Alif integrates AI with LC3 Bluetooth codec

Alif Semiconductor is making waves in the tech industry with the unveiling of its latest AI-enabled Bluetooth wireless microcontroller featuring an audio codec that is set to revolutionize the market by phasing out Bluetooth Classic. The company is also exploring the possibility of transitioning to the cutting-edge 10nm FD-SOI process technology currently in development in Europe.

The innovative Balletto chip is a game-changer, combining a Bluetooth Low Energy front end with a RISC-V core, a powerful ARM Cortex-M55 microcontroller, and an Ethos-U55 neural processing unit. One of the standout features of the chip is its ability to run the Bluetooth Auracast protocol in BLE5.3, utilizing the latest LC3 codec.

The LC3 codec, short for low complexity communication codec, boasts an impressive bandwidth range from 16kbps to 320kbps per channel and can handle sampling rates from 8kHz to 48kHz. Developed by Fraunhofer IIS and Ericsson, the LC3 codec serves as the successor to the SBC codec, enabling support for multiple streams of audio – a feat previously unattainable with BLE technology.

Henrik Flodell, senior marketing manager at Alif Semiconductor, emphasizes the significance of LC3 in driving the evolution of Bluetooth technology. He highlights the potential for BLE devices to become more compact and cost-effective, with Auracast paving the way for a broadcast system that allows hosts to encode and broadcast multiple streams for receivers to tune into.

With hardware acceleration capabilities, the M55 microcontroller can process up to 7 consecutive streams, offering users the flexibility to select specific audio streams even in a multi-stream environment. Additionally, the integration of an NPU for machine learning acceleration sets a new standard for microcontrollers in the industry.

The Balletto chip, an evolution of the Ensemble E1 microcontroller, features an integrated RF front end on the same die, enabling seamless integration with other Ensemble devices like the E3 and E5. Alif Semiconductor is collaborating closely with key customers to explore the potential for triple or quad-core devices, leveraging the power of BLE hosts to handle full applications.

Equipped with 2MB of tightly coupled memory and 2MB of MRAM non-volatile memory, the Balletto chip is designed to be built on the 22FDX FD-SOI process at GlobalFoundries. The chip not only supports BLE but also runs the 802.15.4 Zigbee protocol and Matter, showcasing its versatility and compatibility with a range of wireless technologies.

Flodell underscores the importance of the split architecture employed in the Balletto chip, with a dedicated CPU RISC-V core handling baseband execution and signal processing offloading to ensure optimal performance for Matter applications. The enhanced capabilities of the M55 core and U55 NPU, coupled with ample memory resources, are poised to drive the adoption of Matter and facilitate the execution of larger AI models in space-constrained designs.

As Balletto enters the sampling phase, with mass production slated for May, the industry eagerly anticipates the transformative impact of this cutting-edge microcontroller on the wireless technology landscape.