Electronics Weekly
The company – which is fresh from announcing a $1bn profit for 2019 – is joining the body controlling the IEEE 802.15.4-based specification.
The aim of the alliance is to simplify product development for manufacturers and increase device compatibility for consumers. For ST’s part, it says its STM32 MCU/MPU products will be to the forefront, with a focus on integrated security mechanisms to guarantee IP and privacy protection.
“In both the consumer and industrial markets, demand for reliable IoT connectivity is expanding fast and the trend towards wireless technologies is growing tremendously – whether in smart-home solutions, asset-tracking production tools, or building control,” said Hakim Jaafar, Head of Marketing for Wireless Microcontrollers at STMicroelectronics.
“As a leading and trusted Arm Cortex-M supplier to both top OEMs and the mass market committed to propagating Zigbee technology in its 2.4GHz product roadmap, ST supports the mission of the Zigbee Alliance and joined the board to share our expertise and help continue the Alliance’s success.”
For its part, the Zigbee Alliance welcomed its new addition:
“STMicroelectronics plays an important role in powering next-generation IoT devices, and their leadership will be a great value-add at the board level and within working groups as we work diligently to create communication and connection standards that can be cast across continents,” said Tobin Richardson, President and CEO, Zigbee Alliance.
“As we head into 2020, it’s extremely encouraging to see the impressive collection of global tech organizations like ST that are committed to cooperation and interested in taking a seat at the Alliance table.”
ST recently announced a chip for ZigBee wireless networking – the SN250 – which integrates a 2.4GHz IEEE 802.15.4-compliant radio transceiver and a 16-bit microprocessor with EmberZNet software stack.
See also: Resideo Joins Zigbee Board of Directors
