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On March 10, 2026, STMicroelectronics introduced the ST64UWB family, a set of fully integrated ultra-wideband system-on-chip designs that embrace the new IEEE 802.15.4ab standard. These chips combine advanced radio architecture with improved processing to support long-range device localization and sensing across automotive, smart home, and industrial contexts. The product announcement emphasizes support for multi-millisecond ranging (MMS) and an integrated narrow-band assistance radio (NBA), both of which contribute to more reliable connections when signals must traverse wallets, clothing, or vehicle interiors.
The new family is fabricated on an 18 nm FD-SOI process, which the company says delivers about a +3 dB link-budget advantage versus typical bulk-CMOS designs and roughly a 50% increase in usable range beyond what the standard alone enables. The initial lineup comprises three devices: ST64UWB-A100, ST64UWB-A500, and ST64UWB-C100, each aimed at discrete market needs from safety-rated automotive access systems to consumer hands-free experiences. The chips are currently sampling to major Tier 1 suppliers and OEMs, and ST provides a full development kit including stack, tooling, and reference designs.
What IEEE 802.15.4ab changes for UWB
The IEEE 802.15.4ab specification builds on prior UWB work and adds features designed to broaden practical deployments. Key additions such as multi-millisecond ranging and the narrow-band assistance radio increase effective range and robustness in non-line-of-sight scenarios, allowing functions like digital key unlocking to work reliably when a device is inside a bag or back pocket. The standard also adopts the Kaiser pulse and enables a wider 1.3 GHz channel on UWB channel 11, which improves radar precision — a benefit for use cases like child presence detection that are highlighted by safety bodies such as Euro-NCAP.
Why extended range and link budget matter
An improved link budget directly translates into fewer failed interactions in real-world conditions. By using 18 nm FD-SOI silicon, ST claims the ST64UWB chips gain nearly +3 dB compared with bulk implementations, increasing effective range by approximately 50% beyond the protocol improvements. In practice, this means greater reliability for digital key systems, more consistent precision finding on smartphones, and stronger performance for radar-based features such as child presence detection (CPD), kick sensing, and occupant monitoring even when line-of-sight is obstructed.
Product family and technical highlights
The ST64UWB-A100 targets automotive access and precise vehicle localization and embeds an Arm Cortex-M85 core with support for the ASIL A(B) safety concept to meet automaker requirements. The higher-end ST64UWB-A500 adds a dedicated AI accelerator and digital signal processing to enable edge radar workloads like CPD, parking sensing, and outward-facing radar modes — leveraging the wider 1.3 GHz bandwidth and Kaiser pulse for improved accuracy versus legacy 500 MHz channels. The ST64UWB-C100 is aimed at commercial and consumer use and delivers hands-free interactions with compatibility for ecosystem standards such as Aliro.
To speed adoption, ST is offering a comprehensive developer kit that includes a complete UWB software stack (PHY/MAC), a radar toolbox, development boards, antenna reference designs, and example applications tailored for automotive and consumer scenarios. Industry partners and Tier 1 suppliers have already indicated support for the platform, and analyst forecasts suggest widespread migration to the new standard by 2030. Standards bodies are aligning as well: the FiRa Consortium signaled integration of 802.15.4ab enhancements in October 2026, underscoring ecosystem momentum.
Implications for automotive and connected devices
For automakers and access-system designers, the combined effect of IEEE 802.15.4ab capabilities and the silicon-level gains of FD-SOI opens practical pathways to replace legacy HF/LF fobs with secure, long-range UWB-based digital keys that work in pockets and bags. Radar improvements also make regulatory-recommended features such as child presence detection more feasible at scale. For consumer device makers and smart lock vendors, the platform promises more dependable hands-free interactions and tighter location-based services, accelerating use cases from secure unlocking to precision finding and touchless control.
STMicroelectronics’ announcement on March 10, 2026, positions the ST64UWB family as an early commercial building block for the next wave of UWB applications. With sampling underway to Tier 1s and OEMs and practical development resources available, the chips aim to bridge the gap between emerging standards and deployable products across automotive, home, and industrial ecosystems.