XA-NFE3001: 20 Mbit/s Near Field Electric Chip, Now Sampling

Products are going portless. At the same time, payloads are getting bigger. Firmware images, diagnostic logs, calibration data, and security artifacts routinely exceed tens to hundreds of megabytes. Traditional approaches force a compromise: expose a service port that weakens sealing and reliability, or rely on RF links that are often restricted, congested, or power-hungry in the places that matter most.

Today, Ixana is announcing XA-NFE3001. This next generation Wi-R NFE (Near Field Electric) connectivity is a near-field communication chip designed for portless provisioning, service, and data offload. It is built for close-range connectivity in the 1 to 15 cm range and delivers:

Availability: XA-NFE3001 is now sampling in limited quantities and will be officially unveiled at the upcoming Embedded World Conference. Evaluation kits are available for qualified partners. Contact Ixana to request samples. General availability timing will be shared in a future update.

20 Mbit/s PHY rate
~13.5 Mbit/s real throughput (typical goodput)
< 6 mW active power (at 20 Mbit/s)
< 0.2 ms latency

XA-NFE3001 turns near-field connection into a practical, high volume data path that behaves like a sealed, contactless service port.

This is the right capability at the right moment. Three trends have been converging to make near-field electric not just useful, but necessary.

Three Trends. One Inflection Point.

Portless hardware is the new baseline. Sealing improves reliability, but it removes the service path.
Firmware and logs are larger than ever. AI-era devices generate more telemetry and carry bigger software images.
RF is not always welcome. Congestion, policy restrictions, and security concerns push designers toward short-range, local, physically constrained links.

XA-NFE3001 is designed for this moment: a high-throughput near-field link with low latency and milliwatt-class power that makes near-field transfer a first-class capability.

XA-NFE3001 Wi-R NFE near-field electric data transfer between a smartphone and a sealed industrial device

Figure 1: High-speed data transfer between a sealed device and a smartphone across a near-field connection.

What ~13.5 Mbit/s throughput changes in the real world

When you plan real workflows, throughput matters more than the headline PHY rate. At ~13.5 Mbit/s, XA-NFE3001 enables near-field experiences that were previously too slow to operationalize at scale:

25 MB transfers in about 15 seconds
50 MB transfers in about 30 seconds
100 MB transfers in about 59 seconds

That last line is the inflection point. Moving a ~100 MB class firmware plus logs in roughly a minute changes the economics and user experience of provisioning and service.

XA-NFE3001 throughput bar chart showing 25MB, 50MB, and 100MB transfer times

Figure 2: The 59-second inflection point translating 13.5 Mbit/s throughput into practical workflow improvements.

The new applications XA-NFE3001 enables

Our previous XA-NFE2001 chip proved that ultra-low-power near-field electric links can replace RF in near-field workflows. XA-NFE3001 expands that capability into production-grade and service-grade payload sizes and time budgets.

1) Sealed service port replacement for modern diagnostics and updates

Devices are increasingly sealed to improve reliability, water and dust resistance, and tamper protection. But service still needs to happen. XA-NFE3001 enables a new service model: touch to update and touch to offload, through many sealed enclosures (including plastic and glass), with performance depending on mechanical and electrical design and the presence of conductors, without opening the device and without adding a fragile external connector.

Firmware updates plus post-update validation logs in a single session.
Higher-resolution diagnostic capture and crash-dump retrieval.
Secure maintenance workflows for equipment deployed in restricted environments.

2) Takt-time reduction in factory provisioning without pogo pins or exposed ports

Manufacturing and depot operations live and die by cycle time. The difference between a 2-minute transfer and a 30-second transfer determines whether a workflow fits the line or becomes a bottleneck.

End-of-line provisioning with larger images and richer calibration content.
Rework stations that can reflash and validate fast enough to stay in flow.
Reduced mechanical wear and corrosion risk by eliminating pogo pins and connectors where feasible.

3) Enterprise peripherals, modular hardware, and rugged accessories

In retail, logistics, and industrial environments, equipment needs to be modular and highly durable.

Smart sled add-ons for enterprise handhelds that maintain high-speed data sync with the main terminal without exposed mechanical contacts that degrade over time.
Seamless high-bandwidth pairing for modular workflows where reliability matters more than RF convenience.
Secure, high-speed modular attachments for ruggedized point-of-sale terminals and inventory management scanners.

4) Medical device data offload without compromising sealing

In medical and regulated environments, reliability, hygiene, and controlled connectivity are non-negotiable.

Fast offload of device logs and usage records without opening housings.
Local data transfer options when cloud connectivity is constrained.
A short-range, local link model that reduces the remote attack surface.

5) RF-minimized data handling for drones, IoT sensors, and vehicles

Some environments restrict Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Others simply do not want additional RF emissions or pairing friction in the field.

Drone and IoT sensor data offload through a sealed plastic or composite chassis at practical transfer times, that reduce remote interception risk.
Vehicle maintenance interactions without exposing a service port.
Close-range, local exchanges between platforms and service tools when RF is undesirable.

6) Smart home setup, automotive, and gaming peripherals

Consumers expect setup to be instant, but network conditions and cloud dependencies create friction.

Fast near-field experiences that move meaningful configuration payloads locally.
Lower friction accessory onboarding in noisy 2.4 GHz environments.
The same near-field link model can also simplify automotive service and controls, enabling fast contactless interactions where ports and RF pairing are undesirable.

Built for flexible, product ready integration

Wi-R NFE is designed as a configurable near-field system. Range and behavior can be influenced by parameters such as data rate, orientation, and the presence of conductors. This allows product teams to tailor the experience to their industrial design and material constraints. Ixana's ecosystem also supports multi-device topologies, including SDK support for networks up to 16 devices, for products that need more than a simple 1:1 connection.

Shielding note: Wi-R NFE relies on near-field electric coupling. A fully enclosed conductive shield (Faraday cage) blocks inside-to-outside coupling, so XA-NFE3001 is not intended to communicate from inside a Faraday cage to outside.

Get Started: Sample Now or Visit Us at Embedded World

Figure 3: XA-NFE3001 for sampling and integration evaluation.

Near-field electric is establishing itself as a distinct connectivity primitive, alongside RF and physical connectors, purpose-built for sealed, high-payload, spatially bound interactions. XA-NFE3001 is your entry point.

Silicon is available now. Request samples, visit us at the Embedded World Conference, or reach out at sales@ixana.ai to begin your evaluation.

FAQ

What is Near Field Electric (NFE) connectivity? NFE uses short-range electric-field coupling to create a near-field data link, designed for close-range connections (1 to 15 cm) without relying on traditional RF radios.

How is Wi-R NFE different from NFC? Compared to NFC's sub-1 Mbit/s class rates, XA-NFE3001 delivers up to 20 Mbit/s PHY (about 13.5 Mbit/s typical throughput). This makes it practical for firmware updates and data offload workflows that NFC cannot support at scale.

Does XA-NFE3001 work through metal enclosures? It can work through many sealed enclosures depending on the mechanical and electrical design, but it does not communicate from inside a fully enclosed Faraday cage to outside.

When can I get XA-NFE3001? XA-NFE3001 is now sampling. Contact Ixana to request samples and an evaluation kit, or visit us at the Embedded World Conference to see XA-NFE3001 in action.

Hall 2, Booth 2-412a (Start-up Area), Nuremberg, Germany

XA-NFE3001: 20 Mbit/s Near Field Electric Chip, Now Sampling