The new Balletto family of Bluetooth LE 32-bit, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) enabled microcontrollers (MCUs) and fusion processors from Alif Semiconductor opens a new frontier for battery-powered EdgeML applications, delivering up to 50x boost in machine learning performance and inference efficiency versus traditional MCUs that lack neural co-processors.
The Ceva-Waves Bluetooth Low Energy IP provides Balletto MCUs with the robust connectivity at ultra-low power consumption, and supports Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast broadcast audio, for manufacturers who wish to leverage Balletto to create highly differentiated wireless audio products. The Balletto family also relies on Ceva-Waves 802.15.4 IP for Thread, Zigbee and Matter support in smart home applications.
"Our Balletto family of connected, intelligent MCUs are tailored to meet the growing demand for AI/ML workloads in battery-powered devices," says Mark Rootz, VP Marketing at Alif Semiconductor. "Ceva's Bluetooth Low Energy and 802.15.4 IPs provide us with a highly-proven and robust connectivity solution for our chip design, allowing us to focus our R&D resources on differentiating our MCU to deliver outstanding performance for the most demanding wireless audio and smart home AI/ML use cases."
The new Balletto family of wireless MCUs is based on Alif Semiconductor’s advanced MCU architecture, which features DSP acceleration and a dedicated NPU for fast, low-power execution of AI/ML workloads. Supplied in an ultra-small WLCSP package, the Balletto MCU gives manufacturers the opportunity to implement sophisticated AI/ML functions such as speech recognition, adaptive noise cancellation, vocal targeting, and beam forming in true wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds, and sensor fusion in lifestyle wristbands and other types of space-constrained devices.
The Balletto family offers particularly strong performance in audio and sensor functions thanks to its excellent DSP and AI/ML capabilities and large on-die memory. The device's Arm Cortex-M55 core, which achieves an EEMBC CoreMark score of 704 at 160MHz, includes the Arm Helium M-profile vector extension (MVE), providing a 500% improvement in DSP performance.
Alongside the Cortex-M55 CPU, Balletto includes an Arm Ethos-U55 Neural Processing Unit (NPU), which can perform up to 46 GOPS and is backed by a large 2MB tightly coupled memory (TCM), extends the audio capabilities with hardware acceleration of AI/ML models. Neural network processing performance is up to 15x better than a Cortex-M4 processor can achieve. This produces outstanding results in audio encoding/decoding functions, including for the high-bit rate, low-latency LC3 codec which underpins the BLE Auracast TM broadcast audio technology.
Balletto features Alif Semiconductor's aiPM technology, which can dynamically power only the logic and associated memory that are in use at any given time, thus achieving the lowest overall system power consumption. The aiPM power management unit implements four system level power modes including a Stop mode which draws just 700nA.
Thanks to its own separate processor and memory, Balletto’s radio supports concurrent Bluetooth LE 5.3 and Thread operations via a single on-chip antenna, making it ideal for use in home automation networks and systems that support the Matter protocol. In addition, exceptional receive sensitivity of -101dBm and advanced algorithms help with interference avoidance from other devices, and coexistence with the other protocols sharing the 2.4GHz frequency band. Balletto also has a dual-PA architecture: a high-power amplifier (HPA) provides a +10dBm output for maximum range and signal strength; via the low-power amplifier (LPA), output is +4dBm for optimized power consumption.
"Wireless connectivity is a fundamental requirement of every intelligent device, and we’re proud to be the trusted supplier of embedded wireless IP to industry leaders and innovators alike, including Alif Semiconductor," says Tal Shalev, Vice President and General Manager, Wireless IoT Business Unit at Ceva. "Our Bluetooth Low Energy IP has powered billions of devices to date, and we're excited to partner with Alif to enable their Balletto family of intelligent MCUs with robust connectivity and high-bit rate audio."
With more than 4.5 billion devices shipped to date and dozens of licensees, the Ceva-Waves Bluetooth IP platforms provide comprehensive solutions for both Bluetooth LE and Bluetooth dual mode connectivity, spanning RF, Modem, Baseband Controller, and complete Host and Profile software stacks. All the latest features of Bluetooth are supported, including AoA / AoD / Direction Finding, LE Audio / Auracast, Periodic Advertising with Response, and other enhancements such as Channel Sounding. It also comprises an IEEE 802.15.4 addon for Thread, Zigbee and Matter support.
The Ceva-Waves Bluetooth IP is part of the Ceva-Waves unique and broad family of wireless connectivity IP platforms that also includes the Ceva-Waves Wi-Fi, UWB, NB-IoT and Links multi-protocol platforms.
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