Definitely the spring
31
Mar
2025
This month definitely felt like spring with a plethora of exciting news. ST led the way by launching the 800MHz Cortex-M55 STM32N6, featuring ST’s Neural-ART Accelerator, designed for edge AI applications. Meanwhile, Microchip introduced the PIC32CZ CA70, a high-performance Cortex-M7 family with advanced DSP capabilities, and Nuvoton unveiled the M2A23 series, targeting automotive and industrial applications. NXP also made waves with the MCX N23x, featuring the EdgeLock Secure Enclave for enhanced security.
Infineon had a couple of dozen new products in the PSOC4100S Max family, only variants of existing products.
The 4100S is a low-cost Cortex-M0+ solution with CAPSENSE™ technology targeted for industrial control, home appliance, and home automation.
Microchip released the ATMEGA324PB, an automotive version of the ATMEGA324PA. There were also new variants of the DSPIC33AK.
Finally Microchip launched a new Cortex-M7 family. The Microchip PIC32CZ CA70 are based on a 300MHz Cortex-M7 core with a Double Precision FPU. These devices feature up to 2048 Kbytes of Flash, and up to 512Kbytes of multi-port SRAM which is configurable Instruction and Data Tightly Couple Memories to leverage the advanced DSP capabilities of the core. The PIC32CZ CA70 series includes a 10/100 Ethernet MAC w/IEEE1588, HS USB Interface with integrated PHY, dual CAN-FD, QSPI, MediaLB, CMOS Imager interface, TDM/I2S (SSC,) multiple serial interfaces as well as on-board hardware cryptography including a TRNG, AES-256, and SHA-256 engines.
Prices start at $4.28/5k.
No change this month.
Nuvoton added the M2A23 series, that targets automotive and industrial applications, operating at temperatures up to 125°C and voltage ranges from 2.5V to 5.5V. It features a Cortex-M23 core with a 72 MHz frequency and up to 256 KB of Flash memory. With three CAN FD interfaces and a LLSI interface, it supports modern automotive and industrial network standards. Additional features include six PDMA channels for efficient data transfer, 12-channel 144 MHz PWM outputs, and multiple communication interfaces (LIN, UART, I2C, SPI). The series also offers analog capabilities, including a 12-bit ADC (2 Msps) and a temperature sensor. Package options include QFN48, LQFP48, and LQFP64.
NXP had communicated around the MCX N series with the N54 and the N93, but there weren’t any products announced yet. This month, they announced another branch in the family, the MCX N23x.
It is based on a 150MHz Cortex-M33, with 1MB of Flash, 352 KB ECC RAM and SmartDMA.
The EdgeLock Secure Enclave on the MCX N23x is a self-contained, on-die hardware security subsystem that has its own dedicated security core, internal ROM, secure RAM and it supports state-of-the-art side-channel attack-resilient symmetric and asymmetric crypto accelerators and hashing functions for security services.
8 parts were released, prices start at $3.59/10k with 512/192 kB Flash/RAM and 100-pin HLQFP package.
Renesas was quiet this month with virtually no change after the heavy cleanup they performed the last couple of months.
This month builds on last month’s launch of the EFR32MG26, a multiprotocol Wireless SoCs ideal for mesh IoT wireless connectivity using Matter, OpenThread, and Zigbee protocols for smart home, lighting, and building automation products.
The EFM32PG26 is a software-compatible, MCU-only version of the EFR32xG26 wireless SoC platform, namely (BG26 and MG26). PG26 32-bit MCUs are ideal for enabling a wide range of low-power and high-performance embedded IoT applications. They offer an 80 MHz Cortex-M33 with LCD controller, rich analog and communication peripherals, low current consumptions, and more GPIOs to address complex systems. The PG26 is also equipped with a hardware AI/ML accelerator allowing for faster inferencing at the edge with lower power consumption.
12 part numbers were released starting at $2.61 @1k
ST continues to expand its low cost offering with the STM32C0 adding a dozen products and hammering down the low cost $0.21 @10k.
