What protocols does the MCX W72 support?

It supports Bluetooth Low Energy 6.0 and IEEE 802.15.4 protocols, including Thread, Matter, and Zigbee.

How does MCX W72 ensure security?

It incorporates EdgeLock™ Secure Enclave with cryptographic acceleration and Arm® TrustZone®-M for hardware-isolated secure key management.

What is the benefit of the tri-core architecture?

It isolates connectivity, application compute, and security tasks, improving real-time performance and robustness.

How does the MCX W72 support localization?

The device features dedicated Bluetooth Channel Sounding and a 64-bit SIMD Localization Compute Engine to reduce ranging latency.

Can MCX W72 run multiple protocols simultaneously?

Yes, it supports simultaneous operation of Thread and Zigbee with Wi-Fi coexistence features for concurrent network activity.

NXP MCX W72 Multiprotocol Wireless MCU for IoT & Industrial BLE

Talk to the product expert

Miguel Reyes, System Enablement Engineer

High-Performance Multiprotocol Wireless MCU with Bluetooth® Channel Sounding

The MCX W72 product family is a low-power, highly secure, single-chip multiprotocol wireless MCU built for the next generation of IoT and industrial devices. It integrates a high-performance Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) 6.0 radio plus an IEEE 802.15.4 radio supporting Thread, Matter and Zigbee, enabling reliable connectivity across smart home and industrial ecosystems.

At the heart of the device is a sophisticated tri-core architecture that separates connectivity, application compute and security. This isolation improves real-time wireless performance, boosts efficiency, and strengthens protection by keeping critical security functions and time-sensitive radio tasks independent from the main application.

Robust security with EdgeLock™

Security is foundational to MCX W72, featuring an integrated EdgeLock™ Secure Enclave, a hardware-isolated subsystem for cryptographic acceleration, true random number generation and secure key storage. It supports Arm® TrustZone®-M, helping safeguard sensitive data and algorithms from unauthorized access.

Localization and efficiency

MCX W72 is designed for precise ranging and long battery life:

Bluetooth Channel Sounding ready: Dedicated Bluetooth Channel Sounding capabilities with an on-chip Localization Compute Engine (LCE) to reduce ranging latency
Localization Compute Engine (LCE): 64-bit SIMD datapath to accelerate advanced channel sounding algorithms using high-performance vector/matrix libraries
Energy efficiency: Flexible power architecture with typical receiver currents as low as 5.2 mA, plus power-down modes under 4 µA with RTC active

Advanced, concurrent connectivity

Simultaneous dual-PAN: Run Thread and Zigbee concurrently, with Wi-Fi coexistence features
True multiprotocol operation: The radio subsystem can run the full Thread or Zigbee stack alongside the BLE stack
Reliable real-time behavior: Real-time radio activities run on a separate core from the application, improving robustness under load

Built for scalable IoT products

With additional memory to support application-specific code, connectivity stacks, and over-the-air (OTA) firmware updates, MCX W72 provides a scalable, secure foundation for smart home sensors, gateways, and industrial positioning systems.

MCX W72 Family

Key takeaways