Please ensure that JavaScript is enabled in your browser to view this page.
Synaptics has announced new microcontrollers targeting on-device machine learning and artificial intelligence (ML and AI) workloads, even in battery-powered devices — along with new ultra-low-power connectivity chips to get the devices on the Internet of Things (IoT).
"We believe we are at an inflection point in edge AI where embedded developers have a unique opportunity to redefine human-machine interaction through multimodal processing and contextual awareness," says Synaptics' chief product officer and general manager for Internet of Things (IoT) processors Vikram Gupta.
"Unlocking this potential requires a new class of embedded compute silicon. The SR-series, as part of our Astra family, extends our edge AI processing roadmap and makes our proven human presence detection architecture broadly available. With intelligence optimized for various power levels, the SR-series is designed to enable the development of cognitive IoT devices that seamlessly adapt to their surroundings, from ultra-low-power always-on sensing to high-performance edge inference."
At launch, the SR-series is comprised of three models: the SR102, SR105, and SR110. All three feature a single Arm Cortex-M55 core running at up to 400MHz, featuring Arm's Helium extensions for accelerated performance when running AI and ML workloads; the SR105 adds an Arm Ethos-U55 neural coprocessor to further accelerate AI and ML performance; while the range-topping SR110 adds an Arm Cortex-M4 coprocessor on top of that.
The chip are available with up to 4MB of system memory, including always-on (AON) memory for low power modes, streaming vision and audio processing capabilities including a MIPI Camera Serial Interface (CSI) input and passthrough and low-power image signal processing (ISP) capabilities, and security hardware including a true random-number generator (TRNG) and accelerators for AES-256, RSA-4096, and SHA-512 operations.
For those looking to experiment with the chips, Synaptics has announced support for evaluation through the Astra Machina Micro — a more compact version of its Astra Machina Foundation family of systems-on-modules and carrier boards designed for earlier parts in its Astra chip family. The company also promises support through an open-source software development kit (SDK).
Alongside the new SR chips, Synaptics has also unveiled the Veros SYN461x range of "triple-combo" connectivity chips — supporting ultra-low-power Wi-Fi on 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands, Bluetooth 6.0 with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), and IEEE 802.15.4 implementations including Zigbee and Thread with support for the cross-vendor Matter smart home connectivity standard.
"The SYN461x family is a breakthrough addition to our Veros portfolio," boasts Vineet Ganju of the parts. "The SoCs [Systems-on-Chips] are our first in a series designed from the ground up for ULP [Ultra-Low Power] embedded edge AI IoT applications."
Both chip families are available to order from Synaptics now, and the Astra Machina Micro development kit is available in the channel at around $250, with more information available on the Synaptics website; the company will also be demonstrating the new parts at Embedded World this week, Hall 4A Booth 259.
Hackster.io, an Avnet Community © 2025
About The Author
More Stories
Local Infrastructure, Lower Costs: How Peering Is Moving the Needle on Internet Affordability
On Global Accessibility Awareness Day, An Internet for Everyone Must Include Everyone
An Open Fiber Data Standard to Make the Internet for Everyone