Nanotron

Market position

Nanotron was cited by MarketsandMarkets as one of the vendors dominating the global UWB market alongside Apple, Samsung, Decawave and NXP. Inpixon characterized the acquisition as transformational, noting Nanotron's patent portfolio, engineering team and installed base. Third-party research cited in the announcement projected the location-based services and RTLS market to grow from $17.8 billion in 2020 to $39.2 billion by 2025 (17.1% CAGR), with the UWB market growing from $1.1 billion in 2020.

Differentiation rests on proprietary and patented technology: Chirp Spread Spectrum ranging in the 2.4 GHz ISM band offering approximately one-meter accuracy at ranges up to 500 meters, patented SDS-TWR ranging licensed to Decawave, on-chip time-of-arrival stamping, tag-to-tag communication, and the "Sea of Anchors" wireless anchor synchronization enabling scalable TDoA deployments, combined with in-house chip design capability across both CSS and UWB.

Technology

Core technologies include Chirp Spread Spectrum (CSS), a modulation scheme using chirp pulses that supports simultaneous communication and time-of-arrival estimation, with versions standardized in IEEE 802.15.4a and IEC/ISO 24730-5; symmetrical double-sided two-way ranging (SDS-TWR), a patented messaging scheme that eliminates time-base offset between independent mobile devices to enable ranging between low-cost transceivers; time-of-flight ranging for physical distance estimation with higher precision than received signal strength methods; and TDoA-based RTLS using on-chip time-of-arrival stamps, combined with the company's "Sea of Anchors" wireless anchor synchronization for scalable deployments. Nanotron provides CSS in mixed-signal RF transceiver ICs and also supports ultra-wideband. Reported performance includes roughly one-meter accuracy and up to 500-meter range in the 2.4 GHz ISM band with Chirp, and 30-centimeter accuracy with UWB.

Go-to-market

Nanotron sells through distribution and technology partners including Arrow Electronics, DigiKey and Decawave, and through an established network of system integrators and resellers; Inpixon cited this channel as a basis for cross-selling and up-selling after the acquisition.

OEMs and device makers integrating location modules and transceiver chips, plus enterprise and industrial end users in construction, manufacturing, mining, autonomous vehicles, livestock, energy and critical equipment, warehousing, intralogistics, and transportation and logistics. Use cases include live positioning, asset and forklift tracking, collision avoidance, man-down and worker safety, material flow, yard management and wireless intrusion detection.

Geography

Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, with a customer and deployment presence spanning Europe, Asia, Africa, South America and the Middle East; Inpixon stated the acquisition deepened its geographic presence outside North America. The Berlin office address listed on the site is Knesebeckstr. 62/63, 10719 Berlin.

History

Nanotron has been developing wireless communications technology since the mid-1990s, and by 2020 had spent roughly two decades establishing itself as a provider of IoT solutions for real-time location systems and indoor/outdoor positioning. The company introduced what it describes as the first commercially affordable chip solution with ranging capabilities. On October 5, 2020, Inpixon announced a definitive agreement to acquire Nanotron Technologies GmbH; the nanotron.com site now redirects visitors to inpixon.com and states that Nanotron joined Inpixon in 2020, with the same technology and team continuing inside Inpixon's RTLS platform.