Your Old Devices Depend on Dying Sensors. The Silicon Labs Incident Proves It
The discontinuation of the Silicon Labs Si7021 sensor in January 2025 has highlighted the vulnerabilities in embedded hardware systems. This decision was driven by material compliance issues rather than performance or market factors, leading to significant disruptions for existing designs. The report introduces the Differential Temporal Derivative Soft Sensing framework as a potential solution to maintain measurement capabilities despite such part losses.
- ▪The Si7021 sensor was widely used in embedded hardware before its discontinuation.
- ▪The discontinuation was due to compliance issues related to insulation materials and regulatory pressures.
- ▪There was no direct replacement for the Si7021, causing disruptions in existing designs.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Back to Computer Science Search within Computer Science A Common Curve of Sensor Deprecation, Analysis of Silicon Labs Si7021 and Si7020 Sensors 23 May 2026, Version 1 Presentation Climate Change and Sustainability Authors Neksha DeSilva Show author details This content is an early or alternative research output and has not been peer-reviewed by Cambridge University Press at the time of posting. Download Cite Comment Abstract The Silicon Labs Si7021 temperature and humidity sensor was used widely in embedded hardware for many years. In January 2025, it was discontinued. The discontinuation was not caused by weak measurement performance, aging design, or ordinary market decline.
…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Cambridge Open Engage.
Discussion
0 commentsMore from Cambridge Open Engage
