espressif News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

August 6, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Espressif Systems releases ESP RainMaker Neo open-source device-to-cloud-to-phone IoT platform

Espressif Systems has just released ESP RainMaker Neo, providing a complete device-to-cloud-to-phone app stack, including the cloud backend, firmware SDK, firmware examples, phone app SDK, and reference phone app. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because it’s essentially the open-source version of ESP RainMaker cloud service introduced in 2020. Both are still built on AWS Serverless architecture, but while ESP RainMaker, now known as ESP RainMaker Classic, is managed by Espressif, ESP RainMaker Neo is hosted on the customer’s own AWS instance(s), providing more flexibility and control over the cloud architecture. While the company has made efforts to keep the same hybrid mobile app SDK and similar device-side APIs, RainMaker Neo is a new implementation with a different cloud architecture from ESP RainMaker Classic. That means existing ESP RainMaker Classic deployments cannot be directly migrated to Neo, and the open-source implementation is only recommended for new deployments. Released under the Apache […]

June 13, 2026June 13, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

Espressif ESP32-E22 WiFi 6E module gets Wi-Fi CERTIFIED certificate, open-source WiFi and Bluetooth Linux drivers

The ESP32-E22 tri-band Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4 module has received a Wi-Fi CERTIFIED certificate from the Wi-Fi Alliance, and Espressif has also released WiFi and Bluetooth Linux drivers for the chip. The ESP32-E22 was first unveiled at CES 2026 with a dual-core RISC-V processor clocked at up to 500 MHz, 1MB RAM, tri-band WiFi 6E tested up to 2.1 Gbps with iperf, and dual-mode Bluetooth 5.4/6.0. While it also features 41 GPIO pins, it’s not mainly designed for IoT projects, but instead targets host-based wireless systems needing WiFi 6E / Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity through PCIe 2.0 or SDIO interfaces. In other words, the ESP32-E22 will likely show on M.2 modules, competing against similar products from MediaTek and Intel. Espressif has not said which module was tested for the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED certificate, but I suspect it should be the upcoming ESP32-E22-M2-1 M.2 module listed on the company’s website. From the certificate, […]

May 16, 2026May 16, 2026 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

Anthropic’s open-source Claude Desktop Buddy turns ESP32-S3 devices into interactive AI desk companions

Anthropic has opened its Claude Hardware Interface (Bluetooth API) to developers, enabling an ESP32-S3-based desk companion to connect directly to the Claude desktop app over Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). To demonstrate this new feature, the company released an open-source reference project called Claude Desktop Buddy. It currently runs on the M5StickC Plus (an ESP32-based board from M5Stack, about $30 on AliExpress and Amazon) and works as a small interactive hardware companion for Claude. Also, during the recent “Build with Claude” event, the company recommended the ESP32-S3-based M5Stack Cardputer as one of the best hardware options for developers who want to build physical devices that interact with AI agents. Designed as a physical companion device for Claude Cowork and Claude Code on macOS and Windows, it stays on your desk and provides real-time updates on the AI agent’s activity. It also lets you respond to permission requests directly using its buttons, so […]

April 23, 2026April 23, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Espressif Systems ESP-Claw framework builds local AI agents for ESP32 devices

We had already seen OpenClaw-like AI agents for ESP32 targets such as Mimiclaw and PycoClaw, but Espressif Systems has released its own ESP-Claw framework for building local AI agents capable of LLM-driven interaction and execution on ESP32 devices. ESP-Claw enables ESP32 boards to respond to events, work with LLM-driven decisions, retain useful context, and take actions locally without connection to the cloud, unless required. The agent can control sensors and device state, and perform real-world actions such as controlling an RGB LED strip. Some highlights of ESP-Claw include: Chat coding – Define device behavior through natural conversation. The LLM handles dynamic decisions, and local Lua scripts execute deterministically, even when offline. Quick response time – Devices react to real-time events instead of polling. A local event bus drives Lua rules for sensors and triggers, enabling millisecond-latency response on or offline. Plug and Play with MCP – ESP-Claw acts as both […]

March 27, 2026March 27, 2026 by Debashis Das - No Comments

SparkFun Thing Plus – ESP32-C5 board offers dual-band WiFi 6, Adafruit Feather pinout, LiPo battery support

