Renesas Unveils First Automotive-Grade BLE Chip
Renesas Electronics, a leading semiconductor company, has introduced its first automotive-grade system-on-chip (SoC) designed for low-power Bluetooth (BLE) applications. The DA14533 integrates a 2.4GHz BLE transceiver, Arm Cortex-M0+ microcontroller, memory, peripherals, and security features into a compact 3.5 x 3.5 mm 22-pin WFFCQFN package, making it the smallest BLE chip currently available on the market.
The DA14533 is built with a Bluetooth 5.3-compliant software stack and is optimized for automotive applications such as tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), keyless entry, wireless sensors, and battery management systems. The chip supports advanced positioning technologies like Angle of Arrival (AoA) and Angle of Departure (AoD), enabling precise wheel position tracking. This allows for real-time tire pressure, fuel efficiency, and predictive maintenance monitoring through cloud-connected BLE systems. Additionally, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) can leverage the chip's capabilities in wireless sensor networks to enhance vehicle safety.
Based on Renesas' SmartBond Tiny series of BLE chips, the DA14533 offers an extended operating temperature range of -40°C to +105°C and meets AEC-Q100 Grade 2 automotive standards. The device features an integrated DC-DC buck converter, enabling precise output voltage regulation according to system requirements. Its power efficiency is a key advantage, with active power consumption of just 3.1mA during transmission, 2.5mA during reception, and as low as 500nA in sleep mode. These energy-saving capabilities help extend the lifespan of battery-powered systems, making it ideal for TPMS and other automotive applications with strict power constraints.
Chandana Pairla, Vice President of Renesas Electronics' Connectivity Solutions Division, stated, “Our SmartBond Tiny SoC series has achieved significant success in the industrial sector, with over 100 million units shipped to date. The new automotive-grade device expands the possibilities for low-power BLE applications that require high energy efficiency, compact size, and a wider temperature tolerance, making it well-suited for next-generation battery-powered automotive and industrial systems.”
The DA14533 requires only six external components, including a single external crystal oscillator (XTAL) that functions in both active and sleep modes, eliminating the need for separate oscillators. Renesas has integrated this SoC into a reference design for TPMS alongside its R-Car H3/M3/E3 SoCs, power management ICs (PMICs), and timing devices.
The DA14533 is now available, along with the BLE SoC Development Kit Pro, which includes a mainboard, daughterboards, and cables for streamlined application development. The daughterboards can also be used independently to simplify the development process.
