Mauna Kea Semiconductors launches breakthrough low power ultra-wideband product  

Mauna Kea Semiconductors (MKSemi), a leading low power ultra-wideband company have designed and launched a new product, the MK8000 system on a chip.
6 January 2022
  • Mauna Kea Semiconductors (MKSemi) have designed and launched a new ultra-wideband product, the MK8000 system on a chip.
  • The MK8000 SoC is the world’s lowest power, highest integrated chip solution, and is currently the best solution that empowers IoT devices with the smallest batteries and size for high-precision sensing
  • MKSemi also announces partnership with Infineon Technologies and ThinkSeed Systems, bringing together an impressive group of like-minded companies.

Ultra-wideband is a short-range, wireless communication protocol that operates through radio waves. Unlike Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, the ultra-wideband operates at very high frequencies, which is often used to source highly accurate spatial and directional data.

The technology is already available on several devices, including mobile phones. In fact, Apple and Samsung’s newer phone models as well as several Chinese-made phone models now have ultra-wideband built into them, enabling new applications for both consumers and enterprises.

Market research firm ABI Research reveals that despite ultra-wideband being early in its ecosystem development, it is fast becoming a major short-range wireless technology. Ultra-wideband-enabled devices are forecasted to reach more than 1.3 billion shipments by 2026, growing from 143 million in 2020.

With ultra-wideband becoming mainstream, the demand for it has soared as well. As such, companies like Mauna Kea Semiconductors (MKSemi), a leading low power ultra-wideband company have designed and launched a new product, the MK8000 system on a chip (SoC).

The MK8000 SoC is the world’s lowest power, highest integrated chip solution, and is currently the best solution that empowers IoT devices with the smallest batteries and size for high-precision sensing. MK8000 also enables OEMs and ODMs to rapidly design, integrate and deploy complete location and direction-finding solutions.

Having closed a US$ 12.8 million funding led by Lightspeed China Partners with participation by marquee investors Qiming Venture and Ivy Capital, MKSemi has now also partnered with world-leading semiconductor solutions provider Infineon Technologies and industrial and automotive system integrator ThinkSeed Systems to enable secure ranging and location in IoT applications.

For Dr. Yifeng Zhang, Co-founder, and CEO of MKSemi, the funding close is a resounding validation of MKSemi’s vision, mission, and the tremendous traction gained as the leading low-power ultra-wideband company.

“We are grateful to our investors and partners for supporting and embracing our differentiator — the unparalleled ability to enable IoT devices with high-precision sensing. Already working closely with tier one smartphone OEMs, MK8000 also has wide-ranging potential to dramatically bolster consumer and industrial IoT applications such as smart homes, cities, automobiles, wearables, and health monitoring devices,” he added.

MK8000 ultra-wideband benefits and features

MKSemi’s new MK8000 ultra-wideband SoC with its high level of integration and computing power of the system-on-chip, allows customers to implement ultra-wideband ranging products with only a handful of external components, ensuring the smallest possible footprint and lowest power consumption. MKSemi’s low power ultra-wideband technology significantly extends the battery life of electronics and enables even the smallest wireless devices to have high precision ranging and location capability.

Features and benefits of the MK8000 include:

  • Ultra-Low power consumption – At 43mA@3V/RX the new SoC is 2X better in power consumption than anything else on the market.
  • Widest frequency band – Supports widest frequency band, making possible more applications and future-proofing next-generation applications
  • Highest level of integration – Chip’s highest level of integration lowers BOM cost and helps speed up deployment in the era of supply chain shortage.
  • Unique intelligent signal processor – Features a unique intelligent signal processor that improves computation efficiency 10xs and reduces power consumption significantly.

Meanwhile, MKSemi’s partnership with Infineon Technologies and ThinkSeed Systems brings together an impressive group of like-minded companies. By joining forces, the three companies will help accelerate the development of secure ranging and locations solutions for IoT applications.

MKSemi and Infineon Technologies will jointly develop a system design that incorporates the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) MCU from Infineon Technologies with the MK8000 SoC. ThinkSeed Systems will take the combined design to add application software and qualify it for industrial and automotive markets. Since Bluetooth LE and ultra-wideband coexist and complement each other, using the two technologies creates an enhanced solution for spatial awareness