u-blox has introduced the ALMA-W1, a compact Wi-Fi 6/6E module series based on Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF7120 and nRF7120E SoCs for battery-driven and size-constrained IoT products.
The series is intended to address demand for low-power wireless connectivity that is easier to integrate than a chip-down design. It combines Wi-Fi 6/6E, Bluetooth LE, and 802.15.4 radios, with options for different antenna configurations, memory, frequency bands, and software architectures.
Embedded-antenna variants measure 10.4 x 14.3 mm, while external-antenna variants are listed at 10.4 x 11.2 x 1.9 mm. Key capabilities include dual-band or tri-band Wi-Fi; internal PCB trace or external antenna options; wireless MCU or network processor operation; optional extended flash memory; 63 configurable GPIOs and multiple peripheral interfaces; Bluetooth features including Channel Sounding; and a dedicated Axon Neural Processing Unit on relevant versions for low-latency Edge AI.
For network processor operation, u-connectXpress provides pre-flashed, AT-command-based software that includes the Wi-Fi driver, Bluetooth stack, communication protocols, and security libraries. The company says the series is globally certified to support worldwide deployments.
Relevant versions include an NPU for Edge AI processing. The company says these versions can potentially deliver speed gains of up to 15 times and greater energy efficiency than running the same workloads on the CPU. Kjetil Holstad, executive vice president of the Wi-Fi Business Unit at Nordic Semiconductor, said: “Battery life is the defining requirement for the next wave of Wi-Fi IoT, and ultra-low power is what we designed the nRF71 series around.”
u-blox will showcase the ALMA-W1 series at electronica 2026. Initial samples are available to selected customers, and the sampling program is set to expand shortly. Technical documentation is available at ubx.io/alma-w1.
