Silicon Labs Unveils BG29: The Future of Bluetooth® LE in Miniature Devices
Rhea-AI Summary
Silicon Labs (SLAB) has unveiled its new Series 2 BG29 family of wireless SoCs, designed for ultra-small Bluetooth Low Energy devices. The BG29 features expanded memory with 1 MB Flash and 256 kB RAM, while maintaining ultra-low power consumption.
Available in QFN and WLCSP packages, the BG29 is specifically engineered for connected health devices, asset trackers, and battery-powered sensors. Key features include:
- DCDC boost for wide voltage range support
- Coulomb counter for accurate battery monitoring
- Silicon Labs Secure Vault™ High with PSA Level 3 protection
The BG29 targets applications like blood glucose monitors, insulin delivery patches, disposable CGMs, smart tooth implants, pulse oximeters, and heart rate monitors. The product is expected to be generally available in Q3 2025.
Positive
- New product launch expands addressable market in healthcare devices
- Advanced security features protect against software and hardware attacks
- Integrated DCDC Boost enables single-cell battery operation
- Large memory capacity (1MB Flash, 256kB RAM) enables advanced applications
Negative
- Product not available until Q3 2025, potentially lagging competitors
Insights
Silicon Labs' new BG29 SoC family represents a significant advancement in Bluetooth Low Energy technology specifically engineered for space-constrained applications. The technical specifications are impressive - 1MB Flash and 256kB RAM in ultra-small form factors - addressing a critical limitation in miniature connected devices.
What makes BG29 particularly noteworthy is its comprehensive feature integration. The DCDC boost for wide voltage range compatibility enables single-cell battery designs, eliminating the need for additional power management circuitry and reducing board space requirements. Similarly, the built-in Coulomb counter for battery monitoring eliminates another discrete component typically needed in portable designs.
From a competitive standpoint, Silicon Labs has effectively created a differentiated offering by combining high memory capacity with ultra-low power in these form factors. This positions them advantageously against other wireless SoC providers who typically force trade-offs between size, performance, and power consumption. The PSA Level 3 capable security suite is particularly valuable for regulated medical applications where data protection requirements are stringent.
The Q3 2025 availability timeline indicates the product is approaching production readiness, limiting execution risk. While no specific design wins were announced, the product's technical merits address clear market needs in multiple growing segments including healthcare, industrial IoT, and consumer wearables.
The BG29 launch directly addresses several critical constraints in connected medical device development. Miniaturization without compromising functionality remains one of the biggest challenges for next-generation healthcare products like CGMs, smart insulin delivery systems, and implantable monitors. By providing expanded memory in these compact form factors, Silicon Labs enables more sophisticated on-device algorithms and data processing capabilities essential for modern healthcare applications.
The WLCSP package option is particularly relevant for disposable medical sensors and patches where size is paramount. Meanwhile, the security implementation meeting PSA Level 3 standards addresses a important regulatory requirement for connected medical devices under increasing cybersecurity scrutiny from the FDA and other global regulators.
For healthcare device manufacturers, the integrated power management and precise battery monitoring capabilities solve critical challenges in developing reliable medical wearables. Patient safety demands accurate battery level reporting to prevent unexpected device failures during critical monitoring or treatment.
While Silicon Labs faces competition from other semiconductor providers targeting healthcare, this comprehensive feature set in such small form factors potentially gives them a competitive edge in the rapidly growing connected health market. The timing aligns well with accelerating adoption of remote patient monitoring, home healthcare solutions, and miniaturized diagnostic tools. Device manufacturers will likely find the BG29's combination of size, performance, and security compelling for next-generation medical product development.
Ultra-small BG29 with expanded memory and ultra-low power is ideal for Connected Health devices
The BG29 is available in compact quad flat no-lead (QFN) and wafer-level chip scale packages (WLCSP), featuring substantial memory with significant RAM and Flash capacities. These extended memory resources enable advanced applications such as real-time data processing, complex algorithm execution, and high-speed communication protocols.
It features a DCDC boost for wide voltage range support, a Coulomb counter for accurate battery monitoring, and Silicon Labs Secure Vault™ High designed for PSA Level 3 to protect sensitive data.
Meeting The Evolving Needs of Connected Healthcare and Medical Devices
Smart medical devices are transforming healthcare globally, but miniaturization—building smaller connected devices without sacrificing performance or power—remains a key development obstacle. The BG29 represents a significant breakthrough. It integrates high-performance wireless, long battery life, large memory capacity, and multi-connection support in even the smallest devices, like blood glucose monitors, where it was previously extremely challenging.
"With the BG29, developers don't have to settle," said Jacob Alamat, senior vice president for the Home and Life business unit at Silicon Labs. "We're combining high connectivity and performance with small size and exceptional security – empowering device makers to break records in tiny connectivity."
BG29 Pushes Envelope of What's Possible in Tiny Devices
The new BG29 family of SoCs is equipped with key features such as:
- Compact Footprint: With a compact size, the BG29 is available in both WLCSP and QFN packages delivering industry-leading connectivity for a wide range of wireless devices like connected health, asset trackers, and building automation. The WLCSP can be used for tiny devices like battery powered sensors, insulin delivery patches, disposable continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and other one-time use applications, and smart tooth implants. Meanwhile, the QFN package is ideal for non-size constrained device types such as pulse oximeters, access control, industrial automation and heart rate monitors.
- High Memory and Compute with Ultra-Low Power: With 1 MB Flash and 256 kB RAM, BG29 delivers superior performance and processing capabilities for advanced, demanding applications while ensuring low power consumption. The large memory keeps data tracking going even during long smartphone connection breaks. The BG29 enables Bluetooth LE for IoT devices such as portable medical devices, wearables, smart home sensors, asset trackers, and more.
- Integrated DCDC Boost and Coulomb Counter: The integrated DCDC Boost on BG29 provides IoT device makers a wide voltage range, enabling single-cell alkaline, Silver-Oxide, and button cells and reducing the device's form factor. The integrated Coulomb Counter enables accurate battery level monitoring on portable medical devices to avoid battery depletion during critical health application usage and enhance the user experience of other wearables and devices.
- Industry-Leading Security: Secure Vault High with Virtual Secure Engine provides robust security capabilities protecting the device against scalable local and remote software and hardware attacks by providing advanced encryption, secure key management, and authentication.
The BG29 family of devices is expected to become generally available in Q3 of this year.
Learn More About Silicon Labs Low-Power Bluetooth LE Solutions
The BG29 packs more power into a tinier SoC to help device makers build secure, reliable designs to improve lives and patient outcomes. To learn more about Silicon Labs Low-Power Bluetooth devices and how customers are using Silicon Labs to advance Connected Health, visit:
- Blog: Silicon Labs BG29 Bluetooth LE SoC Packs More Compute and Security for the Smallest of Medical and Health Devices
- Learn more about BG29
- Case Study: Powering Lura Health's Tooth-Mounted Salivary Health Monitor
About Silicon Labs
Silicon Labs (NASDAQ: SLAB) is the leading innovator in low-power wireless connectivity, building embedded technology that connects devices and improves lives. Merging cutting-edge technology into the world's most highly integrated SoCs, Silicon Labs provides device makers with the solutions, support, and ecosystems needed to create advanced edge connectivity applications. Headquartered in
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SOURCE Silicon Labs
FAQ
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