Summary of ESP32-S3 DUAL-CORE WIFI AND BLUETOOTH LE 5 SOC ADDS AI FEATURES FOR AIOT APPLICATIONS
Espressif announced the ESP32-S3, a dual-core MCU tailored for AIoT with AI-vector instructions, extended I/O, enhanced security, and wireless connectivity. It offers up to 44 GPIOs, rich peripheral support, ULP core for low-power modes, 512 KB SRAM, octal SPI flash/PSRAM support, Wi‑Fi 4, Bluetooth LE 5.0, USB OTG, and hardware security features including digital signature, HMAC, RSA secure boot, AES-XTS flash encryption, and isolated execution environments.
Parts used in the ESP32-S3:
- 32-bit dual-core Tensilica LX7 processor (up to 240 MHz)
- Vector instruction set for AI acceleration
- 512 KB SRAM
- 384 KB ROM
- Octal SPI flash support
- PSRAM support
- 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi 4 (40 MHz bandwidth)
- Bluetooth LE 5.0 (long-range support, up to 2 Mbps)
- Up to 44 programmable GPIOs
- Peripherals: SD/MMC host, SPI, I2C, PWM, UART, RMT, TWAI, ADC, DAC, I2S
- USB OTG
- ULP core for low-power modes
- Digital signature peripheral (hardware-accelerated message signing)
- HMAC module (message authentication)
- RSA-based secure boot
- AES-XTS-based flash encryption
- World Controller peripheral with two fully-isolated execution environments and one trusted-execution environment
Espressif Systems has officially announced the arrival of the new SoC that adds AI features for AIoT applications.
Responding to the ever growing significance of AI, we are delighted to announce the newest addition to Espressif’s series of MCUs, ESP32-S3, which has been specifically designed to address the needs of the AIoT market,” writes Espressif Systems.
The ESP32-S3 includes an updated dual-core MCU, extended I/O, AI-related instructions, and reliable security features. It is “the result of an overall optimization in terms of connectivity, AI computing power, security, IO availability, and peripheral interfaces.”
The ESP32-S3 will provide developers with an AIoT solution platform that is not only cost-effective but also easy to develop. It is fast, smart, and flexible with up to 44 programmable GPIOs for a host of commonly-used peripherals like SPI, I2S, I2C, PWM, RMT, ADC, DAC, UART, TWAI and SD/MMC host. It is also equipped with a ULP core that handles multiple low-power modes in such use-cases.
Key Features and Specifications of the ESP32-S3 include:
- 32-bit dual-core Tensilica LX7 processor running @ up to 240 MHz with additional vector instructions support for AI acceleration
- Additional vector instructions support for AI acceleration
- 512KB SRAM
- 384 KB of ROM
- Octal SPI flash and PSRAM support
- 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi 4; 40 MHz bandwidth
- Bluetooth LE 5.0 with long-range support and up to 2Mbps data rate
- 44x programmable GPIOs
- SD/MMC host, SPI, I2C, PWM, UART, RMT, TWAI, ADC, DAC, I2S
- USB OTG
- Security Features:
- Digital signature peripheral (for hardware-accelerated message signing)
- HMAC module (for message authentication)
- RSA-based secure boot (verifies the RSA-PSS signature of an application image before executing it).
- AES-XTS-based flash encryption (for off-chip flash memory)
- “World Controller” peripheral with two fully-isolated execution environments and one trusted-execution environment (Isolates security-sensitive data tasks from the rest of the application)
Read more: ESP32-S3 DUAL-CORE WIFI AND BLUETOOTH LE 5 SOC ADDS AI FEATURES FOR AIOT APPLICATIONS
- What is the processor used in the ESP32-S3?
The ESP32-S3 uses a 32-bit dual-core Tensilica LX7 processor running up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration. - Does the ESP32-S3 support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth?
Yes, it supports 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi 4 and Bluetooth LE 5.0 with long-range support and up to 2 Mbps data rate. - How many GPIOs does the ESP32-S3 provide?
It provides up to 44 programmable GPIOs. - What peripheral interfaces are available on the ESP32-S3?
It supports SD/MMC host, SPI, I2C, PWM, UART, RMT, TWAI, ADC, DAC, and I2S. - Does the ESP32-S3 include support for external memory?
Yes, it supports octal SPI flash and PSRAM. - What security features are included in the ESP32-S3?
Security features include a digital signature peripheral, HMAC module, RSA-based secure boot, AES-XTS-based flash encryption, and a World Controller with isolated and trusted execution environments. - Is there a low-power core in the ESP32-S3?
Yes, it is equipped with a ULP core that handles multiple low-power modes. - How much SRAM and ROM does the ESP32-S3 have?
It has 512 KB SRAM and 384 KB ROM.
