ESP32-C5: Breakthrough RISC-V SoC with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth LE support

Espressif Systems is once again innovating in the market. ESP32-C5 is the first RISC-V SoC chip to support dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 and 5 GHz bands) and Bluetooth LE (Low Energy) communication module. The ESP32-C5 is designed for applications requiring high-performance wireless transmission.

The ESP32-C5 features:

• Dual-band Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) radio with 802.11b/g/n support (backward compatibility).
• Optimized Wi-Fi 6 support for IoT devices:
• 20 MHz throughput for 802.11ax mode.
• 20/40 MHz throughput for 802.11b/g/n mode.
• 32-bit RISC-V single-core processor that can operate at up to 240 MHz.
• 400 KB of SRAM and 384 KB of ROM with external flash memory capability.
• More than 20 programmable GPIOs, support for all commonly used peripherals and best-in-class security features.
• SDIO 2.0 Slave Interface.

5 GHz band support provides users with stable low-latency wireless connectivity. This is especially important in situations requiring less traffic and less interference, allowing different IoT devices to be assigned to different networks based on their criticality.

The 5 GHz band also supports high-bandwidth applications such as live-streaming devices, Wi-Fi dongles, and IP cameras. By integrating dual-band connectivity into their devices, customers can enjoy maximum flexibility while future-proofing their solutions.

The 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) standard used in ESP32-C5 introduces a number of innovative features that bring significant benefits to IoT devices:

• OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) - Provides high performance and low latency in congested wireless environments.
• MU-MIMO (Multi-User Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) - Improves connectivity in dense networks by allowing multiple devices to communicate simultaneously.
• TWT (Target Wake Time) - Increases battery life, allowing longer sleep periods while maintaining connectivity.

These features make the ESP32-C5 an excellent choice for modern low-power IoT devices that require reliable and efficient wireless communication.

ESP32-C5 is supported by Espressif's open source ESP-IDF software, which is already powering millions of devices on the market. ESP-AT and ESP-Hosted SDKs are also available to facilitate integration with external hosts.