Swiss firm U-Blox has announced the Nora-B1 Bluetooth module, the latest member of its short-range radio portfolio.

Based on Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF5340 Bluetooth low energy chipset – the first to host an Arm Cortex M33 dual core MCU – Nora-B1 is designed to meet the needs of performance-oriented applications in areas such as industrial, medical, smart building and smart city markets.

Using the chipset’s dual core MCU, the module can handle performance-oriented applications and even drive a display without requiring an external host processer. With one low-power-optimised core dedicated to managing network connectivity and a second high-performance core exclusively running the device application, it enables smooth and uninterrupted operation with low processing latency.

Arm TrustZone offers security, enabling a trusted execution environment by separating secure and non-secure flash, RAM, peripherals and GPIOs. The module also comes with the Arm CryptoCell-312, which provides hardware-accelerated cryptography and, in combination with the key management unit, enables a root of trust and secure key storage.

“Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF5340 chipset brings Bluetooth-enabled connectivity to a new, more demanding class of applications, not only in terms of computing power but also in terms of security,” said Pelle Svensson, senior product marketing manager at U-Blox. “We designed the Nora-B1 to make it easy for product developers to tap into the opportunities it offers.”

Compact, qualified and globally certified, the module brings Bluetooth 5.2 to wireless applications, while also supporting Zigbee and Thread. LE audio, which can concurrently stream multiple channels with lower power consumption than existing technology, brings an upgrade to audio data transmission, one of Bluetooth’s most popular use cases.

The combination of the dual-core MCU, enhanced security and Bluetooth 5.2 make the module a natural fit for a wide range of wireless applications. These include industrial machine control, asset tracking, remote controls and gateways, connected power tools requiring continuous motor control, and medical wearables with security requirements.

The new Nora footprint, which measures 10.4 by 14.3 by 1.8mm, provides ease of routing with reduced host board complexity, resulting in cost savings for the end user. It will be available in several antenna variants, including a compact PCB antenna.

Qualified for a temperature range up to +105˚C, it can operate reliably in harsh environments that are common in industrial settings as well as in smart indoor and outdoor lighting.

“U-Blox has succeeded in offering a high-quality integration of our latest nRF5340 chipset into their Nora-B1 module series, leveraging its dual-core MCU to boost performance capabilities and utilising its assets to deliver enhanced security,” said Alf Helge Omre, business development manager at Nordic Semiconductor. “We are pleased to see U-Blox bring a broad Bluetooth portfolio largely featuring the Nordic Semiconductor offering to the market.”

Samples will be available before the end of the year.

U-Blox is headquartered in Thalwil, Switzerland, and has offices in Europe, Asia and the USA.