STMicroelectronics readies
Cortex-M4 and M0 MCUs,
adds to M3 portfolio
Colin Holland 11/30/2010 3:40 AM EST
STMicroelectronics has released a roadmap for its STM32 family of 32-bit MCUs based on ARM Cortex-M processor cores. This for the first time includes devices centered on the Cortex-M4 and the Cortex-M0 cores from ARM as well as the introduction of STM32 F-2 series MCUs based on the Cortex-M3 core.
The Cortex-M4 from ARM is an upwardly compatible version of the Cortex-M3, offering DSP instructions and a floating point unit (FPU). The core will be used in STM32 products to be sampled in 2011. The STM32 portfolio will also be widened with the sampling in 2011 of MCUs developed around the Cortex-M0.
ST says all future STM32 Cortex-M4 and -M0 based MCUs will remain fully pin- and software compatible with each other and the STM32 Cortex-M3 devices. They will benefit from the same tool and software ecosystem, allowing seamless moves within the full STM32 product range.
“The Cortex-M4 and Cortex-M0, in combination with our leading-edge embedded Flash and ultra-low-power technologies, will join the Cortex-M3 core MCUs to allow ST to significantly expand its STM32 offering to meet every application need in performance, features and pricing,” said Michel Buffa, General Manager of ST’s Microcontroller Division.
ST has also released details of the STM32 F-2 series MCUs that are based on the ARM Cortex-M3 core.
The STM32 F-2 microcontroller series combines ST’s 90nm process technology with the company’s Adaptive Real-Time memory accelerator (ART Accelerator) to achieve a performance of 150 Dhrystone MIPS when executing code from flash at 120MHz, which is the maximum performance possible from the Cortex-M3 processor at this frequency.
The series also offers CoreMark-confirmed 188uA/MHz dynamic power consumption, when executing from flash, equivalent to drawing 22.5mA at 120MHz. In addition to offering on-chip memory densities that are among the highest of any Cortex-M3 based MCUs available, the F-2 series provides enhanced support for imaging, connectivity, security, audio and control applications.
More than 20 of ST’s customers are currently ramping up manufacturing of new products enabled by this F-2 STM32 family.
“ST’s proprietary 90nm process and the development of the ART Accelerator enable perfectly optimized processor-memory interactions with a performance equivalent to zero wait states, taking the performance of the Cortex-M3 core to its natural limits,” added Buffa.
The addition of more than 30 new devices in the F-2 series brings the total number of STM32 microcontrollers to 180 pin- and software-compatible devices sharing a common pool of peripherals, and delivering the advanced performance, high efficiency and convenience of the industry-standard Cortex-M3 processor.
Production samples of the STM32 F-2 series are available now to OEM customers with wider availability in Q1 2011.
For more details see: STM32 F-2 MCUs exploit Cortex-M3 performance.
http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4211061/STMicroelectronics-Cortex-MCUs
——————————————————————