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The low cost MCU war rages on
31
Jan
2023
ST illuminates Januray with its lowest cost Cortex-M0+ family, the STM32C0, ready to attack the 8-bit MCU market. Renesas did not want to be outdone and released the RL78/G15, a 16-bit MCU targetting the same segment. In the meantime, Microchip unveiled another Cortex-M4 based MCU, well just one of its 14,000 MCU part numbers of which over half are 8-bit MCUs. The competition is heating up there…
Infineon
No change this month.
No change this month.
Microchip
This month, Microchip added close to 200 variants of existing parts in the DSPIC33C, PIC16F and PIC18F families.
There was one addition that caught our attention, the EEC1727 that is sampling now.
The EEC1727 is designed for security and storage enclosure platforms and based on a Cortex-M4F with 416kB of RAM. The secure bootloader authenticates and optionally decrypts the SPI Flash OEM boot image using the AES256, ECDSA, SHA-512 cryptographic hardware accelerators. The EEC1727 is designed to be incorporated into low power PC architecture designs and supports ACPI sleep states (S0-S5). Price is a $5.35/1k.
This month, Microchip added close to 200 variants of existing parts in the DSPIC33C, PIC16F and PIC18F families.
There was one addition that caught our attention, the EEC1727 that is sampling now.
The EEC1727 is designed for security and storage enclosure platforms and based on a Cortex-M4F with 416kB of RAM. The secure bootloader authenticates and optionally decrypts the SPI Flash OEM boot image using the AES256, ECDSA, SHA-512 cryptographic hardware accelerators. The EEC1727 is designed to be incorporated into low power PC architecture designs and supports ACPI sleep states (S0-S5). Price is a $5.35/1k.
Nordic
No change.
No change.
Nuvoton
No change.
No change.
NXP
NXP finally released the documentation for the i.MXRT500 at the lower end of the CrossOver MCU portfolio of MCUs.
The i.MX RT500 is a family of dual-Cortex-M33 cores combined with a Cadence® Xtensa® Fusion F1 Audio DSP. The Cortex-M33 includes two hardware coprocessors providing enhanced performance for an array of complex algorithms along with a 2D Vector GPU with LCD Interface and MIPI DSI PHY. The device has up to 5 MB SRAM, two FlexSPIs (Octal/Quad SPI Interfaces) each with 32 KB cache, one with dynamic decryption, high-speed USB device/host + PHY, 12-bit 1 MS/s ADC, Analog Comparator, Audio subsystems supporting up to 8 DMIC channels, 2D GPU and LCD Controller with MIPI DSI PHY, SDIO/eMMC, FlexIO, AES/SHA/Crypto M33 coprocessor and PUF key generation.
NXP finally released the documentation for the i.MXRT500 at the lower end of the CrossOver MCU portfolio of MCUs.
The i.MX RT500 is a family of dual-Cortex-M33 cores combined with a Cadence® Xtensa® Fusion F1 Audio DSP. The Cortex-M33 includes two hardware coprocessors providing enhanced performance for an array of complex algorithms along with a 2D Vector GPU with LCD Interface and MIPI DSI PHY. The device has up to 5 MB SRAM, two FlexSPIs (Octal/Quad SPI Interfaces) each with 32 KB cache, one with dynamic decryption, high-speed USB device/host + PHY, 12-bit 1 MS/s ADC, Analog Comparator, Audio subsystems supporting up to 8 DMIC channels, 2D GPU and LCD Controller with MIPI DSI PHY, SDIO/eMMC, FlexIO, AES/SHA/Crypto M33 coprocessor and PUF key generation.
Renesas
Renesas released 43 and 181 new variants respectively in the RA and RX families and over 400 in the RL78 family, including the new RL78/G15 family with 48 part numbers.
The RL78/G15 is a 16 MHz GP MCU with the smallest 8-pin package in the RL78 Family, with Flash memory of 4 to 8 kB and 1kB of RAM. It is compatible with the existing RL78 Family and can be used in a wide range of applications, from home appliances and consumer electronics to industrial equipment.
Renesas released 43 and 181 new variants respectively in the RA and RX families and over 400 in the RL78 family, including the new RL78/G15 family with 48 part numbers.
The RL78/G15 is a 16 MHz GP MCU with the smallest 8-pin package in the RL78 Family, with Flash memory of 4 to 8 kB and 1kB of RAM. It is compatible with the existing RL78 Family and can be used in a wide range of applications, from home appliances and consumer electronics to industrial equipment.
SiliconLabs
No significant change.
No significant change.
ST Microelectronics
After a year of calm, ST woke up after the turn of the year by announcing its lowest cost Cortex-M0+ family, the STM32C0.
