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Silicon Labs Series 3 is a 22 nm wireless IoT platform designed to put more processing, security and protocol handling on the wireless system-on-chip (SoC). Its multicore architecture separates application, radio and security work; selected devices add AI/ML acceleration, and SiXG301 achieved PSA Certified Level 4 for Secure Vault. The first announced families were SiXG301 and SiXG302 in May 2025. SiMG301 and SiBG301 became generally available in October 2025.
What Series 3 is—and what changes
Series 3 is a family of wireless SoCs and a shared platform, not one chip with a single feature set. Silicon Labs describes it as a common-code, multi-radio platform with backward compatibility for Series 2. The idea is to give developers more room for application software, security features and multiple wireless protocols while keeping radio and security tasks separated from application processing.
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In its current platform description, Silicon Labs claims Series 3 offers “more than 100x the processing capability.” That is a vendor claim; the platform page does not specify a comparison baseline or a benchmark methodology for that figure. It should not be read as a guarantee that every Series 3 chip is 100 times faster than every Series 2 part.
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Silicon Labs’ October 2024 platform briefing described Series 3 devices with an Arm Cortex-M application processor, plus dedicated radio and security co-processors. The briefing outlined different compute classes, from a Cortex-M33 at 133 MHz to dual Cortex-M55 cores running above 200 MHz. Those figures describe the platform’s announced range, not the specifications of every Series 3 product.
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AI/ML acceleration is device-specific
Some Series 3 devices are designed to include a Matrix Vector Processor (MVP) for machine-learning workloads. Silicon Labs said the selected-device accelerator was intended to improve ML performance by up to 100x while reducing power draw. This is a company claim about selected devices, not a measured result that can be applied to all Series 3 parts. The SiMG301 specifications summarized here do not list an MVP.
Which Series 3 families are announced and available?
The platform’s rollout has happened in stages. An announcement or roadmap entry is not the same as general availability.
| Date | Family or milestone | What Silicon Labs said |
|---|---|---|
| October 8, 2024 | Series 3 preview | Silicon Labs previewed the platform at embedded world North America and said its first Series 3 SoC was sampling. |
| May 22, 2025 | SiXG301 and SiXG302 announced | The first announced families were built on a 22 nm process. Silicon Labs listed up to 4 MB Flash and 512 kB RAM for SiXG301, and claimed 15 µA/MHz active current for SiXG302. |
| August 4, 2025 | SiXG301 security certification | Silicon Labs announced PSA Certified Level 4 for Series 3 Secure Vault on SiXG301. |
| October 2, 2025 | SiMG301 and SiBG301 generally available | Silicon Labs said both families began shipping worldwide through the company and authorized distribution partners. |
| 2026 roadmap | SiMG302 and SiBG302 | Silicon Labs listed planned sampling in 2026. This is a roadmap statement, not confirmation here that sampling or general availability has occurred. |
Availability and specifications are family-specific. For example, the SiXG301 and SiXG302 announcement does not establish that those devices are generally available, while the October 2025 release explicitly identifies SiMG301 and SiBG301 as generally available.
What does SiMG301 offer for smart-home and building devices?
SiMG301 is a 2.4 GHz multiprotocol SoC aimed at line-powered products such as LED lighting, smart plugs and switches. Its listed application processor is an Arm Cortex-M33 running up to 150 MHz, alongside dedicated radio and security cores. Silicon Labs lists up to 4 MB of secure execute-in-place (XIP) QSPI Flash and up to 512 kB RAM.
Development support includes Bluetooth LE, Bluetooth Mesh, Matter, OpenThread and Zigbee. Silicon Labs also highlights concurrent multiprotocol operation: a product may be designed to support Zigbee and Matter over Thread on one device. For manufacturers, that can reduce the need to create and maintain separate product SKUs for different network ecosystems. The exact protocols and concurrency behavior depend on the product design and software implementation.
How does Series 3 handle device security?
The clearest certification claim is specific: Series 3 Secure Vault on SiXG301 achieved PSA Certified Level 4, which Silicon Labs describes as the highest PSA Certified level. Do not assume that certification automatically applies to every Series 3 family or part.
