STMicroelectronics has updated its STM32 family of Industry 4.0 microprocessors (MPUs) with a new architecture and higher performance. The new STM32MP25 product line combine 64-bit core processing units with on-device edge AI acceleration, advanced multimedia features, graphics processing, and “digital connectivity”, said a statement. Starting with the launch of the STM32MP25, they are pitched at hard-working Industry 4.0 applications.
The STM32MP25 features single or dual 64-bit Arm Cortex-A35 cores which runs “efficiently at 1.5GHz” and a 400MHz Cortex-M33 embedded core which “handles real-time processing”. A dedicated neural processing unit (NPU) delivers up to 1.35 TOPS (tera-operations per second) of compute muscle for edge-based AI acceleration, according to the blurb, citing “applications such as advanced machine vision and predictive maintenance”.
It also comes with support for 32-bit DDR4 and LPDDR4 memories, plus for gigabit time-sensitive networking (TSN), via a two-port gigabit Ethernet TSN switch, with PCIe, USB 3.0, and CAN-FD peripherals. A statement declared: “The STM32MP25 product line provides intensive connectivity for real-time industrial applications, data concentrators and gateways, and communication equipment.”
STMicroelectronics said the new processing and networking capabilities “enhance” detection and feature recognition in security and automation applications. It stated: “For example, the MPU can acquire video from a five megapixel sensor at 30 frames per second, perform analytics with the edge AI accelerator, and send relevant video (encoding with a hardware encoder) with detection metadata leveraging gigabit Ethernet TSN, all in real-time streaming mode.”
Other things of note: new STM32 MPUs run a 3D graphics processing unit (GPU) with 1080p resolution, a 1080p encoder/decoder with multiple display connections, and a MIPI CSI-2 camera interface; security features use Arm’s TrustZone architecture and resource isolation framework (RIF) and meet SESIP Level 3 certification include, plus secure key storage, secure boot, a unique device ID.
The devices are specified at a temperature range from -40°C to 125°C; they come with a 10-year “longevity commitment”. The STM32Cube firmware will run bare metal or RTOS on the Cortex-M33 embedded core. ST is delivering samples of STM32MP25 devices along with evaluation boards to select OEM customers. Volume production is scheduled to begin in the first half of 2024.
Ricardo De Sa Earp, executive vice president for the company’s microcontrollers sub-group, said: “The new STM32MP2 series… furthers our investment in application processors… and integrates advanced security features in hardware. The new MPUs are ready for emerging opportunities in secure Industry 4.0, IoT, and rich user-interface applications.”
