Upbeat Technology and SiFive introduce next-gen ultra-low power RISC-V MCU
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Upbeat Technology, a pioneer in ultra-low power compute, voice and edge AI sensing solutions, and SiFive, a provider of commercial RISC-V processor IP and silicon solutions, announce the UP201/UP301 family MCU, a next-generation dual-core RISC-V microcontroller designed for ultra-low power efficiency. The UP201/UP301 family MCU will be demonstrated at the RISC-V Summit in Santa Clara, CA, October 22–23, 2025.
Setting a new benchmark in edge computing, the UP201/UP301 family MCU integrates two SiFive Essential IP Cores and two AI accelerators designed by Upbeat, achieving performance per watt while enabling always-on IoT devices, wearables, drones and edge AI inference. Upbeat’s portfolio of low-power chip technologies is anchored by its patented Error Detection and Correction (EDAC) architecture.
The UP201/UP301 family of MCUs, with its combination of near‑threshold operation, EDAC resilience, and SRAM innovation, delivers unprecedented energy efficiency at 16.8 uW/MHz/DMIPS (Dhrystone). Compared with conventional ARM‑based microcontroller architectures, it stands out as a scalable, up to 400 MHz or 717 DMIPS, production‑ready platform that balances performance, efficiency and intelligence for next‑generation connected devices.
“From bring-up to production, Upbeat Technology’s UP201/UP301 family of MCUs has been very easy to work with. Its power profiles exceeded our targets—ultra-low power in sleep and highly efficient under active load. The integrated AI accelerator and DSP offload inference and signal processing, enabling us to meet real-time deadlines. Thanks to the SoC’s low-power, high-performance architecture, we can push more on-device processing—richer models, longer duty cycles, and new features—without compromising battery life,” said FuJen Hsiao, the CEO of Awan-sensing.
“As AI continues its rapid shift to edge computing, power efficiency is becoming the most critical factor for success. By leveraging SiFive’s Essential Family of RISC-V IP cores, Upbeat Technology has designed an incredibly low-power MCU, which delivers the performance needed to run AI at the edge while enabling superior energy efficiency and extended battery life. We are excited to partner with Upbeat Technology on the launch of the UP201/UP301 family MCU at the RISC-V Summit, advancing both edge-AI innovation and broader RISC-V adoption,” said Jack Kang, the SVP of WW business development and sales and customer experience at SiFive.
See the UP201/UP301 family MCU in action at the SiFive booth, where it will be demonstrated alongside Upbeat’s ultra-low-power MEMS Bone Conduction Microphone(BCM) optimised for high-quality sound capture at minimal power. Upbeat Technology leaders will also present “A Heterogeneous Dual-Core RISC-V Edge AI Platform for Power-Efficient Machine Learning” on October 22, 2025, at 11:10 a.m., featuring live demos and hands-on training with the UP201/UP301 family MCU.
Engineering samples and the SDK are now available, along with additional resources, including datasheets and reference designs, all accessible online. Target applications include always-on IoT, wearables, drones/UAVs, smart audio, predictive maintenance, and edge-AI sensors.
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