New Next-gen All-in-one Ultra-Wideband Chip for Autos and Smart Devices

ST’s next-generation UWB Chips combine precise long-range distance measurement and high-resolution radar in a single IC

STMicroelectronics has released an ultra-wideband (UWB) chip family that comprehensively supports the next-generation wireless standard for localizing and tracking devices at distances up to several hundred meters. This UWB chip family combines extended range with greater processing power and robustness to enable new and improved automotive, consumer, and industrial use cases, including secure digital access control, presence and motion sensing, and precise approach detection.

“The ST64UWB family we announce today is an industry-first system-on-chip supporting the latest ultra-wideband specification, IEEE 802.15.4ab including narrow-band assistance radio, with ultra-precise ranging and sensing,” said Rias Al-Kadi, General Manager, Ranging and Connectivity Division, STMicroelectronics. “These chips are tailored for automotive, consumer, and industrial applications, providing innovators with a powerful platform for the next wave of ultra-wideband use cases.”

The emerging standard builds on the IEEE 802.15.4z UWB wireless technology in today’s hands-free digital car keys that unlock a vehicle on approach. New technical enhancements enabled by multi-millisecond ranging (MMS) and narrowband assistance (NBA) extend operating range, strengthen connections with devices carried in bags or rear pockets, and enable direction finding at close range to better interpret user intent. IEEE 802.15.4ab also enhances radar mode, improving use cases such as child presence detection (CPD) in vehicles, a potentially life-saving feature recommended by Euro-NCAP, the independent vehicle safety assessment organization.

“IEEE 802.15.4ab is the foundation for enabling a new generation of key fobs as part of a digital key system,” said Daniel Siekmann, Head of Car Access HW D&D Team, Forvia Hella. “It offers more than eight times the range of 802.15.4z and significantly better non-line-of-sight performance, which allows for key fob functionality to reliably perform from a back-pocket or inside a bag. With backward compatibility to 802.15.4z, it provides a practical path to replace legacy HF/LF key fobs with a modern ultra-wideband based architecture, a transition that is further enabled by STMicroelectronics’ new ST64UWB chips.”

“IEEE 802.15.4ab is set to become the backbone of next-generation ultra-wideband,” said Andrew Zignani, Senior Research Director at ABI Research. “By 2030, we expect the vast majority of ultra-wideband equipped vehicles to migrate to this new standard, leveraging a rapidly growing installed base of hundreds of millions of compatible smartphones. Meanwhile, backward compatibility with IEEE 802.15.4z allows the industry to adopt these enhancements quickly without disrupting existing deployments, while enabling valuable new user experiences and services across multiple end markets.”

Features of the ST64UWB Family include:

More information on the 64UWB all-in-one chip with precise long-range distance measurement and high-resolution radar is available on the ST website at STMicroelectronics ST64UWB introduction page.

The STMicroelectronics website address is www.st.com
[Reprinted with kind permission from STMicroelectronics - Release Date, 10th March, 2026]