Promise of up to 90% energy savings set to be realized as Nanopower starts shipping evaluation kits for nPZero power-saving IC

• nPZero IC to revolutionize the market for battery-powered IoT devices, performing always-on monitoring and control of sensors with host microcontroller switched off
• Availability of evaluation kits marks an important milestone for Nanopower in its plan for chips based on innovative mixed-signal subthreshold technology to enable high-volume IoT markets

NUREMBERG, Germany, March 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Norwegian fabless semiconductor manufacturer Nanopower Semiconductor AS has announced the availability of the first evaluation kit to support its breakthrough nPZero product, a power-saving IC which reduces the energy consumption of battery-powered applications by up to 90%.

The kit demonstrates the full feature set and capabilities of the nPZero chip. With the kit, developers can easily configure the nPZero IC to autonomously power up sensor peripherals, read data, and wake up the system as needed. In normal operation, the ultra-low power nPZero IC powers down a microcontroller host, takes over the controller role, and autonomously handles power-up, configuration, and reading of data from up to four sensors or other peripherals.

The nPZero will power up the host and return control to the host when triggered by user-defined rules. This allows the host to remain off for long periods while the system continues to detect and respond to events. As a result, typical battery-powered, wireless IoT systems can reduce total power consumption by as much as 90%.

The availability of the nPZero Evaluation Kit enables OEMs for the first time to assess the performance of the nPZero power-saving IC in their application. Shipments of the kit to partners and to fulfil online pre-orders begin later in March. From April, Nanopower will accept pre-orders. The kit is expected to be generally available for shipping by the end of Q2 2025.

The kit is a full-featured, easy-to-use platform for working with the nPZero IC. It consists of a main evaluation board with headers for attaching a microcontroller host board in Arduino format. To make it easy to start using the kit, Nanopower supplies it with an MCU board featuring a low-power STMicroelectronics STM32L053C8.

The evaluation board also includes PMOD headers for connecting up to four sensor boards. Developers can use any PMOD sensor board that has either an I²C or SPI interface. To aid fast system evaluation, Nanopower supplies an ams OSRAM AS6212 temperature sensor board and STMicroelectronics LIS2DW12 accelerometer board with the kit.

For configuration and programming of the kit's main board, Nanopower provides full access to the nPZero Configurator development tool. The nPZero Configurator enables the developer to adjust settings through an intuitive graphical user interface, without needing to manually write code. Once setup is complete, the nPZero Configurator will automatically generate the necessary code for the API. This makes the entire setup process faster, more efficient, and user-friendly.

Nanopower CEO Tore Irgens Kuhnle said: 'The release of the first evaluation kit for the nPZero IC is a transformative moment for our company. Now our customers can start working with the IC, and experience first-hand how Nanopower can help them lower power consumption, enabling them to create new and exciting products.'

The nPZero Evaluation Kit is priced at $99.

Nanopower at Embedded World

Nanopower is showing two demonstration designs based on its nPZero power-saving IC on its stand 4-460 at Embedded World (Nuremberg, Germany, 11-13 March 2025):

• An energy harvesting demonstration design, developed jointly with TDK, features the nPZero power saving IC continuously controlling environmental sensors including the TDK CH201 time-of-flight sensor. The system is powered by TDK CeraCharge solid-state batteries energized by Epishine indoor photovoltaic cells.
• A demonstration of the nPZero Configurator tool for configuring an nPZero IC linked to a Nordic Semiconductor nRF54 wireless microcontroller-based system. Visitors can view the simple process for making configuration changes on the fly, and see how the changes immediately affect system operation and power consumption.

About Nanopower

Nanopower was founded based on the invention of the low-power nPZero technology in 2017. In 2019, it started the development of a dedicated IC to create a scalable solution that would have a real impact. Its first prototype and system were taped out in 2020 and 2021, proving both functionality and low power capabilities. The first samples of the nPZero IC ship to customers in 2025.

Nanopower Semiconductor AS is a limited liability company incorporated in Norway, with operations and offices in Kristiansand, Norway, and Porto, Portugal. 

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SOURCE Nanopower