Silicon Labs describes the platform’s security features as including authenticated execute-in-place, hardened memory interfaces, secure boot, trusted device-to-cloud communication, and protections against physical and software attacks. For a product team, certification and silicon features are inputs to a security design—not a substitute for reviewing the target chip’s certification, configuring its protections and securing the device’s firmware and cloud services.
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Silicon Labs positions Series 2 as the mature choice for ultra-low-power endpoints and Series 3 for more demanding, feature-rich designs. The company says teams can adopt Series 3 without changing ecosystems, tools or support models. That positioning does not establish that every Series 3 chip has better battery life or more memory than every Series 2 chip; compare the specific part numbers and workload requirements.
| Decision factor | Series 3 | Series 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Intended design profile | Silicon Labs positions it for more demanding, feature-rich designs. | Silicon Labs positions it for mature, ultra-low-power endpoints. |
| Compute and memory | Series 3 platform briefing described application processors from Cortex-M33 at 133 MHz to dual Cortex-M55s above 200 MHz. SiMG301 lists a Cortex-M33 up to 150 MHz, up to 4 MB Flash and up to 512 kB RAM. | Comparable Series 2 values are not stated in the cited Silicon Labs platform materials. |
| AI/ML acceleration | Silicon Labs describes an MVP on selected devices and claims up to 100x ML performance improvement for those devices. | Comparable Series 2 acceleration figures are not stated in the cited Silicon Labs platform materials. |
| Security certification | PSA Certified Level 4 is announced for Series 3 Secure Vault on SiXG301. | Comparable Series 2 certification level is not stated in the cited Silicon Labs platform materials. |
| Protocol concurrency | SiMG301 supports development for Bluetooth LE, Bluetooth Mesh, Matter, OpenThread and Zigbee; Silicon Labs highlights concurrent multiprotocol operation. | Comparable Series 2 concurrency details are not stated in the cited Silicon Labs platform materials. |
| Power profile | Silicon Labs announced a 15 µA/MHz active-current claim for SiXG302 and listed a 2026 target for the battery-oriented SiMG302/SiBG302 roadmap families. These are not interchangeable specifications for all Series 3 devices. | Comparable Series 2 current figures are not stated in the cited Silicon Labs platform materials. |
| Availability and development-kit pricing | SiMG301 and SiBG301 were generally available from October 2, 2025. Silicon Labs lists the SixG301 Explorer Kit at $35 MSRP and the SixG301 Pro Kit at $185 MSRP. | Comparable Series 2 availability and kit prices are not stated in the cited Silicon Labs platform materials. |
The comparison is most useful as a starting point, not a replacement for a part-level datasheet review. An endpoint that spends nearly all its life asleep may still favor a Series 2 device; a line-powered product with heavier software, security or protocol needs may benefit from Series 3’s added integration.
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| Kit | Best fit | Listed price |
|---|---|---|
| SixG301 Explorer Kit (SIXG301-EK2719A) | Small-form-factor evaluation and rapid prototyping with Bluetooth LE, Bluetooth Mesh, Zigbee, Thread and Matter. | $35 MSRP listed by Silicon Labs. |
| SixG301 +10 dBm, 4MB Flash Pro Kit (SIXG301-PK6037A) | More fully featured wireless IoT development and RF evaluation. | $185 MSRP listed by Silicon Labs. |
These are Silicon Labs’ listed MSRPs, not guaranteed retail prices. Confirm current price and availability with Silicon Labs or an authorized distributor before ordering.
Quick Recap
How to decide whether Series 3 fits your product
- Start with the workload. Estimate application processing, memory, security and protocol requirements instead of choosing by platform-generation number alone.
- Check the exact part’s radio and protocols. A platform-level description does not mean every Series 3 part supports every protocol or concurrent configuration.
- Match power claims to the part and use case. The 15 µA/MHz claim is tied to SiXG302, while the planned battery-oriented families are a separate roadmap item. Neither number should be assigned to SiMG301 without a product-specific specification.
- Verify certification by device. The PSA Certified Level 4 claim applies to Secure Vault on SiXG301 as announced by Silicon Labs.
- Confirm status before scheduling production. SiMG301 and SiBG301 have an explicit general-availability announcement; roadmap plans and earlier sampling announcements indicate different stages.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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