Espressif has recently released the ESP-IDF v6.0 framework with support for ESP32-C5 and ESP32-C61, so we can expect more ESP32-C5 boards. Following the launch of boards like DFRobot FireBeetle 2 and the Espressif DevKitC-1, SparkFun has now launched its Thing Plus – ESP32-C5, an Adafruit Feather-compatible board based on the ESP32-C5. The timing is no coincidence. Although the ESP32-C5 dual-band WiFi 6 SoC was announced back in 2022, hardware makers have been waiting for stable software support. With the release of ESP-IDF v6.0, the ESP32-C5 moves from “preview” to “stable” and adds key features, such as Safe Bootloader OTA updates. This enables the ROM bootloader to fall back to a recovery partition if an update fails, making it reliable enough for companies like SparkFun to launch hardware for remote deployments and Matter-compatible smart home applications. SparkFun Thing Plus – ESP32-C5 specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-C5-WROOM-1 SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-C5 CPU Single-core […]

March 24, 2026May 22, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 20 Comments

Upcoming ESP32-S31 dual-core RISC-V MCU offers Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth, and 802.15.4 connectivity

It looks like Espressif Systems has a new powerful wireless microcontroller in the works, with the ESP32-S31 sharing some features of the ESP32-P4 and ESP32-S3 microcontrollers. The ESP32-S31 is a dual-core RISC-V MCU with one high-performance core with FPU and SIMD instructions, and one low-power RISC-V core, featuring 62 GPIOs, a Gigabit Ethernet MAC, WiFi, Bluetooth, and 802.15.4 (Thread/Zigbee/Matter) wireless connectivity, and more. ESP32-S31 preliminary specifications: MCU subsystem RISC-V HP (High-performance) RV32IMAFCP CPU @ 320 MHz with FPU, SIMD, etc. RISC-V LP (Low-power) MCU core Memory & Storage I/F 512 KB SRAM 32 KB RTC SRAM Support for external octal PSRAM and flash up to 64MB @ 250 MHz GPU – 2D Pixel Processing Accelerator (PPA) and VPU – (M)JPEG codec support Peripherals Display I/F – 8-bit to 24-bit Parallel LCD interface Camera I/F – 8-bit/16-bit DVP camera interface Audio – 2x I2S Networking Gigabit Ethernet 2.4 GHz WiFi 6 […]

January 7, 2026January 10, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Espressif Systems showcases ESP32-E22 Wi-Fi 6E SoC and ESP32-H21 BLE MCU for battery-powered devices

Espressif Systems is showcasing its products at CES 2026, including two interesting upcoming parts: the ESP32-E22 Wi-Fi 6E tri-band SoC and the ultra-low-power ESP32-H21 Bluetooth LE MCU for battery-powered devices. Espressif Systems has been teasing an upcoming Wi-Fi 6E SoC for several months, but so far, there have been very few details. Once tipped that the ESP32-E22 tri-band Wi-Fi 6E SoC was demonstrated at CES 2026, I headed over to X and noticed tks posted a few interesting photos from the exhibition. Here’s what we know about the ESP32-E22 so far: CPU – Dual-core RISC-V processor at up to 500 MHz Memory – 1 MB (no optional PSRAM) Wireless Tri-band 2.4/5/6GHz Wi-Fi 6E, 160 MHz channel bandwidth, 2×2 MIMO; tested with iperf; up to 2.1 Gbps physical thoughput Dual-mode Bluetooth 5.4/6.0 (LE + BR/EDR) I/Os – 41x GPIO Host interfaces – PCIe 2.0, USB FS OTG, SDIO 3.0 (when used […]

December 15, 2025December 16, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

The ESP Private Agents platform aims to ease the development of ESP32-based AI voice assistants with on-device processing

Espressif has just introduced the ESP Private Agents platform to help developers build local, private, and customizable AI assistants for ESP32 devices running on-device, although they can also support hybrid AI workloads with a mix of on-device and cloud processing. The ESP Private Agents platform offers a unified framework that allows developers to build applications combining speed, vision, automation, and agent-based interactions, for example, a multi-lingual, on-device voice agent (aka smart speaker) or task-oriented agents that automate workflows. The solution is built on AWS cloud services using AWS Fargate as a primary application platform and Amazon Bedrock Foundation Models as backend LLM systems. It not only works with ESP32-power devices with speaker and microphone, but also with mobile apps and web clients. Espressif released a Web-based demo, which you can use as a text-based chatbot or as a voice assistant leveraging the speaker and microphone on your computer. The company […]