Oslo, Norway, October 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Nordic Semiconductor (OSE: NOD) is celebrating this month the 10th anniversary of its ultra-low-power wireless technology at the heart of the BBC micro:bit. The micro:bit Educational Foundation states that this pocket-sized educational development board has helped an estimated 73.5 million young people in over 85 countries learn programming and digital creativity.
This initiative follows the foundation’s call for collaboration between industry and education to enable children to understand, question, and create technology. When the BBC micro:bit was launched in 2016, up to one million micro:bit boards powered by Nordic’s wireless technology were distributed to students in the UK through the BBC Make it Digital campaign. Today, it has become one of the most widely used tools globally for introducing young people to programming, electronics, and digital creativity. The foundation aims to reach 100 million young people by 2028.
Gareth Stockdale, CEO of the micro:bit Educational Foundation, said: "Nordic Semiconductor has been with us from the beginning. In 2016, they provided one million components for the original BBC micro:bit, which were distributed to every Year 7 student in the UK."
This was an extraordinary investment in new ideas that put a real computer into the hands of an entire generation of young people.
The original development board was based on Nordic’s nRF51822 Bluetooth Low Energy SoC, while the current micro:bit v2 uses the nRF52833 multi-protocol SoC, delivering world-class Bluetooth LE wireless connectivity and ultra-low-power edge AI capabilities. This means students are learning with proven, low-power wireless technology—the same family of technologies used by professional engineers in connected products across consumer, industrial, and healthcare markets. For many developers, the micro:bit is the first step from the classroom to professional wireless development.
Gareth Stockdale continued: "Nordic has been one of our longest-standing and most active partners, with their technology at the core of every micro:bit. We are deeply grateful for their generosity and belief in our work. Looking ahead to the next decade, we are excited to continue collaborating to help even more children discover what they can create with technology."
Vegard Wollan, CEO of Nordic Semiconductor, said: “The micro:bit demonstrates what happens when technology becomes accessible, practical, and fun. Interest in technology is often determined at a very early age, long before anyone chooses a subject or career. We want children to discover what they can build and see technology and electronics as a realistic option in education. Many of tomorrow’s developers will first encounter wireless technology through the micro:bit in the classroom. We will continue to support this through our technology, as well as through collaboration with schools and our closest communities.”
Nordic’s investment in youth education will continue this month closer to home. On October 15, Nordic will join Electronic Coast at the Horten Tech Festival in Norway, where local primary, secondary, and university students can meet Nordic’s technical experts and share ideas on what they’d like to build with micro:bit. Nordic will also showcase the BBC micro:bit and its broader wireless IoT technology portfolio. The goal is to make Nordic more visible and accessible to young people, including those considering careers in engineering and technology, while strengthening the company’s presence within one of Norway’s key electronics industry communities.
By combining classroom-friendly hardware with industrial-grade wireless technology, the micro:bit helps bridge the gap between education and engineering practice. For Nordic, this project is a natural extension of its broader mission: to provide complete wireless solutions for designing, deploying, and maintaining IoT devices worldwide, ensuring they are secure, reliable, and sustainable.
Regarding the Nordic Semiconductor token offering
Nordic Semiconductor is a leading low-power wireless IoT company providing the foundational platforms and wireless technologies needed to connect IoT devices worldwide. The company simplifies the development and maintenance of secure, reliable, and scalable connected products by offering world-class hardware, embedded software, development tools, and cloud-based lifecycle services.