Ceva has recently unveiled the Ceva-Waves Links200 multi-protocol platform IP with support for Bluetooth LE High Data Throughput (HDT) technology up to 7.5 Mbps and IEEE 802.15.4 for Zigbee, Thread, and Matter designed for TSMC’s low-power 12nm process.
Released in 2016, Bluetooth 5 upgraded Low Energy implementation with four times the range and twice the speed of Bluetooth 4.0 LE transmission which meant up to 2 Mbps over BLE, and even the latest Bluetooth 6.0 specification does not change that. There’s just a new LE 2M 2BT physical layer for Bluetooth Channel Sounding. So I was intrigued when the press release of the Links200 further read:
Addressing the rising market demand for faster, more efficient Bluetooth connectivity, particularly for low-power audio and latency-sensitive IoT applications, the breakthrough High Data Throughput mode more than doubles the speed of traditional Bluetooth, delivering a data rate of up to 7.5 Mbps. For this higher speed, Links200 employs innovative HDT modulation schemes in conjunction with Ceva’s state-of-the-art radio on TSMC’s 12nm FinFET process to satisfy the stringent performance demands in a low power solution
The higher bandwidth will be useful for lossless, multi-channel, low-latency audio streaming on devices such as TWS earbuds, headsets, smartwatches, smart speakers, TV wireless speakers, gaming peripherals, and car audio systems. For example, 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound systems will be prime candidates for Bluetooth HDT.
There’s little mention of Bluetooth LE HDT or High Data Throughput on the Bluetooth website except there are plans to support up to 8Mbps data transfer. A presentation by Rohde & Schwarz Taiwan contains a slide about the evolution of Bluetooth over the years, and LE HDT (LE High Data Throughput) is shown along with LE HL (LE Hyper Length), and after that LE HD (LE High-band).
Based on the chart above, I’d assume Bluetooth LE HDT might become part of the Bluetooth 6.1 specification that should be released later this year.
Other highlights of the Ceva-waves Links200 include:
- RISC-V CPU
- Full Bluetooth dual mode (Classic and LE) support
- IEEE 802.15.4 support, for Zigbee, Thread, and Matter
- Includes RF, modem, controller, software stacks, and profiles.
- Audio Support – Classic Audio, LE Audio, and Auracast Broadcast Audio.
- Ranging – Bluetooth Channel Sounding for precise and secure ranging.
- Process – TSMC 12nm FFC+ process for advanced smart audio and Smart Edge AI SoCs.
- “best-in-class” power consumption, die size, and performance, with an RF architecture requiring minimal external components for a low bill of materials.
- Customizable via integration with Ceva’s sensing and inference IPs such as Ceva-NeuPro-Nano NPU, and Ceva-RealSpace Spatial Audio.
A few more details may be found on the product page.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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