Oslo – October 13, 2026 -- Nordic Semiconductor (OSE: NOD) is marking 10 years of its ultra-low-power wireless technology inside the BBC micro:bit, a board that has helped an estimated 73.5 million young people in more than 85 countries learn coding, according to the Micro:bit Educational Foundation.
Foundation targets 100 million young people by 2028
The Foundation is calling on industry and education to work together so children can understand, question and create with technology. Its goal is to reach 100 million young people by 2028.
The program began in 2016, when up to one million micro:bit boards with Nordic wireless technology were distributed to school-children across the UK through the BBC Make it Digital campaign. Foundation CEO Gareth Stockdale said Nordic supplied a million components for the original board, which went to every Year 7 student in the UK.
Chip generations move from nRF51822 to nRF52833
The original board used the Nordic nRF51822 Bluetooth Low Energy SoC. The current micro:bit v2 runs on the nRF52833 multiprotocol SoC, which adds Bluetooth LE connectivity and ultra-low-power edge AI capabilities.
Nordic says the chips come from the same family used by professional engineers in consumer, industrial and healthcare connected products. The company pitches the micro:bit as a first step from classroom to professional wireless development.
Nordic CEO links early exposure to talent pipeline
Nordic CEO Vegard Wollan said interest in technology is often decided early, before anyone picks a subject or career. He said many of tomorrow's developers will first meet wireless technology through the micro:bit, and that Nordic will continue supporting it through its technology and through collaboration with schools and communities.
Nordic joins Electronic Coast at Horten Tech Festival on October 15
On October 15, Nordic will join Electronic Coast at the Horten Tech Festival in Norway. Local school pupils and university students can meet Nordic's technology experts and pitch ideas for what they would like to build with micro:bit. Nordic will demonstrate BBC micro:bits alongside a selection of its wider wireless IoT technologies, aiming to reach young people considering engineering careers and to strengthen its presence in a key Norwegian electronics community.