But the big news this month is the delivery of the first STM32N6 products that were announced in december. The PR read: The STM32N6 microcontroller (MCU) series is ST’s most powerful to date, and the first to embed ST’s proprietary neural processing unit (NPU), the Neural-ART Accelerator, delivering 600 times more machine-learning performance than a high-end STM32 MCU today. The STM32N6 has been available to selected customers since October 2023 and is now ready to be offered in high volumes.
The STM32N6 is based on a 800MHz Cortex-M55 , the first CPU to introduce Arm Helium vector processing technology, bringing DSP processing capability to a standard CPU. It also embeds the ST Neural-ART accelerator™, an in-house developed neural processing unit (NPU) engineered for power-efficient edge AI applications. Clocked at 1 GHz and providing up to 600 GOPS, it enables real-time neural network inference for computer vision and audio applications.A dedicated computer vision pipeline with a MIPI CSI-2 interface and image signal processing (ISP) ensures compatibility with a wide range of cameras. The STM32N6 also features an H264 hardware encoder and the NeoChrom™ Accelerator for graphics, making it suitable for feature-rich products.
It offers 4.2 Mbytes of contiguous embedded RAM, ideal for neural networks or graphics applications, complemented by high-speed external memory interfaces (hexa-SPI, OCTOSPI, FMC).
The STM32N6 offers advanced security features, meeting the latest standards with target SESIP level 3 and PSA level 3 certifications.
Available in six different packages ranging from 169 to 264 pins and from 0.4 mm to 0.8 mm pitch, it supports up to 125°C ambient temperature, making it suitable for harsh environments. Prices start at $7.51/10k.
ST also filled a whole in the low power space between the STM32U0 (Cortex-M0+) and the STM32U5 (Cortex-M33) with the STM32U3 based on a 96-MHz Cortex-M33 core. It is the first STM32 based on near-threshold design which drastically reduces the dynamic consumption of the final application. This product represents the market-leader in term of efficiency with 117 Coremark/mW and a static mode < 2 µA.
The series has 256 Kbytes of RAM and 512 to 1024 kB of dual bank flash. The STM32U3 series supports -40 °C to +105 °C temperature range.
TI added 20 more M0L1/2 parts to its low cost portfolio
New products sprouting
04
Mar
2025
This feels like an dearly spring with a lot of new products sprouting from major suppliers. Microchip was active in the AVR and PIC32 families while Renesas was busy cleaning up its RL78 portfolio and ST and Silicon Labs showing their latest wares. ST is now proposing a $0.21@10k STM32
Infineon had a couple of dozen new products in the PSoC4000 family, only variants of existing products.
Microchip launched the AVR® SD Family, ISO 26262-compliant to avoid systematic device faults, with clock speeds up to 20 MHz. They offer 32/64 KB of Flash, 4/8 KB of SRAM, and 256 bytes of EEPROM. The microcontrollers are available in 20-, 28-, 32- and 48-pin packages. The AVR® SD provides a dual-core lockstep CPU, Single-Error Correcting and Double-Error Detecting (SECDED) ECC on Flash, EEPROM and SRAM, Error Controller for functional safety, and Program and Debug Interface Disable (PDID) for security.
over 20 part numbers were released.
Other families had new variants, including the AVR64DA, the DSPIC33CK, PIC16 and PIC18.
Microchip also launched the PIC32A, a 200 MHz 32-bit General-Purpose MCUs with High-Speed Analog.
On the flip side, close to 200 products were NRNDed mostly in the PIC32MK and MZ families.
No change this month.
Nuvoton added a dozen parts, in the M2L31 and the M253L families.
No change.
Well, Renesas is continuing its spring clean-up with a wide NRND sweep across all its MCU families with over 4,500 parts affected, the bulk of which fell on the RL78.
