In the world of rapidly innovating technology, microcontrollers (MCUs) are important enablers and are at the heart of automated, tightly connected IoT devices. STMicroelectronics' STM32 microcontroller family is an influential global MCU market, with a rich product line, strong ecosystem support, and continuous innovation. Launched in 2007, the STM32 series is now in its 17th year, and what will the future of STM32 be for AI, big data, cloud, and more? What are the strategic plans and core innovation points? AT THE STM32 MEDIA CONFERENCE HELD RECENTLY, ARNAUD JULIENNE, VICE PRESIDENT OF MICROCONTROLLER, DIGITAL IC AND RF (MDRF), IOT/AI TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION CENTER AND DIGITAL MARKETING OF ST CHINA, CAO JINDONG, DIRECTOR OF MICROCONTROLLER, DIGITAL IC AND RF (MDRF) OF ST CHINA, AND YU YIN, DU MING, HUANG XI AND ZHANG MING, MARKETING MANAGERS OF MICROCONTROLLER, DIGITAL IC AND RF (MDRF) OF ST CHINA, It has made an in-depth interpretation of the latest product technology and innovation.
Four strategic pillars are future-oriented
"IoT devices are becoming more automated and connected, while also needing to process more data locally and securely, and they are called 'cloud-connected intelligent edges,'" said Julian, "We see STM32 as a key enabler to unleash developer creativity and deliver on this vision." How do you help developers achieve and maintain success? This is all about our four strategic pillars. ”
ARNAUD JULIENNE, VICE PRESIDENT, MICROCONTROLLER, DIGITAL IC & RF (MDRF), IOT/AI TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION CENTER AND DIGITAL MARKETING, ST CHINA
The first strategic pillar is the breadth and depth of the product. In terms of breadth, ST offers more than 3,000 MCU products, including 600 new models, covering ultra-low-power, mainstream, wireless, high-performance and MPU families, aiming to provide developers with a wide range of choices and expand their user base; In terms of depth, the vast majority of ST's products use best-in-class analog and digital IP technologies, which are incorporated into the company's proprietary technology to support internal and external product production. The second strategic pillar is the ecosystem. Since 2007, ST has built a comprehensive ecosystem around the STM32Cube platform, bringing together a wide range of hardware and software partners, with STM32Cube offering nearly 10,000 software libraries. "Last year, we reached a milestone where 1 million developers have participated in our ecosystem. We've invested heavily in this ecosystem to make it the best in the industry. Over the years, we have focused on four main areas, including edge AI, networking, information security, and graphics processing," explains Julian. The third strategic pillar is capacity. In recent years, ST has paid great attention to capacity construction and is committed to providing customers with 10~15 years of production capacity guarantee. As an IDM, ST is investing in its own production capacity and strengthening its partnerships with foundries. "This means that we have realized the need to create a local supply chain. ST attaches great importance to our customers in China, and we are committed to providing supply guarantee in the next year, five, ten or even fifteen years. We are currently producing 4,000 MCUs per minute, which is about 6 million per day, and we are always mindful of our commitment to carbon neutrality by 2027." The fourth strategic pillar is to provide engineers with direct development resources. It is understood that there are already 100,000 companies and 1 million developers using ST's ecosystem. To support this large user base, ST has created the STM32 community, which received more than 1.3 million unique visits last year. In addition, ST has established strong relationships with its agents, and through these partner networks, ST is able to reach customers in 1,000 locations around the world, further expanding the reach of its development resources. What competitive advantages will STM32 continue to strengthen? Julian first highlighted the diversity of STM32's five categories: wireless, low-power, mainstream, high-performance, and microprocessor. In terms of innovation, ST is constantly improving in terms of product design and manufacturing processes. For example, the newly announced 18nm FDSOI-based non-volatile memory process jointly developed with Samsung aims to improve the product performance, power density, low power consumption, and reliability of next-generation MCUs. Samples of the process will be available in the second half of this year, with mass production planned for the second half of next year. Across its product range, ST is also committed to continuous innovation.
