If it feels like you’ve been seeing SPARK Microsystems in the news a lot lately, there’s a good reason why.
In April, we launched the SR1120 UWB transceiver, a milestone for SPARK and the tech industry at large that was warmly received among customers, journalists, and market watchers alike. The news traveled quickly and widely. Among the headlines we enjoyed, Microwaves & RF perhaps summarized it best: “UWB Transceiver IC Blows Away Bluetooth on Wireless Data Throughput”
The innovation designed into the SR1120 speaks for itself, nevertheless we’re delighted when industry influencers speak up on our behalf!
With the arrival of SPARK’s SR1120, 40X better performance than Bluetooth is now achievable for short-range wireless data throughput – at approximately 25X lower power consumption than Bluetooth, and 60X lower latency. Compared to other UWB offerings in the market limited to ranging and positioning applications, the SR1120 delivers competing ranging capability at approximately 100X lower power consumption.
These are attention-grabbing numbers. But numbers don’t tell the full story.
THE NEXT CHAPTER
The SR1120 transceiver is SPARK’s second-generation product offering, an important achievement for any tech company, but particularly in the semiconductor market. Bringing a new chip – any chip – to market is among the most technically complex and resource-intensive undertakings in all of tech.
It’s perhaps difficult to convey the energy, passion and TLC that goes into a major product initiative like this. It was, on one hand, an opportunity for SPARK to celebrate all that we achieved with the first generation SR1020. But more importantly, it was an opportunity to celebrate where we go from here.
Surging customer demand for the SR1120 affirms the pressing need for UWB technology for high-performance connectivity and power and cost-efficient ranging/positioning. Where is UWB needed? Gaming, edge AI applications, audio, and a broad range of IoT use cases — including industrial systems, robotics, medical devices and far beyond. Anywhere Bluetooth and Wi-Fi struggle to keep up, there’s a clear need for SPARK UWB.
AI glasses (AR/VR devices) are a prime candidate for SPARK UWB and SPARK was delighted to connect with Semiconductor Engineering’s Liz Allan for a conversation on the topic. Be sure to check out her new feature story “AR/VR Glasses Taking Shape With New Chips” for a super insightful read about the technology alignments happening behind the scenes to propel this still-nascent technology into the mainstream.
There’s general agreement on what’s needed to get there – high data throughput, low latency and low power are critical aspects – and Allan’s story brings together perspective from some of the biggest players in the domain. SPARK was happy to lend our perspective. You can read all about it here.
SPARK DESIGN ACUMEN IN THE NEWS
Elsewhere in the media, SPARK was also happy to share our technical perspective on the state-of-the-art in UWB antenna design. As UWB technology goes mainstream, efficient antenna design is crucial for achieving high performance at low power. Be sure to read “A Fresh Look at RF Antenna Design with UWB Connectivity on the Rise” to learn more about how UWB technology differs from legacy platforms like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and why these differences matter for antenna design.
The article includes tips for creating more efficient antennas, managing signal patterns, and avoiding common pitfalls, as well as new and creative antenna design options for UWB, from compact chip designs to 3D-printed structures.
Switching gears, for a deep dive on UWB’s implications for consumer audio, head on over to Audioholics for an incredibly detailed view of the evolving UWB technology landscape, with an eye on Samsung and Apple’s recent exploits in UWB. SPARK UWB is featured within for our collaboration with Focal on its Diva Utopias speaker system.
In the story, editor and audio expert Wayde Robson speculates where UWB is headed in consumer audio, noting: “Focal’s new high-end powered speaker system, Diva Utopia is a rare practical application of UWB audio already in commercial use today…The SPARK Microsystems UWB chip that Focal/NAIM chose for the Diva Utopias creates a compelling use case for UWB audio.”
Friends of SPARK, we invite you to keep watching this space! There’re more headlines to be made, and more story to be told. The SR1120 begins an exciting new chapter.
