"AI coming to the edge is going to be huge."
Austin American-Statesman
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Silicon Labs unveils new AI development kit, series 3 products
Story by Karoline Leonard • 12h
Silicon Labs, an Austin-based company that designs chips for connected devices like appliances and security systems, is preparing for the growing role of artificial intelligence in everyday life.
At its annual Works With conference in downtown Austin on Thursday, the company unveiled a new software platform designed to meet the needs of both human software developers and AI coding agents.
"For years, we have optimized our tools, documentation and workflows for humans," Manish Kothari, Silicon Labs executive overseeing software development, said. "But now something new has entered the scene. AI itself is becoming a developer. Agents and co-pilots are starting to code, debug and integrate alongside humans.
"Our job now is to build a platform that works just as well with these agents as it does with you. That's what 'Simplicity AI' is all about, a developer experience designed not only for the people, but for the AI agents that are working with them."
The company believes Simplicity AI is key to preparing for a future where artificial intelligence shifts from massive data centers into the chips that power connected devices.
MORE: Silicon Labs CEO talks semiconductor tariffs, AI and future growth
Silicon Labs specializes in embedded chips that are hidden inside devices such as smart lightbulbs, fitness trackers, thermostats, and even factory equipment. CEO Matt Johnson sees an opportunity to bring AI directly to these devices, which rely on internet connections.
"AI coming to the edge is going to be huge. Think of the hype that you hear about data centers," Johnson told the American-Statesman. "Eventually that hype will move to the edge. And this is all that we do. We're the biggest company in the world that's focused on it. You can see it, feel it."
While most people associate AI with chatbots or massive data centers packed with servers, Johnson envisions the next evolution happening directly on the edge - AI-enabled tasks performed locally on chips within devices. By processing data on the spot, these chips can reduce lag, improve efficiency, and minimize the amount of information sent to distant data centers.
"I don't have to wait for the data to go all the way to the data center and back," Johnson said. "You don't have to deal with the latency of that, and it's more efficient for some things to be processed locally. So there will be tiny processors like we make, doing certain specific workloads locally on the chip and then sending only the necessary information, not the bulk or dirty amount of information all the way back to the data center."
Silicon Labs is preparing for this shift with its new AI development kit and its Series 3 product line, announced this week at its conference. Part of a six-product lineup, these new chips are designed to strengthen security and processing power, setting the stage for what Johnson calls the "AI at the edge" era.
Semiconductors and tariffs
Since earlier this year, when former President Donald Trump began threatening tariffs on semiconductors, Johnson has found himself spending far more time in Washington than he ever anticipated.
"I like most days, but not every day," Johnson said. "I never would have thought I'd have to be in Washington a lot, dealing with politicians and talking about tariffs. Not in a bad way, but just didn't think that this would be a thing for us in our industry."
Trump has since escalated his trade stance, proposing a 100% tariff on semiconductor companies that fail to manufacture their chips entirely in the U.S. and not in China. Some major players, like Apple and Samsung, have already begun reshoring some production, responding to both market shifts and political pressure.
For a company like Silicon Labs, which relies heavily on manufacturing partners in Taiwan and Singapore, adjusting to such a policy isn't simple. Johnson said the company has a "path" toward U.S.-based production, but that the technology necessary to produce Silicon Labs' products isn't ready in the U.S., and the "one size fits all" tariff approach doesn't work in the semiconductor industry.
"The technologies we need, they haven't developed those, or they're not production ready (in the U.S.) yet," Johnson said. "I do see those being developed, which is great, which is why we can say with confidence, 'Well, we have a path.' But it takes time, and that's the challenge, because they want manufacturing here as soon as possible. Semiconductors---used to---have notoriously long lead times to build a fab, to develop a product, to get it ramped. Getting Washington to understand just the honest physics of our space versus the desire for very quick results*, that's the tough part."
*Bub, get used to picking up the pace...this isn't 2020 anymore.
PS
Edge, Endpoint bit bonanza JUST started.
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