Diverse innovations in the STM32 family
STM32WBA series of wireless MCUs to improve short-range processing performanceYu introduced a new generation of STM32WBA wireless MCU series, which is suitable for 2.4GHz short-range communication and meets the requirements of applications for wireless MCU integration, power consumption, performance, and security. STM32WBA supports autonomous low-power mode and ultra-low-power radio. Even when the system is sleeping, LPDMA can be used to enable read and write access to peripherals and storage, resulting in excellent energy savings and faster wake-up times for STM32WBA. In terms of security, STM32WBA SESIP Level 3 and PSA Level 3 certifications help developers streamline the development process and shorten time to market. This is also the first wireless MCU from ST to meet this need, with a variety of security features, such as memory protection to prevent unauthorized access, encryption to improve hardware security defenses, platform protection to protect devices throughout the product lifecycle, and code isolation. It also offers a package of security services such as STM32 TrustTEE TF-M, Secure Boot and Secure Updates, Secure Firmware Installation, and NIST – CAVP Certified Cryptographic Software Library. The STM32WBA series MCUs are manufactured using a 40nm manufacturing process and are equipped with a Cortex M33 core with a frequency of up to 100MHz. The MCUs support a variety of 2.4G wireless communication protocols, including Bluetooth Low Energy, Open Thread, ZigBee, and the Thread-based Matter protocol. The WBA series offers a maximum output power of 10dBm and is designed with multiple low-power modes, as well as multi-power switching power supplies and SMPS functions to improve energy efficiency. With its high processing performance and scalable peripherals, the STM32 WBA series of microcontrollers meets the needs of multiple applications such as industrial control, medical devices, consumer electronics, and smart homes.
STM32MP2 microprocessors empower secure and advanced edge AI, Du Ming introduced the STM32MP2 series of industrial-grade microprocessors (MPUs), as a powerful general-purpose microprocessor products, its main application directions include: industrial and factory automation, pan-smart home (smart gateways, home gateways, etc.), and smart cities (smart transportation, smart infrastructure, etc.). As ST's first microprocessor to be equipped with an Arm Cortex-A35 64-bit central processing unit, the STM32MP2 series runs at 1.5GHz, which is a significant increase in main processing power compared to its predecessor STM32MP1. What's more worth mentioning is the STM32MP2's heterogeneous processing engine, which integrates a Cortex-M33 MCU and is equipped with a GPU, NPU, and VPU in addition to the Cortex-A35 as the main processor. This heterogeneous design gives STM32MP2 the flexibility to run AI tasks on CPUs, GPUs, or NPUs based on processor load and application needs for optimal performance and energy efficiency. This flexibility not only improves the overall performance of the device, but also reduces power consumption, giving the STM32MP2 series of microprocessors a significant advantage in the field of edge computing.
