Foundation Core

Regulation on Chip: pre-certified firmware for connected medical devices

Foundation Core delivers IEC 62304:2006+AMD1:2015-compliant communications, logging, security, and safety monitoring as a drop-in SPI peripheral on the Nordic nRF5340 SoC. Your application talks to compliance over SPI.

Foundation Platform
7
Regulatory standards addressed
6 yrs
Development on Nordic silicon
3
Nordic SoCs in multi-processor architecture
<10 hrs
Our fastest record for an IoT device + app demonstration build
Your Application Processor
↔ SPI Interface ↔
Foundation Core Regulation on Chip (RoC)
BLE · Wi-Fi 6 · Cellular IoT
Nordic nRF5340 SoC

Foundation Core presents as a standard SPI peripheral to the host application

Regulation on Chip (RoC)

Foundation Core packages the regulatory infrastructure that every connected medical device needs, including compliant communications, audit-grade logging, secure boot, encrypted firmware updates, and safety monitoring, into a single Nordic nRF5340 SoC.

The platform presents as a standard SPI peripheral. Your application processor talks to Foundation Core over SPI and inherits its compliance properties without the cost and complexity of building regulatory infrastructure from scratch.

Certified once. Reused many times.

What Foundation Core provides

Every capability an OEM needs to build a connected, compliant medical device, delivered as pre-certified infrastructure.

Secure boot and firmware updates

CryptoCell-312 hardware accelerator provides secure boot, encrypted firmware storage, and authenticated OTA updates. Key management via the nRF5340's KMU.

Audit-grade logging

Comprehensive device logging with tamper-evident records, real-time clock management, and data buffering that preserves clinical observations during connectivity interruptions.

Network abstraction

Transparent switching between BLE, Wi-Fi 6 (nRF7002), and cellular IoT (nRF9151) without changes to application code. BLE Mesh for ward-scale coverage.

Independent safety monitoring

The nRF5340's dual-core architecture provides hardware-enforced separation between the communications stack and safety monitor, supporting IEC 62304:2006+AMD1:2015 Class B and C requirements.

Standard GATT profiles

Bluetooth 5.3 with standard GATT profile services, providing a well-defined interface for companion mobile applications and gateway devices.

Regulatory SDK

Exposes Foundation's compliance services to your application code: compliant logging, secure communications, configuration management, and audit-grade data handling.

Compliance through the SDK

Foundation Core's regulatory SDK extends the compliance boundary beyond the chip and into your firmware. By calling Foundation SDK functions, your application inherits the compliance properties of the underlying platform.

The SDK exposes compliant logging, secure communications, configuration management, real-time clock synchronisation, and audit-grade data handling directly to your application code. This enables the whole device firmware to benefit from Foundation's pre-certified infrastructure without the developer needing to build or document these services independently.

// Your application code on host processor
// Foundation Core handles compliance

#include <foundation_sdk.h>

// Compliant logging via Foundation
foundation_log(LOG_CLINICAL,
  "SpO2 reading: %d%%", value);

// Secure data transmission
foundation_send(channel,
  &patient_data, sizeof(data));

// Configuration management
foundation_config_set(
  "sample_rate", "250Hz");

// RTC synchronisation
foundation_rtc_sync();

“Foundation Core packages regulatory infrastructure into a single Nordic nRF5340, certified once and reused many times. The customer’s application talks to Foundation Core over SPI. From their perspective, they are buying a compliant communications component, not undertaking a regulatory programme.”

Dr Philip Gaffney OBE Chief Executive Officer, Camgenium

Multi-processor architecture

For applications requiring the highest levels of safety assurance, Foundation extends across three Nordic SoCs. This architecture addresses the safety requirements of IEC 60601-4-5:2021 for programmable electrical medical systems.

nRF54H20
Application Processor
Customer's clinical application with TrustZone trusted execution. Double the processing power of the nRF5340.
Your code runs here
nRF5340
Foundation Core
Communications, compliance engine, regulatory SDK, secure boot, audit-grade logging, network abstraction.
Regulation on Chip
nRF54L05
Safety Processor
Independent watchdog monitoring, fault detection, and emergency communications.
IEC 62304:2006+AMD1:2015 Class C
← SPI  |  Inter-processor communication bus  |  SPI →

Multi-processor architecture (patent pending, filed with Reddie & Grose LLP)

Standards addressed by Foundation Core

Foundation Core is designed to address the requirements of the following international standards for medical device software, safety, cybersecurity, and quality management.

IEC 62304:2006+AMD1:2015
Medical device software lifecycle processes
ISO 14971:2019
Application of risk management to medical devices
EU MDR 2017/745
European Medical Device Regulation
FDA QMSR (21 CFR Part 820)
Quality System Management Regulation
IEC 60601-4-5:2021
Safety of programmable electrical medical systems
IEC 81001-5-1:2021
Health software and health IT systems security
ISO 13485:2016
Medical device quality management systems
Nordic nRF Connect SDK
Built on Zephyr RTOS with NCS 3.1.1

Network abstraction across Nordic silicon

Foundation Core provides transparent switching between connectivity technologies without changes to the customer's application code.

Bluetooth LE 5.3nRF5340 integrated
BLE MeshWard and facility scale
Wi-Fi 6nRF7002 companion IC
Cellular IoTnRF9151 SiP
PoEPower over Ethernet

Foundation: end-to-end compliance infrastructure

Foundation Core is part of a complete platform that provides medical device OEMs with everything needed from chip to cloud.

University of Cambridge

Foundation Core has been supplied on Nordic nRF5xxx development kits to the University of Cambridge Department of Engineering for six consecutive years as part of the university's medical device project programme.

Final-year engineering students use the platform for projects that count towards their degree, introducing future engineers to both the Nordic development ecosystem and the practicalities of medical device regulatory compliance.

6 consecutive years

Foundation Core supplied to Cambridge Department of Engineering on Nordic development kits.

IoT in under 10 hours

Fully functional temperature monitoring system with Android app, enterprise logging, secure OTA, and cloud integration.

Ready to build your medical device on Foundation Core?

Speak with our engineering team about how Foundation Core can accelerate your connected medical device programme.

Contact our team Foundation Platform