High Power consumption issue in Nrf54L15 during system off (low power state)

[CYRUS AG]

Hi,

I am facing a power consumption issue with the nRF54L15 (BM15C SoC) in deep sleep (System OFF / low-power state). The measured current consumption is approximately 221.6 µA.

I am using the System OFF sample from the nRF Connect SDK:
https://github.com/nrfconnect/sdk-zephyr/tree/ncs-v3.2.2/samples/boards/nordic/system_off/

This value appears significantly higher than expected based on the datasheet:
https://docs.nordicsemi.com/bundle/ps_nrf54L15/page/chapters/current_consumption/doc/current_consumption.html

We recently migrated the hardware from an ESP32-C3-Mini-1 SoC to the BM15C SoC. On the same hardware setup, the ESP32-C3 consumes around 8 µA in deep sleep. Since the hardware design remains unchanged, we believe the issue is not hardware-related. However, with the nRF54L15 on the same setup, the deep sleep current remains high at 221.6 µA.

We are using nRF Connect SDK v3.2.2.

Could you please help identify possible causes or recommended checks to achieve the expected low-power consumption?

Thanks.

[Syed Maysum Abbas Zaidi]

Hi,

The 0.7-0.9 µA System OFF figures in the Nordic datasheet refer to the nRF54L15 SoC itself under ideal conditions (no RAM retention, minimal wake sources). On a module like BM15C, additional on‑module circuitry (regulator, pull‑ups, other ICs, etc.) can add to this, which likely explains the extra ~80 µA you are seeing.

Can you share the schematic snippet as well

Best Regards,
Syed Maysum

[CYRUS AG]

As the schematic contains project-specific confidential details, I have created a separate private support ticket to share the schematic snippet securely.

Private ticket case ID: 357608

Please continue the technical review in the private ticket.

Thanks!

Syed Maysum Abbas Zaidi said:

Can you share the schematic snippet as well

[Syed Maysum Abbas Zaidi]

Hi,

Thanks for sharing the schematic snippet, we will review it and get back to you on that private ticket.

Best Regards,
Syed Maysum