A company challenging the status quo
Wi-Fi's all-pervasive connectivity weaves together the very fabric of our homes and working lives – now more than ever. So, can a company really challenge the status quo of a technology as ubiquitous as Wi-Fi?
Australia’s largest semiconductor company, Morse Micro, has assembled one of the world’s best engineering teams to do just that, right here in Tech Central. With the number of wirelessly connected devices set to hit 46 billion by the end of 2021, conventional Wi-Fi networks are reaching their limits. Overall, conventional Wi-Fi, known as Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E, is primarily designed to deliver massive speeds and capacities, it does not cover long range, material penetration or power consumption. It falls short in supporting the mass volume of Internet of Things (IoT) devices that require robust connectivity over extended distances.
Morse Micro develops a new generation of Wi-Fi chips that reach 10x farther than conventional Wi-Fi, allowing them to cover 100x the area or 1,000x the volume of today’s Wi-Fi networks. Its Wi-Fi is based on the Wi-Fi HaLow technology that uses a lower frequency, offering both greater range as well as better signal penetration through materials. Morse Micro is truly reinventing Wi-Fi for the Internet of Things. Co-Founder & CEO, Michael De Nil, says its technology will "revolutionise IoT, similar to the way Wi-Fi revolutionised computers and laptops."
And Michael is well placed to make such a bold assessment. Before founding Morse Micro, he played a key role in developing the digital chip that is found in most modern smartphones.
"The rapid growth of IoT devices has forced a rethink of the role that Wi-Fi needs to play in an all-encompassing, connected world. At Morse Micro, we are working towards a future of wirelessly connected people and devices, enabling us to interact, manufacture, farm, and live smarter," said Michael.
Morse Micro’s Wi-Fi HaLow silicon chip securely connects smart devices over long distances using minimal power. Thousands of devices can be connected over a 1km radius, with a bandwidth up to tens of Mbps, perfectly suitable for multiple HD Video streaming. This means that Morse Micro’s chips can be deployed in never-before-reached locations without compromising performance – from powering machinery in factories, to monitoring soil moisture on farms, automating air conditioning in office buildings, or even simply turning on your kettle at home.
Other potential use cases include access control, supply chain logistics and asset management.
"Our goal is to become the number one wireless IoT chip vendor in the world."
Since 2016, Morse Micro has been headquartered in Tech Central. It has since grown to open offices in China, India and the U.S, employing over 120 staff from 33 different nations.
The company’s rapid growth means its chips are now available to product developers around the world, further accelerating the potential of Wi-Fi HaLow across commercial, residential, and industrial IoT markets. Michael says, “By making this new technology available to early adopters, we expect to see Wi-Fi go from reaching 20 billion devices to hundreds of billions of devices in the coming years.”
Being a part of Tech Central has helped the company to put down its roots and scale.
"Tech Central’s dynamic location has played a key role in us being able to secure the best talent from all over the world, in a short space of time," said Michael. "Over the last two years we have secured US $30 million in funding. Having some of the industry’s most influential VCs located here in Tech Central offers a huge advantage to those looking for growth equity.”
Referring to Atlassian’s decision to become the anchor tenant of the precinct, Michael described it as "an incredible signal for the future”. "Tech Central offers an unbeatable location for Sydney’s best and brightest innovators. Being surrounded by so many startups, as well as globally renowned success stories, has created a unique and like-minded community. "The open and supportive ecosystem that has been created is one of the most important elements emerging from Tech Central. We’d like to see more startups locating to the area to make it even more vibrant and diverse."
Learn more about Morse Micro’s industry-leading Wi-Fi HaLow technology
