Nordic Semiconductor is a Norwegian fabless semiconductor company specializing in low-power, short-range wireless communication technologies. They are a dominant force in the market for Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth LE) chips and are also key players in other IoT-focused wireless protocols like Thread, Zigbee, Wi-Fi, and cellular IoT (LTE-M and NB-IoT).

Vegard Wollan to succeed Svenn-Tore Larsen as Nordic Semiconductor CEO

Their chips are found in thousands of products, from consumer gadgets like fitness trackers and wireless keyboards to industrial sensors, medical devices, and smart home appliances.

Core Technologies and Product Lines

Nordic’s product portfolio is built around several key wireless technologies:

1. Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth LE)

This is Nordic’s flagship and the area where they are considered a market leader.

nRF52 Series: The workhorse family that established Nordic’s dominance. A wide range of chips for various performance and power needs.
nRF53 Series: A dual-core series (Application core + Network core) for more complex applications that need to run multiple protocols simultaneously or require higher performance.
nRF54 Series: Their latest and most advanced series, focused on unprecedented performance, security, and energy efficiency for the next generation of IoT products.
Use Cases: Wireless mice/keyboards, fitness trackers (like many from Fitbit), PC peripherals, beacons, and medical sensors.

2. Proprietary 2.4 GHz

For applications where the standard protocols of Bluetooth are unnecessary or where ultra-low latency and minimal overhead are critical.

Use Cases: Gaming peripherals, wireless sports sensors, RF remote controls, and custom industrial links.

3. Low-Power Cellular IoT (LTE-M & NB-IoT)

With the acquisition of the Icelandic company Nordic Semiconductor, they expanded into cellular connectivity for wide-area networks (WAN).

nRF91 Series: A highly integrated System-in-Package (SiP) that includes a modem, transceiver, GPS, and a dedicated application processor. It’s designed for devices that need to connect directly to cellular networks with very low power consumption.
Use Cases: Asset trackers, smart city sensors, agricultural monitors, and industrial equipment telemetry.

4. Other IoT Protocols (Thread, Zigbee, Matter)

Nordic’s chips often support multiple protocols to ensure flexibility and future-proofing.

Their nRF52 and nRF53 series are certified for Thread and Zigbee, which are popular mesh networking protocols for smart homes.
They are a founding member of the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) and a strong proponent of Matter, the new unifying standard for the smart home. Their chips are designed to be Matter-ready.

5. Wi-Fi

Nordic has recently entered the Wi-Fi space, recognizing the need for devices to connect to local networks and the cloud directly.

nRF70 Series: A family of low-power Wi-Fi 6 companion ICs. These are designed to work alongside Nordic’s other Bluetooth or cellular chips, providing a seamless path to cloud connectivity.

Key Strengths and Why They Are So Popular

Unmatched Low Power Consumption: This is their core value proposition. They optimize their silicon and software to ensure devices can run for months or years on a small battery, which is critical for the IoT.
Robust Software Development Kits (SDKs): Nordic provides excellent software support, primarily through their nRF Connect SDK. It’s based on the Zephyr RTOS (Real-Time Operating System), which offers a modern, scalable, and secure foundation for application development.
Strong Developer Ecosystem: They have a vibrant community, extensive documentation, popular development kits (like the nRF52840 DK and nRF9160 DK), and the desktop application “nRF Connect for Desktop” which includes valuable debugging and testing tools.
Focus on Integration and Security: Their newer chips integrate more features (like security co-processors, AI accelerators, and power management) and place a heavy emphasis on hardware-level security to protect IoT devices.
Future-Proofing with Multi-Protocol: By supporting Bluetooth LE, Thread, Zigbee, and cellular, they allow manufacturers to build products that can adapt to different connectivity needs and standards like Matter.

Typical Applications

Nordic’s technology is everywhere in the modern connected world:

Consumer Electronics: Wireless earbuds, gaming controllers, smartwatches, PC peripherals.
Healthcare: Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs), pulse oximeters, activity trackers for patient monitoring.
Smart Home: Light bulbs, sensors, locks, and thermostats that use Bluetooth for setup and Thread/Zigbee for mesh networking.
Industrial & Asset Tracking: Sensors for monitoring equipment, and GPS/cellular trackers for tracking high-value assets across the globe.
Retail: Bluetooth beacons for proximity marketing and indoor navigation.

Summary

In essence, Nordic Semiconductor is a foundational enabler of the Internet of Things (IoT). They provide the reliable, low-power, and flexible “connectivity glue” that allows devices to talk to each other, to our phones, and to the cloud. Their combination of high-quality hardware, extensive software support, and a clear roadmap has made them a go-to choice for engineers designing the next generation of wireless products.

Website: www.nordicsemi.com

Nordic Semiconductor