Atmel and MXCHIP Collaborate to Bring Ultra-low Power Wi-Fi Platform With Secure Cloud Access for Internet of Things Applications

SAN JOSE, Calif., and SHANGHAI, China, May 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Atmel, a leader in microcontroller (MCU) and touch solutions, and MXCHIP, a top 10 China IoT start-up according to Techno, today announced the two companies are jointly developing an ultra-low power Internet of Things (IoT) platform with secure Wi-Fi access to the cloud, enabling designers to quickly bring their IoT devices to market. This joint platform combines Atmel's ultra-low power Atmel | SMART SAM G ARM® Cortex®-M4-based MCUs and its SmartConnect WILC1000 Wi-Fi solution with MXCHIP's MiCO IoT operating system (OS), servicing a full range of smart device developers for IoT applications.

With the rapid growth of the IoT market, these smart, connected devices will require secure access to the cloud on what will likely be billions of battery-operated devices. The new platform combines Atmel's proven ultra-low power SAM G series of MCUs, designed for wearables and sensor hub management, and Atmel's secure ultra-low power SmartConnect WILC1000 Wi-Fi solution with MXCHIP's leading MiCO IoT OS for next-generation IoT applications. This integrated platform gives IoT designers the confidence that their battery-operated devices will have longer battery life and their data will be securely transferred to the cloud.

Atmel's WILC1000 is an IEEE 802.11b/g/n IoT link controller leveraging its ultra-low power Wi-Fi transceiver with a fully integrated power amplifier. This solution delivers the industry's best communication range of up to +20.5dBm output, ideal for connected home devices. Integrated in packages as small as a 3.2mm x 3.2mm WLCSP, the Atmel WILC1000 link controller leverages in this platform Atmel's SAM G MCU, an ideal solution for low-power IoT applications and optimized for lower power consumption, incorporating large SRAM, high performance and operating efficiency with floating-point unit in an industry-leading 2.84mm x 2.84mm package. When combined with secure Wi-Fi technology, the joint IoT platform connects directly to each other or to a local area network (LAN), enabling remote system monitoring or control. For increased security, the platform comes with an optional Atmel ATECC508A—the industry's first crypto device to integrate ECDH key agreement, making it easy to add confidentiality to digital systems including IoT nodes used in home automation, industrial networking, accessory and consumable authentication, medical, mobile and other applications.

"We are excited to team with MXCHIP to bring secure cloud access to IoT developers with this ultra-low power and secure, connected platform," said Reza Kazerounian, Sr. Vice President and General Manager, Microcontroller Business Unit, Atmel Corporation. "In an effort to accelerate the growth of IoT devices, such as wearables and consumer battery-operated devices worldwide, this platform enables embedded designers to focus on their differentiated smart devices without requiring expertise on lowering power consumption, security and wireless connectivity. Our joint efforts will enable more designers of all levels to bring their smart, connected designs quickly to market."

"This collaboration combines synergies from both companies to IoT designers including Atmel's global presence with MXCHIP's local resources enabling IoT designers to smoothly implement cloud services for their smart, connected devices in China and around the world," said Wang Yong Hong, CEO, MXCHIP. "Our platform combines both ease-of-use and simplicity allowing IoT designers from all levels to access cloud services worldwide ranging from professional designers for smart, connected IoT devices to Makers, educators and hobbyists. We will also collaborate on a number of other fronts with Atmel including IoT research, promotions, and share our IoT knowledge on smart, secure and connected devices across multiple industries."

About Atmel | SMART SAM G Series of MCUs
Targeting the rapidly emerging Internet of Things (IoT) market for battery-operated devices including wearables such as fit bands and smart watches, sensor hub management, healthcare, gateways, bridges, audio devices and much more, the series delivers the right feature mix including higher performance, ultra-low power, smaller form factors and more SRAM. The series also includes an Atmel | SMART ARM Cortex-M4 MCU + FPU (floating point unit), integrated sensor fusion algorithms, down to 2.84mm x 2.84mm package, high-performance frequency of up to 120MHz, ultra-low power down to 102µA/MHz in active mode, and down to 5µs wake-up. The SAM G series products have optimized, efficient serial peripherals, including a 12-bit ADC, DMA and leverages Atmel's broad development tools, XPlained Pro platform and support base.

