“ST has pioneered and brought to our customers FD-SOI and PCM technologies for automotive and aerospace applications,” says ST’s MCU president Remi El-Ouazzane, “we are now taking the next step to bring the benefits of these technologies to developers of industrial applications.”
On the same day, ST announced ultra-low power Cortex-M0+ secured MCUs
Compared to the 40nm process with eNVM the FD-SOI/ePCM process delivers, says ST:
- More than 50% better performance-to-power ratio
- 2.5-times higher non-volatile memory (NVM) density enabling larger on-chip memories
- Three times higher digital density for integration of digital peripherals such as AI and graphics accelerators and state-of-the-art security and safety features
- 3dB improvement in noise figure for enhanced RF performance in wireless MCUs
The technology is capable of 3V operation to supply analogue features such as power management, reset systems, clock sources and digital/analogue converters. It is the only sub-20 nm technology supporting this capability.
The technology also delivers the reliability required for demanding industrial applications thanks to robust high-temperature operation, radiation hardening, and data retention capabilities already proven in automotive applications.
Additional information on FD-SOI and PCM is available on ST.com.
MCUs based on this technology will bring developers high-performance, low-power, and wireless MCUs. The memory sizes support the growing needs of edge AI processing, multi-protocol RF stacks, over-the-air updates, and advanced security features.
The performance and memory size capabilities will give developers using microprocessors today the option to use more highly integrated and cost-effective MCUs for their designs. And it will allow further steps in power efficiency for ultralow power devices where ST’s portfolio is industry-leading today.
The first MCU based on this technology will integrate the most advanced ARM Cortex-M core, providing enhanced performance for machine learning and digital signal processing applications.
It will offer, says ST, fast and flexible external memory interfaces, advanced graphic capabilities and will integrate numerous analogue and digital peripherals. It will also have the advanced, certified security features already introduced on ST’s latest MCUs.