In terms of security, the STM32MP2 series uses ST's proprietary security hardware, tamper-resistant controls, secure firmware, and secure network configuration technologies, combined with Arm's TrustZone architecture to protect sensitive data and keys. In addition, the STM32MP2 series microprocessors are undergoing SESIP Level 3 certification to ensure that they meet the highest standards for IoT device security and compliance. Why STM32MP2 heterogeneous design? Du Ming said that the integration of NPU is mainly to realize the capabilities of edge AI, which has the benefits of lower cost, more flexible application, and faster processing speed. In his opinion, MPUs equipped with NPU processing units will become a computing trend. In addition, heterogeneous design can make applications more flexible, such as large data processing work can be responsible for high-computing cores, and real-time signal acquisition and monitoring can be responsible for real-time MCU cores, which is the architecture design adopted after fully considering the application trend. The STM32H7R/S series has high performance and cost-effective STM32H7 includes three sub-series: dual-core, single-core and cost-effective sub-series, of which the STM32H7R/S is a cost-effective MCU with built-in 128KB iROT flash memory for industrial gateways, telecom equipment, high-performance motor control, home automation, home appliances, smart consumer electronics, AI and user interface feature-rich applications. STM32H7R/S is divided into two sub-product lines: the general-purpose MCU family STM32H7R3/S3 and the graphical MCU family STM32H7R7/S7, both of which can run MPU-level applications on the MCU in real time. According to Huang Xi, the STM32H7R/S series microcontrollers have four significant characteristics: first, high performance, the series has a 600MHz frequency, ensuring strong processing power; Secondly, high scalability and cost performance, this series does not have built-in large-capacity Flash, but provides greater flexibility, allowing customers to choose different interfaces and different capacities of external Flash according to the application; The third is security, STM32H7R/S is the most secure product among STM32 MCUs, and the goal is to comply with SESIP Level 3 and PSA Level 3 certification, which enhances data encryption and secure boot performance to meet more security regulations in the future. The fourth is graphics processing power, compared with the same level of MCUs, this series of GPUs has strong performance, using the latest generation of NeoChrom GPUs, supporting 2.5D graphics, and can provide more high-definition and smooth user interface (UI) graphics design. The STM32H7R/S is the first MCU in STM32 to feature a BootFlash design. Why this approach? Huang explained that the STM32H7 uses a 40nm process and uses only a minimum of 64K Internal Flash as the boot code, which also makes the STM32H7R/S the lowest price in the H7 series to date, with a high price/performance ratio and high flexibility.
The next-generation ultra-low-power entry-level STM32U0 is built for battery power STM32U0 series is optimized for battery-powered applications, featuring ST's latest ultra-low leakage current technology for superior quiescent power consumption and multiple ultra-low-power modes for greater design flexibility. STM32U0 equipped with an LCD segment display controller, which helps to improve the cost-effectiveness of the application. Devices with LCD panels, such as Ascol's water meters, thermostats, smart retail labels, access control panels, and factory automation control devices, can take advantage of this configuration to reduce PCB costs. Other value-added features of STM32U0 MCUs include a variety of analog peripherals such as analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), digital-to-analog converters (DACs), operational amplifiers, and comparators. A system oscillator is also integrated on-chip, helping to reduce the bill of materials, saving costs and PCB space. According to reports, STM32U0 is the first Arm Cortex-M0+ microcontroller on the market to focus on firmware code protection that has passed SESIP Level 3 and PSA Level 1 security certification. Product certification provides customers with third-party assurance of STM32U0 security features, which can be leveraged by product manufacturers to meet the requirements of the upcoming voluntary U.S. Network Trust Mark certification and the mandatory European Union Radio Equipment Certification Directive (RED). "STM32U0 is a product that balances power, functionality, and cost, and provides design freedom for entry-level battery supply applications," said Zhang.
Reaffirmed its commitment to the Chinese market
Julian reaffirmed his commitment to the Chinese market, highlighting ST's 40-year history in China and strong local presence, including more than 4,500 employees, 17 offices, 1 manufacturing plant and 7 technology innovation and R&D centers. Through its localization strategy, ST not only meets the needs of the Chinese market, but also co-innovates with its customers to provide reference designs and application system solutions. ST's broad product portfolio, combined with its analog sensors and power products, provides customers with unique opportunities for collaborative innovation. According to reports, ST has more than 20 years of production experience in the back-end factory in Shenzhen, and cooperates with wafer foundries to produce products. In June last year, ST and San'an Optoelectronics built a new joint venture plant with an investment of US$3.2 billion, focusing on meeting the demand for SiC chips in China's industrial market, which is expected to be put into production by the end of next year. Julian emphasized that ST's investment in local manufacturing, including the Sanan joint venture, will ensure the growth of its business as the first international semiconductor company to invest in SiC production in China, and that it is a testament to ST's long-term commitment and investment plan in the Chinese market.