Ambiq Micro, Inc. (NYSE: AMBQ), a technology leader in ultra-low-power semiconductor solutions for edge AI, announced that TIME has listed Ambiq’s Subthreshold Power Optimized Technology (SPOT) platform as one of its Best Inventions of 2025 in the Artificial Intelligence category. The award recognizes SPOT as a technology breakthrough that enables devices to run AI workloads locally with unprecedented energy efficiency, redefining what’s possible for intelligent, battery-powered systems.
To compile this year’s list, TIME solicited nominations from TIME editors and correspondents worldwide, paying special attention to emerging fields—such as healthcare and AI. TIME then evaluated each contender on a number of key factors, including originality, efficacy, ambition, and impact.
Reimagining What’s Possible at the Edge
SPOT is a proprietary platform that has been proven to dramatically reduce total system power consumption in battery-operated devices at scale. Originally conceived in 2010 by Ambiq’s Founder and CTO, Dr. Scott Hanson, at the University of Michigan, devices incorporating SPOT run two to five times more efficiently, extending battery life and unlocking new capabilities for the growing Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem.
From Lab Breakthrough to Global Impact
Subthreshold circuit design has long been a theoretical pursuit in electrical engineering, hindered by real-world challenges such as temperature drift, voltage instability, and scaling limitations. Ambiq’s engineering breakthroughs are overcoming these barriers, making commercial subthreshold operation practical and manufacturable for the first time.
Today, more than 280 million SPOT-powered chips have been shipped worldwide, powering some of the most popular wearables, healthcare monitors, and IoT products on the market. Ambiq’s flagship Apollo System-on-Chip (SoC) family, now in its fifth generation, continues to raise the bar for power-efficient performance—enabling AI applications once thought impossible in power-constrained devices.
AI Without Compromise
“In power-constrained devices, every milliwatt matters,” said Fumihide Esaka, CEO of Ambiq. “Manufacturers have long been forced to trade performance for battery life. SPOT changes that equation—enabling larger neural networks and smarter features without sacrificing energy efficiency. We’re deeply honored that TIME has recognized the impact of this technology and its potential to put intelligence everywhere.”
Expanding the Edge AI Frontier
Since its early adoption in smartwatches—used by eight of the world’s top ten manufacturers—the SPOT platform has evolved to power an expanding range of applications, including ECG monitors, smart glasses, hearing aids, voice assistants, industrial sensors, gaming controllers, and security systems. Each new use case underscores Ambiq’s mission to enable sustainable, always-on intelligence across industries.
Following its successful IPO on the New York Stock Exchange in July 2025, Ambiq continues to advance its vision of a world where intelligent devices operate seamlessly at the edge—efficient, connected, and everywhere.
Click the link to learn more about Ambiq’s recognition of SPOT in Time’s Best Invention of 2025.
