Nordic Semiconductor (Country Manager, Choi Soo-chul) has released Nordic’s integrated software development kit that supports all features of Matter over Thread version 1.0, and it is expected that developers will be able to quickly develop thread-based Matter functions and easily obtain certifications.

Nordic announced on the 12th that it has released the latest version of the nRF Connect SDK (Software Development Kit) for developers, which supports all features of the thread-based Matter over Thread version 1.0.

This support follows the Connectivity Standard Alliance's official adoption of the Matter 1.1 version specification.

Matter is emerging as a key industry standard for the interoperability of smart home devices.

“Nordic has played a key role in the Matter initiative from the beginning, and we are pleased to release the nRF Connect SDK that supports the complete thread-based Matter specification,” said Krzysztof Loska, Technical Product Manager at Nordic Semiconductor. “With this support to address the adoption of Matter 1.0, developers can now immediately develop thread-based Matter capabilities using Nordic’s nRF52840 and nRF5340 SoCs.”quo; stated.

The nRF Connect SDK is Nordic’s scalable integrated development tool that supports the implementation of products using Nordic’s nRF52 and nRF53 series SoCs (Systems-on-Chip) and nRF91 series SiPs (System-in-Package), as well as the recently announced nRF7002 Wi-Fi® 6 companion IC.

nRF Connect SDK 2.1.0 includes all thread-based Matter functions and also adds an experimental feature that enables Matter over Wi-Fi with a combination of the nRF5340 SoC and nRF7002 companion IC.

Nordic was able to integrate thread-based matter functions after becoming the first to obtain Thread 1.3 certification for its nRF Connect SDK earlier this year.

Thread 1.3 is a prerequisite for supporting Thread-based matter, and Nordic customers can also easily obtain certification for their products.

nRF Connect SDK 2.1.0 is fully functional, but it is described as 'experimental' because it was released before Matter 1.0 was officially adopted.

Nordic plans to release nRF Connect SDK 2.1.X soon, which will provide necessary bug fixes and minor improvements to thread-based matter, and remove the term "experimental."

Customers can continue to use nRF Connect SDK 2.1.0 to comply with the Matter 1.0 specification after a few simple manual updates.

In the case of Wi-Fi-based matter as well, it is expected that support will change from experimental to full once the nRF7002 enters mass production.

Matter integrates different ecosystems, and It is a connectivity standard that defines a common language to enable smart devices from different manufacturers to operate seamlessly.

This standard uses a common application layer and data model that provides interoperability, enabling devices to communicate with each other regardless of the underlying network protocol or ecosystem.

This is implemented based on market-proven technology using IP (Internet Protocol). Matter runs on Wi-Fi, Thread, and Ethernet network layers, and uses Bluetooth® LE for commissioning.

Nordic customers are currently actively developing Matter-compatible devices using Nordic’s nRF52840 and nRF5340 SoCs, which support Thread and Bluetooth LE.

The nRF7002 Wi-Fi 6 companion IC also supports Matter. Recently, both Nordic customers' products using the nRF52840 and nRF5340 SoCs and Nordic cases running Matter Weather Station applications using the Thingy:53 prototyping platform successfully passed the Connectivity Standards Alliance's Matter Test Events and Matter Specification Validation Events (SVE).

This is an example proving the stability of Nordic products that fully comply with the Matter 1.0 specification.

Nordic was recently promoted to the Board of Directors of the Connectivity Standards Alliance and became a Promoter Member, the highest level of membership.

Through these changes, Nordic is expected to have a greater influence on the development of this alliance's standards, including Matter.