About Atmel SmartConnect WILC1000 Wi-Fi Solutions
Atmel SmartConnect Wi-Fi WILC1000 is a family of self-contained, low-power SoC and certified modules bringing wireless Internet connectivity to any embedded design. These integrated SoC and modules offer the ideal solutions for designers interested in integrating Wi-Fi connectivity to their embedded design. The WILC1000 is an IEEE 802.11 b/g/n IoT link controller SoC and brings Wi-Fi and network capabilities through UART, SDIO or SPI-to-Wi-Fi interface. Available in a QFN or WLCSP package, the WILC1000 features fully integrated power amplifier, LNA, switch and power management. The only external clock source required for the WILC1000 is a high-speed crystal or oscillator with a wide variety of reference clock frequencies supported (between 12 – 32 MHz).

About Atmel ATECC508A Crypto Element
The ATECC508A is the first crypto device to integrate ECDH key agreement, making it easy to add confidentiality to digital systems including IoT nodes used in home automation, industrial networking, accessory and consumable authentication, medical, mobile and other applications. The ATECC508A also includes the ECDSA sign-verify capabilities built-in to provide highly secure asymmetric authentication, making the device an ideal way to incorporate all three pillars of security including confidentiality, data integrity, and authentication into platforms with MCU or MPUs running encryption/decryption algorithms (i.e. AES) in software. The ATECC508A employs ultra-secure hardware-based cryptographic key storage and cryptographic countermeasures which are more secure than any hardware or software-based key storage, and is compatible with any MPU or MCU including Atmel | SMART and Atmel AVR MCUs or MPUs.

About MXCHIP MiCO IoT Operating System
MiCO (Micro-controller based Internet Connectivity Operating System) launched jointly by MXCHIP and Alibaba Smart Cloud in July 2014. The operating system runs on a 32-bit MCU with middleware for IoT equipment and smart hardware applications, featuring highly efficient, secure, stable, low power and upward compatible features that are certified for access services in more than 800 customers and one million products worldwide (such as Alibaba's Smart Cloud, Arrayent, WeChat Airkiss, Ayla, Haier U+, Homekit, Japan HEMS, Microsoft, Amazon, IBM, FogCloud). With MiCO OS, developers can simplify their development process in their smart hardware development, lowering overall software development and maintenance costs, as well as bringing products faster to market.

Availability
The joint platform will be available May 2015. To accelerate the IoT design process, the platform includes the MiCOKit-G55 development kit, technical documentation, application notes and a software development kit.

More Information

Atmel | SMART MCU family: http://www.atmel.com/products/microcontrollers/arm/default.aspx

Atmel picoPower technology: http://www.atmel.com/technologies/lowpower/default.aspx

Embedded Design Blog: www.atmelcorporation.wordpress.com

Atmel YouTube Channel at www.atmel.com/youtube 

Twitter: www.atmel.com/twitter

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Linked In: www.atmel.com/linkedin

About Atmel
Atmel Corporation (NASDAQ: ATML) is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of microcontrollers, capacitive touch solutions, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory and radio frequency (RF) components. Leveraging one of the industry's broadest intellectual property (IP) technology portfolios, Atmel is able to provide the electronics industry with intelligent and connected solutions focused on the industrial, automotive, consumer, communications and computing markets.

About MXCHIP
MXCHIP, incorporated in Shanghai, focused on providing IoT turn-key solutions for hardware manufacturers. The main service of MXCHIP  includes four aspects, such as embedded wireless modules, IoT Operating System MiCO, mobile application development, cloud algorithm supportas access to the third party public clouds and protocols etc. To date, MXCHIP has been implemented with Atmel's proven ultra-low power SAM G series of MCUs, helping clients to save time and cost on development, accelerating the development of intelligent hardware and mass production. More information available at: www.mxchip.com.

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Press Contacts:

Atmel Contact
Agnes Toan, Global Sr. Communications Manager
Tel: (+1) 408-487-2963, Email: [email protected]   

MXCHIP Contact
Sue Zhang, Marketing Manager
Tel: (+086) 135-8598-8097, Email: [email protected]

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