Nordic Semiconductor expands nRF54L Series with entry-level Bluetooth LE SoCs
The new nRF54LS05A and nRF54LS05B target cost-sensitive IoT applications with lean memory profiles.
Nordic Semiconductor has expanded its nRF54L Series of ultra-low-power multiprotocol SoCs with the launch of two entry-level Bluetooth LE chips. The move aims to provide a scalable, low-cost entry point for developers building lean IoT devices.
The new additions to the lineup, the nRF54LS05A and nRF54LS05B, are specifically engineered for high-volume, cost-sensitive applications such as beacons, tags, and sensors. Both models are powered by a 128 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 MCU and feature a 2.4 GHz multiprotocol radio. While both chips share 0.5 MB of Non-Volatile Memory (NVM), they differ in RAM capacity: the nRF54LS05A provides 64 KB, while the nRF54LS05B offers 96 KB. According to Nordic Semiconductor, production for these SoCs is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2026.
The Shift to Next-Gen Architecture
The nRF54L Series serves as the successor to the widely adopted nRF52 Series, representing a generational leap in Nordic's wireless offerings. This new architecture is designed to support a broad array of wireless protocols, including Bluetooth LE, Thread, Zigbee, and Matter. By creating a unified platform, Nordic allows developers to scale their hardware from simple end-products to complex systems without needing to switch ecosystems or rewrite significant portions of their codebase.
Targeting the High-Volume Market
By introducing these entry-level variants, Nordic is directly targeting the segment of the IoT market where every cent of bill-of-materials cost is critical. These chips allow manufacturers to leverage the advanced nRF Connect SDK ecosystem and the efficiency of the nRF54L architecture without paying for the memory or peripheral overhead required by more complex devices.
Øyvind Strøm, EVP Short-Range at Nordic Semiconductor, stated that by combining fundamental Bluetooth LE features with their existing software ecosystem, these SoCs will "help level the playing field for those building lean, cost-sensitive applications."
Future Outlook
The expansion ensures that developers have a clear migration path; a product that starts as a simple beacon on an nRF54LS05A can be upgraded to a more powerful chip within the same series as feature requirements grow. Market observers will be watching for the Q3 2026 production rollout to see how these lean variants impact the competitive landscape of low-cost wireless sensors and the broader adoption of the nRF54L architecture.