Nordic Semiconductor, a global leader in low-power wireless connectivity solutions, is revolutionizing the IoT landscape by bringing AI intelligence to the smallest battery-powered devices. The company's new ultra-low-power Edge AI solution promises to accelerate the arrival of a new generation of devices with integrated edge intelligence, combining unprecedented energy efficiency with unmatched ease of use for developers.
The announcement centers on three key innovations: the nRF54LM20B wireless SoC with integrated Axon NPU, custom Neuton models for ultra-tiny edge AI applications, and the Nordic Edge AI Lab development tool that simplifies edge AI development workflows.
AI factories train intelligence, but Nordic deploys it – on device, at the edge, where the world happens,
The nRF54LM20B SoC represents the first large-memory member of the nRF54L Series, integrating the Axon Neural Processing Unit (NPU) acquired through Nordic's 2023 acquisition of Atlazo. This ultra-efficient AI hardware accelerator delivers up to 7 times faster performance and up to 8 times higher energy efficiency compared to competing solutions for tasks including sound classification, keyword spotting, and image-based detection.
The chip pairs the Axon NPU with impressive specifications: 2 MB NVM, 512 KB RAM, a 128 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 plus RISC-V coprocessor, high-speed USB, up to 66 GPIOs, and Nordic's fourth-generation ultra-low-power 2.4 GHz radio supporting Bluetooth LE, Bluetooth Channel Sounding, Matter over Thread, and additional connectivity protocols.
Central to Nordic's edge AI strategy are the Neuton models – ultra-tiny, CPU-run edge AI models typically under 5 KB that are up to 10 times smaller, faster, and more efficient than other CPU-run models. The Nordic Edge AI Lab helps developers generate custom Neuton models for anomaly detection, activity and gesture recognition, biometric monitoring, and more, delivering privacy-preserving, real-time intelligence on tiny batteries and constrained memory without cloud dependency.
The practical applications are already being demonstrated in real-world deployments. A global supply chain solution recently upgraded its smart tracking devices with AI models created in Nordic Edge AI Lab, enabling detection of real handling events such as shock, shaking, and transportation directly on an nRF54L Series SoC. These AI-driven insights were rolled out across an entire fleet without operational disruption, thanks to Nordic's nRF Cloud lifecycle services.
With Nordic Edge AI Lab, Neuton models, and the Axon NPU, Nordic makes advanced on-device AI practical for every embedded developer,
As intelligence moves to the edge, Nordic recognizes the growing need for over-the-air management and deep observability. The company's cloud-based lifecycle services remain critical for device management, embedded observability, and location services, ensuring that manufacturers can gain continuous insight into device performance while meeting growing regulatory and customer requirements.
Nordic Edge AI Lab and custom Neuton models are available today for Nordic wireless nRF54 Series SoCs and cellular IoT SiP modules. The nRF54LM20B SoC with Axon NPU is currently sampling to selected customers, with broad availability for development expected early in Q2 2026. The solutions will be demonstrated at CES 2026 at Nordic's booth #52039 at the Venetian Expo, alongside innovations in Bluetooth Channel Sounding, Matter for smart home, cellular IoT, NTN/satellite connectivity, and cloud lifecycle services.
