To address the significant power-consumption challenges of conventional and AI computing at the edge, Ambiq released the Apollo330 Plus system-on-chip (SoC) series. It offers a rich set of peripherals and connectivity options to drive always-on and real-time AI at the edge.
Consisting of the base Apollo330 Plus, the Apollo330B Plus, and the Apollo330M Plus, the series offers features such as a 250-MHz Arm Cortex-M55 application processor with turboSPOT and Arm Helium technology. Also included are a 48/96-MHz Arm Cortex-M4F network processor and multi-protocol radio (in wireless product options), and ultra-low-power digital microphone PDM for always-on voice.
With multiple package and connectivity options such as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Matter, and Thread for diverse edge devices, the series enables over 16X faster performance and lower latency, and 30X better AI energy efficiency than similar solutions based on previous-generation Cortex-M processors.
Purpose-built to enable always-on and real-time AI inferencing on devices, the Apollo330 Plus series leverages Ambiq’s proprietary subthreshold power optimized technology (SPOT) platform as well as the Arm Cortex-M55 processor with Arm Helium technology for AI acceleration. The SoCs process up to 8 MACs per cycle. The series includes 2 MB of on-chip system RAM, 2 MB of embedded non-volatile memory, a 32-kB I-cache, a 32-kB D-cache on a wide bus, and a multi-protocol radio.
The Apollo330 Plus base model without wireless connectivity helps developers easily create sophisticated sensor-based applications. The Apollo330B Plus extends upon the Apollo330 Plus with BLE support, and the Apollo330M Plus also adds multi-protocol radio support for IEEE 802.15.4, Thread, and Matter, enabling low-power interoperability mesh networking.
A streamlined multicore architecture offers a powerful application processor and a dedicated network co-processor. The design simplifies development while delivering multi-protocol radio performance with a signal strength of up to +14 dBm with enhanced radio sensitivity.
SecureSPOT 3.0 features based on Arm TrustZone technology ensure the integrity and confidentiality of data transmitted and processed by connected devices. Hardware-based security mechanisms, such as secure boot and secure firmware updates, provide robust protection against unauthorized access and malicious attacks.
