Most Internet of Things (IoT) conversations focus on the devices. Semtech is focused on everything in between — the chips, the connectivity stack and the cloud infrastructure that turns raw sensor data into operational intelligence. In this Q&A, two of the company’s senior directors break down what it takes to build IoT networks that are resilient, scalable and ready for what’s next.
Originally published in French in Interface magazine; translated and adapted for English-language audiences.
Q: What are Semtech’s core missions in the design and engineering of intelligent networks?
Pascal Rieux: Semtech is positioned today as an integrated IoT player, operating on three complementary levels. First, as a high-performance semiconductor provider, Semtech powers the data centers driving generative AI. Second, through its connectivity technologies (LoRa®/LoRaWAN®, cellular, Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) satellite), the company supplies the raw material required by AI: data collected at the network’s edge. Third, via its cloud platform (AirVantage®), Semtech manages end-to-end connectivity for connected devices through to the cloud.
Q: In what ways do LoRa and LoRaWAN contribute to critical connectivity and engineering that prioritizes performance and sustainability?
Nicolas Damour: LoRa and LoRaWAN are technologies designed to provide long-range connectivity at very low power consumption — a fundamental requirement in demanding environments, especially in industrial contexts such as smart metering, sensors and other critical infrastructure. Low power consumption is not a trade-off on performance; it is about preserving network capacity while reducing the energy footprint of devices. The security protocols integrated into LoRaWAN ensure communication integrity in these sensitive contexts. Semtech is a founding member and contributor to the LoRa Alliance®, the organization that defines and develops these industrial standards.
Q: How does AI support availability, security and operational management in AirVantage Smart Connectivity?
Pascal Rieux: To be precise, some of the platform’s automated features — such as threshold-based alerts and consumption data analysis — are better described as intelligent management rules than as AI in the strict sense of the term. It is essential to avoid overusing the term “AI” for functions that do not qualify as such. We can highlight Semtech’s use of AI in its internal processes as well as our provision of AI infrastructure, supplying our clients’ data centers with semiconductors and IoT data. Machine learning work is also under way, particularly to offer advanced analytics services based on the massive volumes of data flowing through the platform. The approach is one of active exploration, with a degree of humility about what is already operational.
Q: Tell us about the hybrid approach (LoRaWAN + cellular + satellite) you recommend for critical IoT systems.
Nicolas Damour: Satellite connectivity today is a relevant and growing vector. The key point is the multi-network, multi-technology strategy: LoRaWAN for Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) networks, cellular (2G/3G/4G/5G) for mobile coverage and satellite for global coverage in areas without terrestrial infrastructure. The AirVantage platform enables unified management of these technologies, offering clients a seamless user experience regardless of the underlying technology. The hybrid approach therefore addresses the resilience and service continuity requirements of critical IoT deployments.
Q: How would you define Semtech’s edge-to-cloud network and cloud architecture, balancing latency, reliability and industrial scalability?
Pascal Rieux: Semtech’s edge-to-cloud network and cloud architecture is built on a microservices approach and a distributed architecture, with the cloud platform drawing on best practices from cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and [Microsoft] Azure, particularly around the concepts of microservices and security by design.
Multi-region deployment is another essential pillar: to minimize latency, the platform is deployed across several geographic regions, enabling each client to connect to the nearest point of presence. This approach is closely tied to data residency requirements, as clients may require that their data — both at rest and in transit — remains within a specific country or continent. This is an increasingly common demand, particularly in Europe. In this context, the concept of local breakout allows device traffic to exit directly via a local point of presence, rather than being routed through a distant network core.
Moreover, automatic scalability is at the heart of the model: unlike on-premises architectures, Semtech’s cloud platform incorporates dynamic scaling, enabling all components to keep pace with traffic growth without manual intervention. Finally, reliability and redundancy are ensured by leveraging managed services from cloud providers, conferring structural high availability to the platform.
Q: What are your major challenges and how does Semtech address them through innovation?
Nicolas Damour: We face several major challenges. The first concerns global coverage and data localization: the goal is to provide resilient multi-network mobile connectivity — 2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G — everywhere in the world, building on industrial standards such as SGP.32 and dynamic configuration. In this context, data sovereignty becomes an unavoidable requirement, with expectations for data residency both at rest and in transit, particularly through local breakout mechanisms.
Post-quantum security is also an emerging and growing challenge. Resilience against post-quantum attacks is a key topic in mobile networks and cloud public key infrastructure (PKI) infrastructures, an issue actively monitored with partners and notably discussed at Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona.
Scalability and unified user experience represent another important axis. Product innovation involves building a unified interface — rather than relying on the technical concept of a “single pane of glass” — to make the management of multiple connectivity types such as LoRaWAN, cellular and satellite transparent and seamless. The cloud platform’s system design is actively being improved in this direction.
Finally, the innovation approach rests on a balance between exploring new frameworks or programming languages and achieving operational stability. We maintain a permanent technology watch, backed by partnerships that allow anticipation of future developments. Semtech positions itself more as a consumer and adapter of best cloud and open-source practices than as a standards contributor, while leveraging cross-disciplinary expertise spanning the entire IoT landscape—from hardware to protocols to the cloud—which constitutes a key differentiator.
To learn more about AirVantage Smart Connectivity and Semtech’s IoT solutions, visit semtech.com/smart-connectivity
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