This strategic alliance brings together the best of secure, intelligent wireless technology and open-source hardware and software, promising to set new standards in IoT development efficiency and accessibility.
Silicon Labs has announced a strategic partnership with Arduino, this collaboration aims to empower Arduino’s vast community of 33 million developers by facilitating the seamless development of Matter over Thread applications, marking a significant milestone in IoT (Internet of Things) innovation. For the first time, Arduino will offer Matter software libraries, developed in collaboration with Silicon Labs. These libraries are now available on the xG24 Explorer Kit from Silicon Labs and the SparkFun Thing Plus Matter – MGM240P development board, which is based on the xG24. Rob Shane, Vice President of Mass Market Sales and Applications at Silicon Labs, highlighted the synergy between the two companies, noting that this collaboration combines the ease of use and the powerful development environment of Arduino with the advanced security, energy efficiency, and processing power of Silicon Labs-based hardware.
The partnership also unveils a treasure trove of resources for developers, including code samples, reference designs, and documentation, all accessible on the Arduino Core for Silicon Labs Devices GitHub page. This initiative is poised to accelerate Matter development for Silicon Labs developers, lowering the barriers to entry and making it easier than ever to create Matter devices. Arduino’s ecosystem, known for its hardware products, software solutions, and cloud services, thrives on its open-source nature and the active participation of its community. Fabio Violante, CEO of Arduino, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, emphasizing its role in democratizing Matter application development and fostering innovation in the IoT landscape.
The collaboration has already shown promising results, with Silicon Labs engineers able to commission new Matter devices within two minutes during internal testing. This efficiency represents a breakthrough in making Matter development more accessible and faster. Looking ahead, the partnership will enter its second phase, focusing on introducing new hardware to the market. A new development board, an addition to the Arduino Nano family, is in the works. This board will incorporate the MGM240 Module from Silicon Labs, featuring the MG24 SoC, and will support Matter, Thread, and Bluetooth® protocols, boasting advanced security and energy efficiency.
This partnership aligns with Silicon Labs’ goal of simplifying IoT development, highlighting the company’s commitment to evolving its development tools. The upcoming release of Simplicity Studio 6 will further enable developers to work within their preferred IDEs, streamlining the development process in the ever-growing IoT sector.
