMark- CoreProfile benchmark, which calculates the deep sleep efficiency of MCUs, onsemi has also maintained the top two placements with the RSL10 and RSL15 respectively.

“From beacons for contact tracing to trackable asset tags, there are millions of connected devices globally operating off of small batteries,” said Patrick Moorhead, CEO, founder and chief analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, “By setting a new record in Bluetooth 5.2 energy efficiency in the EEMBC ULPMark™ CoreMark program, the RSL15 will help these applications, amongst many others, achieve a battery life greater than they ever thought to be possible.”

While preserving its state-of-the-art power consumption, the RSL15 is designed with Arm®TrustZone® technology to establish device root of trust as well as Arm CryptoCell™-312 technology to protect the authenticity, integrity and confidentiality of code and data. This PSA Level 1 certified design enhances the security measures already offered as part of the Bluetooth protocol, providing assurance at both the application and software levels.

“The ability to protect against cyber threats is an essential differentiator for manufacturers choosing a wireless microcontroller for industrial IoT applications,” said Michel De Mey, vice president of the industrial solutions division at onsemi. “With its advanced system-level security features and class-leading energy efficiency, the RSL15 provides a comprehensive wireless solution that OEMs and consumers can rely on.”

The RSL15 supports a number of new capabilities provided by the Bluetooth 5.2 specification, including longer range, higher data transmissions and localization through angle of arrival (AoA) and angle of departure (AoD). onsemi has also developed an innovative smart sensing feature that allows the Arm Cortex®-M33 processor to remain in a deep sleep mode while still monitoring sensor interfaces. With these advanced new features, the RSL15 will continue the success of the RSL10 radio family, which has been integrated into a variety of industrial automation applications including connected asset tracking, smart retail and IoT edge nodes.

The RSL15 is available now in a miniature 40-pin QFN package. More information please visit https://www.onsemi.com/products/wireless-connectivity/wireless-rf-transceivers/rsl15.