SiLabs launched the EFR32MG26, a multiprotocol Wireless SoCs ideal for mesh IoT wireless connectivity using Matter, OpenThread, and Zigbee protocols for smart home, lighting, and building automation products. With key features like high-performance 2.4 GHz RF, low current consumption, an AI/ML hardware accelerator, and Secure Vault™, IoT device makers can create the smart, robust, and energy-efficient products that are secure from remote and local cyber-attacks. An ARM Cortex®-M33 running up to 78 MHz and up to 3 MB of flash and 512 kB of RAM enables more complex applications and provides headroom for Matter over Thread. Target applications include gateways and hubs, LED lighting, switches, sensors, locks, glass break detection, predictive maintenance, wake-word detection, and more.
23 part numbers were released starting at $3.68 @1k.
The new STM32U3 introduces significant advancements over previous STM32U series models, particularly in energy efficiency, security, and performance.
For Energy efficiency, the STM32U3 achieves twice the efficiency of the STM32U5 series, boasting a market-leading Coremark-per-milliwatt score of 117. This is achieved through near-threshold technology and AI-driven adaptive voltage scaling, which reduces dynamic power consumption to 10µA/MHz and stop current to 1.6µA.
STM32U3 vs. STM32L4: Compared to the STM32L4, the STM32U3 is five times more efficient in power consumption.
On security Enhancements, while the STM32U5 already featured strong security, the STM32U3 further improves protection by introducing a new key storage mechanism (Coupling and Chaining Bridge – CCB), ensuring secret keys remain permanently secure.
Like its predecessor, it supports SESIP3 and PSA Level 3 certifications, but with added factory-loaded attestation credentials for enhanced security compliance with RED and CRA regulations.
On Memory & Connectivity, the STM32U3 provides up to 1MB of Flash dual-bank memory and 256kB of SRAM, matching the STM32U5. It integrates advanced I3C digital connectivity, offering improved efficiency over previous I2C implementations.
While the STM32U5 focused on ultra-low-power applications like wearable health monitors and industrial sensors, the STM32U3 extends these benefits with further reduced power consumption, making it even more suitable for IoT applications that rely on minimal energy sources (e.g., coin cells, solar, thermoelectric).
ST is extending its low cost portfolio, the STM32C0 with the STM32C051.
It is an upgrade to the STM32C031, with double the Flash (64 KB) and RAM (12 KB) sizes while maintaining the same die size, packages, and pin-outs. This allows developers to scale applications easily without extensive code refactoring.
The STM32C091/2 was added too. These two microcontrollers are nearly identical, except the STM32C092 includes an FDCAN controller, making it suitable for industrial applications like robotics and factory automation. However, this feature reduces available RAM from 36 KB (STM32C091) to 30 KB (STM32C092) due to reserving 6 KB for FDCAN. Both models offer up to 256 KB of Flash, multiple I2C, SPI, and USART interfaces, a 12-bit ADC with up to 19 channels, and enhanced general-purpose timers. They also include a DMA controller with 7 channels, making them capable of running small graphical UIs without requiring an additional co-processor.
Prices have been revised down with the STM32C011J4M6 starting at $0.21 @10k.
Finally, ST has introduced the STM32WBA6 series, the next generation of power-efficient short-range wireless microcontrollers for IoT.
Key Upgrades Over STM32WBA5:
- Increased Memory: Up to 2MB Flash and 512KB RAM, doubling the storage capacity of STM32WBA5 for richer applications.
- Expanded Digital Interfaces: Adds USB High Speed, extra SPI, I2C, and UART ports, improving device connectivity.
- Enhanced Wireless Communication: Supports Bluetooth, Zigbee, Thread, and Matter concurrently, improving versatility for IoT systems.
- Improved Wireless Performance: Increased sensitivity to -100dBm, enhancing connectivity over longer distances.
- Advanced Security: SESIP3 and PSA Level3 certifiable security, including cryptographic accelerators, TrustZone® isolation, and hardware random generators, ensuring compliance with RED and CRA regulations.
- Energy-Efficient Processing: Powered by Arm® Cortex®-M33 (100MHz) with floating-point and DSP extensions for better performance.
It is now in production, priced from $2.50 @10k.
TI added a few parts to its low cost portfolio (take that ST ;) ) with the M0C1103/4 and M0L1227 variants for the automotive market as well as the non-automotive MSPM0L1/2.
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