Google Launches Pigweed SDK with Raspberry Pi Pico 2, RP2350 Support
"The Pigweed SDK aims to be the best way to develop for the Pico family of devices," Google's Amit Uttamchandan and Keir Mierle say.
Google has announced the release of the Pigweed Software Development Kit (SDK), a "modern embedded development suite" for 32-bit microcontrollers — and has unveiled a collaboration with Raspberry Pi to support the new Raspberry Pi Pico 2 and its unusual dual-architecture quad-core RP2350 microcontroller.
"Today, we introduce the first developer preview of the Pigweed SDK, making it even easier to leverage Pigweed's libraries to develop, debug, test, and deploy embedded C++ applications," Google's Amit Uttamchandan and Keir Mierle write of the launch. "Using the included sample applications and comprehensive tutorial, you can easily get started prototyping simple programs and build up to more complex applications that leverage advanced Pigweed functionalities."
Google released the Pigweed library collection back in March 2020, promising a collection of open source "modules" that would "enable faster and more reliable development on 32-bit microcontrollers" — though, at the time, it was marked as being a very early-stage project not suited for production use. Since then, google and others have shipped millions of devices using Pigweed libraries — including the Pixel family of smartphones and tablets, Nest smart thermostats, and even DeepMind robotic systems and autonomous aerial drones.
The new software development kit, which makes use of the Bazel build and test system, launches with support for the new Raspberry Pi RP2350. "We've worked closely with the Raspberry Pi team to not only provide a great experience on Pigweed," Uttamchandan and Mierle say, "but also upstreamed a new Bazel-based build system for Raspberry Pi's own Pico SDK. The Pigweed SDK aims to be the best way to develop for the Pico family of devices."
"We love [Pigweed] because it helps programmers and teams of developers build great software for embedded devices that use microcontrollers like our new RP2350 and its predecessor, RP2040," says Raspberry Pi's Chris Boross. "We are also partial to funny product names around here; we are thrilled that our Pico W has gone down in the community's vernacular as 'pie cow.'"
Those looking to get started with Pigweed on a Raspberry Pi Pico or Pico 2, or any other RP2040- or RP2350-powered microcontroller board, can find a tutorial for the project's exemplar "Sense" project in the official documentation; the project maintainers warn, however, that compatibility with the radio-equipped Raspberry Pi Pico W is "untested."