STMicroelectronics and Qualcomm Partner on Products Targeting the IoT, AI at the Edge

STMicroelectronics has announced a partnership with Qualcomm Technologies that will see the former's STM32 microcontroller ecosystem offered with the latter's wireless connectivity technology, as a means of boosting both in the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) sectors.

"Wireless connectivity is key to the fast pervasion of edge AI [Artificial Intelligence] across an ever-growing variety of use cases in enterprise, industrial and personal applications. This is why we are establishing a strategic collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies on wireless connectivity today, starting with Wi-Fi/BT [Bluetooth]/Thread combo SoC [System-on-Chip], and already considering next steps, complementing our existing multi-protocol Bluetooth Low Energy, Zigbee, Thread and sub-GHz products portfolio," says STMicro's Remi El-Ouzzane of the partnership. "We envision wireless connectivity products based on technology from Qualcomm Technologies augmenting any of our STM32 products, bringing significant value to our more than 100,000 STM32 customers globally."

"Qualcomm Technologies' research and development leadership has helped drive the evolution of wireless IoT, ranging from pioneering 4G/5G, to high performance Wi-Fi, to micropower connectivity solutions. Our collaboration with STMicroelectronics pairs Qualcomm Technologies' best-in-class connectivity offerings with ST's leading STM32 microcontroller ecosystem and will help drive a significant acceleration of feature-rich capabilities across the IoT," adds Qualcomm's Rahul Patel. "Together, we are setting new developer experiences for IoT applications, supporting seamless integration and optimal performance for developers and end-users alike."

The partnership between the two companies will begin with the launch of a system-on-chip that integrates Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Thread-compatible IEEE 802.15.4 radios, with STMicro promising "seamless connectivity software integration." This will be followed by self-contained modules based on a Qualcomm Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/Thread system-on-chip, designed to offer system-level integration with any STM32 microcontroller. These, the companies say, will be available in the first quarter of 2025 to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), "with broader availability to follow" — and the roadmap extends to planned cellular parts after that.

Neither Qualcomm nor STMicro had disclosed pricing or firm specifications for the new parts at the time of writing.