The tag line tells it all: Your next 8-bit MCU is a 32-bit. It’s called STM32C0!
The C0 runs at 48MHz, and provides 4 combinations of Flash/RAM (16/6, 16/12, 32/6, 32/12) across 9 packages from 8-pin SON to a 48-pin LQFP/UFQFPN. All include 2 UARTs, a 12-bit ADC, DMA and timers. Prices range from $0.43 to $0.93/10k, indeed getting into the realm of the 8-bits MCUs.
After a year of calm, ST woke up after the turn of the year by announcing its lowest cost Cortex-M0+ family, the STM32C0.
The tag line tells it all: Your next 8-bit MCU is a 32-bit. It’s called STM32C0!
The C0 runs at 48MHz, and provides 4 combinations of Flash/RAM (16/6, 16/12, 32/6, 32/12) across 9 packages from 8-pin SON to a 48-pin LQFP/UFQFPN. All include 2 UARTs, a 12-bit ADC, DMA and timers. Prices range from $0.43 to $0.93/10k, indeed getting into the realm of the 8-bits MCUs.
Texas Instruments
No change to the TI portfolio this month.
Newsletter |
No change to the TI portfolio this month.
2022 it was…
31
Dec
2022
This is the time of the year! 2022 has been an interesting year of recovery and moving into the new normal with revamped supply chains and consumer demands. It was the year Renesas aquired Dialog and Infineon Cypress Semiconductor. Microchip, ST and TI only made tweaks while Infineon, Nuvoton, NXP, and Renesas added quite a few new families with the Cortex-M taking the bulk of the share. Happy new year everyone!
Infineon
Infineon had close to 40 new products, most of them variants of existing products in the FM3 family. We found at least one orphan, the CY9BF112NBGL-GK9E1 that appears through the searches but is not listed in the family table.
As a reminder, Infineon last month, unveilled the much anticipated XMC7000 family, with in total, 17 products split across 2 different sub-families. The XMC7000 is built on a low-power 40-nm process and relies on single or dual Cortex-M7 cores supplemented by a 100-MHz Cortex-M0+ core. Crypto engine, 2.7 to 5.5V voltage range, -40 to 125C temprature grade, CAN FD, Ethernet, SDHC are all standard.
The XMC7100 group runs the Cortex-M7 at 250MHz while the XMC7200 bumps it up to 350MHz. Other differences include 4MB/768kB vs. 8MB/1MB of Flash/RAM and 10/100 vs. 1Gb ethernet. Parts are available in TQFP and LFBGA packages scaling from 100 to 272 pins. The family addresses industrial market needs and is ideal for motor control, digital power conversion and I/O applications.
Even if the frequencies are relatively modest, the XMC7000 is a beast for solid (and redundant) industrial control applications.
Managing multiple cores is always fun so we hope Infineon will provide a solid SDK to falicitate software development.
We shouldn’t forget a newish PSoC4 family, the PSoC™ 4100S Max that supplements the existing portfolio with more flash, more GPIOs and introduces the next generation touch interface CAPSENSE ™ IP, MSC CAPSENSE ™. This makes the family suitable for HMI applications as it supports segment LCDs. Beyond the touch focus, the 4100S Max is based on a 48-MHz Cortex-M0+ core, 384kB/32kB Flash/RAM, a crypto accelerator, one 12-bit, 1-Msps SAR ADC, 2 op-amps, 5 serial communication blocks (configurable as I2C, SPI, or UART), a CAN-FD. It comes in 48-TQFP, 64-TQFP and 100-TQFP packages. You can find the 18 new parts in your local store under the reference CY8C4148/9.
Infineon had close to 40 new products, most of them variants of existing products in the FM3 family. We found at least one orphan, the CY9BF112NBGL-GK9E1 that appears through the searches but is not listed in the family table.
As a reminder, Infineon last month, unveilled the much anticipated XMC7000 family, with in total, 17 products split across 2 different sub-families. The XMC7000 is built on a low-power 40-nm process and relies on single or dual Cortex-M7 cores supplemented by a 100-MHz Cortex-M0+ core. Crypto engine, 2.7 to 5.5V voltage range, -40 to 125C temprature grade, CAN FD, Ethernet, SDHC are all standard.
The XMC7100 group runs the Cortex-M7 at 250MHz while the XMC7200 bumps it up to 350MHz. Other differences include 4MB/768kB vs. 8MB/1MB of Flash/RAM and 10/100 vs. 1Gb ethernet. Parts are available in TQFP and LFBGA packages scaling from 100 to 272 pins. The family addresses industrial market needs and is ideal for motor control, digital power conversion and I/O applications.
