Matter has evolved to version 1.3! Supporting more chip platforms and terminals, accelerating the layout of industry chain players

Supporting more new chip platforms, the Matter standard has evolved to version 1.3
Matter is an interoperability standard for smart home devices, released by CSA. As is well known, the IoT market is severely fragmented, especially in the smart home industry, where there are multiple protocols such as ZigBee, Bluetooth, Wi Fi, and it is difficult for different manufacturers to communicate with the same protocol. Users need different apps to control smart home devices. And Matter defines a unified set of communication standards and protocols, enabling smart home devices from different brands and manufacturers to communicate and collaborate with each other. This not only simplifies the device setup and management process, but also solves the issues of interoperability and compatibility.
Matter is a connection protocol based on the IPv6 protocol, supporting underlying protocols such as Wi Fi, Ethernet, and Thread (IEEE 802.15.4) for data transmission, and using Bluetooth LE for network distribution. The Matter protocol supports connecting Wi Fi terminal devices, Thread terminal devices, Thread boundary routers, and Matter gateways.
At present, Matter has taken the lead in implementing IoT chips such as WiFi chips with strong processing power and abundant chip resources, such as the Wi Fi 6 SoC ESP32-C6 based on the Lexin RISC-V architecture. In addition, Tai Ling has launched a solution based on TLSR921x and TLSR922x series chips that support Matter over Thread, and will also launch a new Wi Fi multi protocol chip that supports the Matter over Wi Fi solution.
Since the release of the first version, the Matter protocol has undergone three upgrades. The official version of Matter1.0 will be released in 2022. In May 2023, Matter 1.1 was released to improve support for smart home products in the Intermittent Connected Device (ICD) category, enhance energy-saving features, and carry out development tool improvements.
The Matter 1.2 standard was released in November 2023, expanding support for nine devices including washing machines and refrigerators, improving SDK, technical specifications, testing tools, and more. The updated SDK supports more new chip platforms. Version 1.2 also includes new features that improve user experience.
The Matter 1.3 standard was released in May this year, adding support for water and energy management equipment, including energy management, electric vehicle charging, water management, such as checking the instantaneous power, voltage, energy consumption or power generation of energy equipment over a period of time, etc. During the charging process of electric bicycles, it can be manually started or stopped, and the charging rate can be adjusted. The 1.3 standard introduces five types of household appliances, including microwaves and dryers.
In addition, version 1.3 also enhances the entertainment experience of media devices and smart home management functions, which enhances the interaction ability of different Matter devices in the home, such as the washing machine sending laundry completion notifications to televisions or other Matter devices with screens. The Material 1.3 standard has undergone multiple improvements, bringing a more intelligent and efficient smart home experience.
From the updates on Matter, it can be seen that the Matter protocol is continuously expanding its support for new categories, attracting more upstream and downstream manufacturers to join. And the new categories from smart home appliances to electric vehicles are constantly expanding in scope. After updating the new version, chip manufacturers are able to follow up first.
From chips, to operating systems, and then to terminals, players in the Matter industry chain are accelerating their layout
At present, among chip manufacturers, Lexin Technology has developed a comprehensive Matter solution that includes reference designs for Matter over Wi Fi terminal devices, Matter over Thread terminal devices, Thread boundary routers, and Matter gateways. For example, the ESP32-C6 with WiFi support, an extremely low-power SoC with RISC-V 32-bit single core processor, supports 2.4 GHz Wi Fi 6, Bluetooth 5, Zigbee 3.0, and Thread 1.3, with power consumption as low as 7 µ A.
NXP also launched EdgeLock SE051H last year, which is a security chip designed specifically for Matter, integrating NFC functionality, as well as four types of label functions. NXP means that you only need to tap a NFC enabled phone to get automation advice, installation videos, and other content. In terms of security, the chip is also equipped with key safety features such as ECDSA, ECDH, and true random number generator.
In addition to EdgeLock SE051H, NXP's i The MX 8M series application processor and JN5189 ultra-low power microcontroller also support the Matter protocol. Among them, the i. MX 8M EVK, in conjunction with its onboard Bluetooth, Wi Fi, and LAN interfaces, supports Matter over Wi Fi and Matter over Ethernet communication, and supports Matter over Thread communication through an external dongle. The processor also has audio, voice, and video processing capabilities.
The TLSR925X launched by Tailing this year also supports Material over Thread, including Material 1.2 and new versions. The chip is equipped with RISC-V MCU, supporting Bluetooth low-power and wireless communication technology based on IEEE 802.15.4. It is worth mentioning that this chip is also the first multi protocol IoT wireless SoC chip in China to achieve a working current as low as 1mA. At 3V, the power consumption of BLE Rx can be reduced to 1.85mA.
From the chip products above, it can be seen that many wireless IoT chips have launched different products with differentiation, allowing Matter devices to integrate with more terminals. As the highlight of this year, the Matter1.3 standard will also receive increasing support from chip products.
Not only on the chip side, but also on the Internet of Things operating system manufacturers, they will promote the Matter1.3 standard. Wozhong Technology recently announced that HooRiiOS 2.3.0 version has added device support for the Matter 1.3 standard, including support for device types such as carbon monoxide sensors, energy metering sockets, and low-power switches.
HooRiiOS is a self-developed IoT operating system by WoZhong Technology, which provides support for Matter developers from research and development, testing, certification, to mass production. HooRiiOS can adapt to various chip platforms, support Linux, FreeRTOS, etc., and can interface with various Matter over Thread devices.
Matter1.3 version has added support for electric vehicle power supply equipment. In June of this year, Green Energy Options and Connected Kerb announced the launch of the world's first electric vehicle charging solution that supports Matter. With the blessing of Matter, the charging control function of electric vehicles has become a reality, and it has to be said that Matter has brought more possibilities to smart living. The increasing support of terminal devices will expand the Matrix ecosystem, which will also attract more developers and innovators to join.