By Daniel Cooley, CTO and SVP of Technology and Product Development, Silicon Labs
All along the supply chain, collaboration and innovation are leading to notable advances in connectivity and efficiency, which are critical to the performance of the infrastructure around us. Several fundamental technology trends have brought wireless IoT to life in recent years. Chipsets have become faster and more power-efficient, opening them up to broader IoT applications. Meanwhile, semiconductor manufacturers and other suppliers have invested in the creation of development kits and boards, allowing end users to quickly and easily integrate these new technologies into their projects.
There have also been some exciting developments in wireless communication protocols. Take Matter, for example. This open-source, IP-based smart home protocol uses existing technologies, including Bluetooth Low Energy for device setup and Wi-Fi, Thread, and Ethernet for seamlessly connecting devices from different companies. With a unified specification, Matter provides new levels of interoperability, compatibility, and scalability for IoT – providing a better user experience for all.
Matter is exciting because it encourages collaboration. Just recently, for example, Silicon Labs partnered with open-source hardware and software provider Arduino to better enable the development of Matter over Thread applications for Arduino’s 33 million-strong developer community.
By combining Silicon Labs’ wireless capabilities with Arduino’s microcontrollers, we can enhance the IoT ecosystem for both hobbyists and professionals, help foster innovation and expand IoT applications further still. This partnership is about making IoT development as user-friendly and expedient as possible.
But where next? While wireless IoT has come a long way from being a futuristic concept to becoming an integral part of our daily lives and industries, the development we have seen to date represents only the first steps on a longer journey of evolution. As the number of connected devices increases, the landscape for IoT and wireless communication is set to undergo significant advancements in the near term.
Let’s look at where those advances might take us, with a particular focus on integrating Cloud and Edge computing and its transformative potential. These are personal perspectives, of course, but these developments could crystallise around several notable technologies and trends.
These include:
1. The descent of Cloud
One of the critical expectations is the descent of Cloud capabilities into embedded applications. If you think about how your laptop is built today to connect to the Internet in a highly assisted way, then future products in the embedded space are likely to be configured in the same way. And as the Cloud comes down, you’ll see a kind of stratification of compute. People will want to preserve and maximise the computing capabilities of far-end devices.
They will want to limit the data they send over the network, as bandwidth is precious and expensive. So, we will see as much compute as possible situated at the farthest Edge. The Cloud is going to descend, and memory processing, sensing, machine learning, security, all of these things are
2. Evolution and integration of core technologies
Alongside this shift, there will be changes in the core technologies within embedded products. At the moment, microcontroller units and wireless chips are separate components. But increasingly, we see them merge into a single wireless MCU. This integration will drive a new wave of efficiency, performance, and capabilities in
embedded systems. The economic benefits such as simplified code management, enhanced security, and reduced PCB footprint are among the reasons driving this trend. So, if you’re a chip buyer, I recommend that you start looking out for those roadmaps from the chip suppliers.
3. Rethinking wireless standards
There will also be a need to rethink wireless standards to accommodate the ever-growing demands of IoT. Technologies like Wi-Fi, initially designed for content delivery, are evolving to prioritise critical data over entertainment. For example, the new Wi-Fi 7 standard will offer features that better support IoT applications, such as prioritising data from smart home devices such as smoke detectors over streaming services. There will be a rethinking of the wireless standards, how the ISM bands are used, and many other considerations as the Internet shifts away from people and into things.
4. IoT as the nervous system of an AI-based economy
Looking further ahead – probably as far as 50 years – there is a belief that the IoT will become the nervous system of an AI-driven economy. Currently, much of our infrastructure is people-based; it is serving up data for Facebook, TikTok, or whatever social media you consume. But changes are coming. Data centres and Internet infrastructure will shift away from serving human-driven activities to supporting trillions – yes, trillions – of connected electronic devices. These ‘things’ will far outnumber people. Ultimately, this transformation will necessitate a rethinking of Internet infrastructure, focusing on non-human electronic devices rather than human-centric applications like social media.
In conclusion: an exciting future ahead
To conclude, it is clear that the integration of Cloud and Edge computing will herald a new era for IoT and wireless communication, driven by engineers’ skills and knowledge. By bringing more intelligence to the Edge and optimising the use of network resources, the electronics industry can help unlock unprecedented levels of innovation and efficiency.
Meanwhile, continuously refining wireless standards and protocols will smooth collaboration and enhance performance. Silicon Labs believes connected devices will become smarter, more efficient, and more integral to our everyday lives.
This article originally appeared in the May’25 magazine issue of Electronic Specifier Design – see ES’s Magazine Archives for more featured publications.
