Amazon’s New Microwave: ‘Alexa, Please Defrost My Chicken’

New offerings include Alexa-enabled chip that manufacturers can install to control basic appliances

SEATTLE—In a bid to control the smart home of the future, Amazon.com Inc. is offering makers of electronics a small chip that would let people use their voice to command everything from microwaves and coffee machines to room fans and guitar amplifiers.

The online retail giant is hoping big manufacturers will sign up to incorporate the Alexa-enabled chips—which cost a few dollars each—in lower-end, everyday household devices.

The...