Silicon Labs Introduces BG2B Bluetooth LE SoC with Channel Sounding and Integrated CAN-FD

Silicon Labs has introduced the BG2B, a new Series 2 Bluetooth® Low Energy (LE) system-on-chip (SoC) that the company says is its lowest-power Bluetooth LE device to date. The Bluetooth 6 SoC combines Channel Sounding, Secure Vault™ High security and integrated peripherals including CAN-FD, LED drivers and dual 12-bit ADCs for battery-powered IoT applications.

According to Silicon Labs, the BG2B delivers 14% to 15% lower MCU active current, lower Bluetooth receive current and 1.1 µA EM2 sleep current with RAM retention compared with the company's previous lowest-power Bluetooth LE SoC.

Lowest-Power Bluetooth LE Architecture

The BG2B uses a dual-output DC-DC power architecture together with a multi-core design to improve efficiency across active, receive and sleep modes. Silicon Labs says the lower power consumption is intended to extend battery life in products such as wireless sensors, asset tags, electronic shelf labels, smart locks, remotes and wearable devices.

Bluetooth 6 Channel Sounding and Integrated Peripherals

The BG2B supports Bluetooth Channel Sounding, including Mode 3, Normalised Attack Detector Metric (NADM) and Inline Phase Correction Term (Inline PCT). The device has been designed to support Apple and Google Bluetooth Channel Sounding specifications.

Alongside Bluetooth LE, the SoC integrates CAN-FD, allowing wireless diagnostics and monitoring applications without requiring a separate Bluetooth bridge device. Other integrated peripherals include dual 12-bit ADCs, LED boost and four-channel LED sink drivers, Variable Resistive Load (VRL) for battery health estimation, expanded memory and a range of communication peripherals to reduce external component count.

Secure Vault High Security

The BG2B incorporates Silicon Labs' Secure Vault High security technology to protect firmware, cryptographic keys and device identity. The device is designed to support PSA Level 3 compliance and future security requirements including the European Union Cyber Resilience Act.

BG2B SoCs are currently available through Silicon Labs' early customer engagement programme, with initial production hardware, including modules, planned for 2027.

Learn more and read the original announcement at the Silicon Labs website.

Technology Overview

Bluetooth Channel Sounding is a Bluetooth 6 feature that enables precise distance measurement between connected devices. It supports applications including secure ranging, proximity detection and location-aware wireless systems while maintaining compatibility with Bluetooth Low Energy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Bluetooth Channel Sounding?

Bluetooth Channel Sounding is a Bluetooth 6 feature that measures the distance between connected devices using radio signals. It enables applications such as secure ranging, digital keys, asset tracking and location-aware wireless devices.

Why does the BG2B integrate CAN-FD?

The integrated CAN-FD interface allows the BG2B to add Bluetooth connectivity to CAN-based systems without requiring a separate bridge device. This can reduce PCB area, component count and overall system cost in applications such as vehicle diagnostics and industrial monitoring.

What makes the BG2B different from previous Silicon Labs Bluetooth SoCs?

According to Silicon Labs, the BG2B is its lowest-power Bluetooth LE SoC to date, offering lower MCU active current, lower Bluetooth receive current and 1.1 µA EM2 sleep current with RAM retention. It also adds Bluetooth 6 Channel Sounding, Secure Vault High security and integrated CAN-FD.