Nordic Introduces nRF71 Wi-Fi 6/6E SoCs with 20× Lower Standby Power

Nordic Semiconductor has announced the nRF71 Series of ultra-low-power system-on-chips (SoCs), bringing together Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Low Energy (LE), Thread and Edge AI onto a single chip.

Built on Nordic's existing low-power design, software and tools, the nRF71 Series delivers up to 20 times lower standby power usage than current-generation nRF70 Series Wi-Fi products.

The new series is designed for battery-powered Wi-Fi devices in applications such as smart home, wearables and industrial IoT.

Battery-Powered Wi-Fi for Smart Home and Industrial IoT

With the nRF71 Series, battery-powered smart home hub, Matter bridge or Thread border router designs can run Wi-Fi, Thread and Bluetooth LE on a single chip, as can Matter-enabled smart locks, security panels, wearables and industrial sensors.

Two independent radios with separate RF and processing blocks make this possible: a Wi-Fi radio and Nordic's 2.4 GHz multiprotocol radio from the latest generation nRF54 Series wireless SoCs. Both radios receive simultaneously, allowing devices to maintain their Wi-Fi connection to the cloud while listening for Bluetooth LE or Thread traffic, without either protocol waiting for the other.

The first nRF71 Series SoCs are the nRF7120 and nRF7120E. The nRF7120 offers dual-band Wi-Fi 6, while the nRF7120E adds tri-band Wi-Fi 6E and the Axon Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for hardware-accelerated Edge AI. Both parts come with 4 MB of on-chip non-volatile memory and 1 MB of user-accessible RAM.

Edge AI on a Single Chip

AI inference can run directly on the nRF7120E, with no external AI processor required. Keyword spotting, anomaly detection and image classification are supported by its integrated Axon NPU, which runs machine-learning models 10 to 17 times faster than the 256 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 processor alone, according to Nordic.

The nRF71 Series can also run ultra-small AI models that developers build from their own data with Nordic's Neuton software, using the processor alone.

From its Axon NPU and Neuton software to over-the-air model updates with nRF Cloud, Nordic is bringing Edge AI to battery-powered Wi-Fi devices, with the application, wireless connectivity and AI running on a single chip.

The nRF71 Series is now sampling with selected customers. Nordic will showcase the new devices, including a Nordic-branded module, at electronica 2026 in Munich.

Learn more and read the original announcement at nordicsemi.com.

Technology Overview

The Nordic Semiconductor nRF71 Series comprises the nRF7120 and nRF7120E ultra-low-power wireless SoCs for battery-powered IoT devices. Both combine Wi-Fi, Bluetooth LE and Thread connectivity, with two independent radios capable of simultaneous reception. The nRF7120 supports dual-band Wi-Fi 6, while the nRF7120E adds tri-band Wi-Fi 6E and an Axon Neural Processing Unit for Edge AI. Both devices include 4 MB of non-volatile memory and 1 MB of RAM. Nordic reports up to 20 times lower standby power consumption compared with its nRF70 Series Wi-Fi products.

FAQs

What is the difference between the Nordic nRF7120 and nRF7120E?

The nRF7120 supports dual-band Wi-Fi 6, while the nRF7120E adds tri-band Wi-Fi 6E and an integrated Axon NPU for hardware-accelerated Edge AI. Both devices support Bluetooth LE and Thread.

Can the nRF71 Series use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE or Thread simultaneously?

Yes. The nRF71 Series has two independent radios with separate RF and processing blocks. Both radios can receive simultaneously, allowing devices to maintain a Wi-Fi connection while listening for Bluetooth LE or Thread traffic.

How does the nRF71 Series improve power consumption and Edge AI performance?

Nordic reports up to 20 times lower standby power consumption compared with the nRF70 Series. The Axon NPU in the nRF7120E can also run machine-learning models 10 to 17 times faster than its 256 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 processor alone, according to Nordic.