Powering India's Energy Future: Silicon Labs ships four million chips with Wirepas for Advanced Metering Initiative

Wirepas interoperable RF mesh with Silicon Labs FG23 SoC delivers 99.9% reliability

AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Silicon Labs (NASDAQ: SLAB), a global leader in secure, intelligent wireless technology, today announced that they have shipped four million FG23 SoCs for smart electricity meters as part of India's Advanced Metering Initiative (AMI).

These FG23 SoCs use RF mesh technology from Wirepas, a leader in wireless connectivity solutions. The availability and performance of the chip has driven the adoption of highly reliable and efficient smart electricity metering solutions tailored to the specific needs of India's dynamic and demanding power landscape.

"We are proud to support India's ambitious Advanced Metering Initiative with best-in-class performance for the modern smart metering demands of India's energy sector," said Ross Sabolcik, Senior Vice President of the Industrial and Commercial Business Unit at Silicon Labs. "The FG23 SoC with Wirepas RF mesh offers distinct advantages, particularly in large, dense environments."

Silicon Labs and Wirepas help keep the lights on in India

The FG23 SoC, incorporating Wirepas Mesh Sub-GHz connectivity, has become an ideal solution for AMI deployments due to its infinite scalability, ultra-low power consumption, and ultra-resilience. For example, the Wirepas network continuously adjusts to environmental changes, seamlessly optimizing data paths. Even after power outages, the network quickly restructures within minutes, reliably meeting utilities' strict requirements for data delivery. Its capability to meet the demanding communication and reliability requirements of India's smart metering landscape has enabled solution providers to successfully meet and exceed customer needs with a 99.9% proven reliability.

Compared to traditional mesh protocols, the Silicon Labs FG23 SoC with Wirepas RF mesh offers:

• Cost Efficiency: Streamlined operation with low overhead, reducing both capital and operational expenses throughout the deployment's lifecycle.
• Exceptional Reliability: Consistently achieves the 99.9% reliability required by utility providers, ensuring accurate meter data delivery to utility head-end systems every 15-minutes.
• Urban Resilience: Maintains reliable data transmission in densely populated urban areas, effectively managing heavy radio traffic and interference from surrounding meters.
• Rural Reach: Delivers robust performance across extensive distances, forming extended data chains that reliably span hundreds of kilometers in rural settings.

As part of the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) in India, smart metering projects must meet rigorous standards, requiring adherence to the specifications set out in the Standard Bidding Documents (SBD) and compliance to Indian Standard IS 15959. The FG23 SoC, leveraging Wirepas RF mesh, meets these specifications, enabling solution providers to streamline integration while adhering to all regulatory requirements.

Extending the Wireless IoT with Silicon Labs Wirepas

Read more about the collaboration between Silicon Labs and Wirepas to deliver smart meters to India, here.

Learn more about how Silicon Labs and Wirepas are collaborating on the 2.4 Ghz spectrum, here.

See more features of the FG23 wireless SoC, here.

About Silicon Labs

Silicon Labs (NASDAQ: SLAB) is a leader in secure, intelligent wireless technology for a more connected world. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of silicon, software, and solutions for IoT applications, enabling developers to create secure, power-efficient connected devices for smart homes, industrial IoT, and smart cities. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Silicon Labs is dedicated to solving the industry's toughest connectivity challenges and accelerating IoT innovation. Learn more at www.silabs.com.

About Wirepas

Wirepas is a global leader in IoT connectivity, providing ultra-resilient, infinitely scalable mesh networks for large-scale industrial and commercial deployments. Its technology connects millions of devices worldwide, including the largest network of more than a million smart electricity meters. With proven 99.99% reliability and a team of deep experts guiding projects from planning to maintenance, Wirepas ensures unmatched business continuity. Wirepas is also the main contributor to and first implementor of the first non-cellular 5G standard NR+, purpose-built for massive IoT and using a free global spectrum. Wirepas operates globally across smart tracking, smart building and smart metering sectors. Learn more on www.wirepas.com

SOURCE Silicon Labs