Even if the frequencies are relatively modest, the XMC7000 is a beast for solid (and redundant) industrial control applications.
Managing multiple cores is always fun so we hope Infineon will provide a solid SDK to falicitate software development.
We shouldn’t forget a newish PSoC4 family, the PSoC™ 4100S Max that supplements the existing portfolio with more flash, more GPIOs and introduces the next generation touch interface CAPSENSE ™ IP, MSC CAPSENSE ™. This makes the family suitable for HMI applications as it supports segment LCDs. Beyond the touch focus, the 4100S Max is based on a 48-MHz Cortex-M0+ core, 384kB/32kB Flash/RAM, a crypto accelerator, one 12-bit, 1-Msps SAR ADC, 2 op-amps, 5 serial communication blocks (configurable as I2C, SPI, or UART), a CAN-FD. It comes in 48-TQFP, 64-TQFP and 100-TQFP packages. You can find the 18 new parts in your local store under the reference CY8C4148/9.
Microchip
This month Microchip added close to 100 variants of existing parts in the AT89, ATMEGA32/64, AVR16DD, PIC18, and DSPIC33CK256.
This month Microchip added close to 100 variants of existing parts in the AT89, ATMEGA32/64, AVR16DD, PIC18, and DSPIC33CK256.
Nordic
No change.
No change.
Nuvoton
No change this month.
Last month, Nuvoton added the Cortex-M0 M071 series for smart home appliance applications. The M071 series provides certified Software Test Library (STL) to significantly reduce the development time and efforts to pass IEC60730-1 Class B certification for home appliances. The M071 series runs up to 50/72 MHz and features 2.5V to 5.5V wide operating voltage, -40°C to 105°C wide operating temperature, a variety of packages with wide pin pitch, and excellent high immunity characteristics by ESD HBM 8 kV and EFT 4.4 kV, which greatly meets the rigid requirements for stability, reliability and safety of home appliance systems.
No change this month.
Last month, Nuvoton added the Cortex-M0 M071 series for smart home appliance applications. The M071 series provides certified Software Test Library (STL) to significantly reduce the development time and efforts to pass IEC60730-1 Class B certification for home appliances. The M071 series runs up to 50/72 MHz and features 2.5V to 5.5V wide operating voltage, -40°C to 105°C wide operating temperature, a variety of packages with wide pin pitch, and excellent high immunity characteristics by ESD HBM 8 kV and EFT 4.4 kV, which greatly meets the rigid requirements for stability, reliability and safety of home appliance systems.
The M071 series offers up to 256kB/20kB of Flash/RAM. There are plenty of peripherals, including one built-in temperature sensor, 4 UART, 1 SPI/I²S, 2 I²C, a 12-bit ADC, and one USB 2.0 FS device with PHY.
Nuvoton also added a few variants, this time with more flash(256kB) for the Cortex-M23 based M254/8.
NXP
No change this month, however, last month, NXP continued to expand the i.MXRT cross over platform with this month the i.MX RT1040. Reminder, the i.MX RT is part of the EdgeVerse™ edge computing platform: “Whether you’re designing next-generation wearables or industrial robots, count on NXP edge processing solutions for applications that respond in real-time—securely and autonomously.” It is stil unclear how the new MCX MCUs plays into it, but this is another story.
The i.MX RT1040 MCU uses a 9×9 or 11×11 mm package, with a 600 MHz Cortex-M7, 512 kB of Flash, and a rich set of peripherals with one Ethernet controller, one USB with PHY and 2x FlexCAN.
4 parts were unveiled.
No change this month, however, last month, NXP continued to expand the i.MXRT cross over platform with this month the i.MX RT1040. Reminder, the i.MX RT is part of the EdgeVerse™ edge computing platform: “Whether you’re designing next-generation wearables or industrial robots, count on NXP edge processing solutions for applications that respond in real-time—securely and autonomously.” It is stil unclear how the new MCX MCUs plays into it, but this is another story.
The i.MX RT1040 MCU uses a 9×9 or 11×11 mm package, with a 600 MHz Cortex-M7, 512 kB of Flash, and a rich set of peripherals with one Ethernet controller, one USB with PHY and 2x FlexCAN.
4 parts were unveiled.
Renesas
Renesas released over 80 RL78 part numbers in the RL78/G13 family, mostly with a #10 suffix.
Renesas released over 80 RL78 part numbers in the RL78/G13 family, mostly with a #10 suffix.
SiliconLabs
No significant change.
No significant change.
ST Microelectronics
No significant change.
No significant change.
Texas Instruments
No change to the TI portfolio this month.
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No change to the TI portfolio this month.
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