Espressif Systems is a semiconductor company based in Shanghai, and it makes the chips that power a large share of the smart home devices on the market today, including most of ReZ-TI's own product line.
The chip family that matters most for smart home hardware is the ESP32 series. Different variants in that series are built for different jobs:
- ESP32-C3: a compact Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy chip, commonly used for Matter over Wi-Fi devices that don't need a mesh network.
- ESP32-H2: built around 802.15.4 radio (Thread and Zigbee) plus Bluetooth LE, used for Matter over Thread devices that join a low-power mesh.
- ESP32-C6: a dual-mode chip supporting both Wi-Fi and Thread (plus Zigbee and Bluetooth LE), giving manufacturers flexibility to support either transport from the same silicon.
None of these chips are Matter-specific on their own. Matter is a software-layer standard that runs on top of the connectivity these chips provide. What makes an Espressif-based device "Matter-native" is the firmware built on top of the chip, not the chip itself.
Why this matters for buyers: when a product spec sheet lists an ESP32 variant, that tells you which transport (Wi-Fi, Thread, or both) the device uses, which in turn tells you what infrastructure you need on your network (a Thread Border Router, or nothing extra at all).
FAQ
Is every Espressif-based device automatically Matter-certified?
No. Matter certification is a separate process the manufacturer has to complete. The chip enables the connectivity; certification is a distinct step on top of that.
Why do so many smart home brands use Espressif chips specifically?
Cost, chip maturity, and broad software support are the main reasons. Espressif's SDKs have deep, well-documented support for both Wi-Fi and Thread/Zigbee radios on the same chip family, which lowers development time for manufacturers.