STMicroelectronics Expands STM32 Ecosystem to Accelerate Application Development Based on STM32U5 Very Low-Power Microcontrollers

October 11, 2021, China – STMicroelectronics has launched the new STM32Cube software package and development tools and evaluation boards to speed up application development using the latest STM32U5 microcontrollers (MCUs), which are now available Ready for the mass market, available from stock by authorized dealers.

The STM32U575 and STM32U585 combine security and energy-saving innovations with the higher performance and energy efficiency of the latest Arm® Cortex®-M33 core core, with up to 2MB of on-chip flash memory. Typical target applications include smart connected consumer products, such as activity trackers and smart Watches, as well as smart home devices, water and electricity meters, industrial sensing and signal conditioning devices, mobile point-of-sale (POS) terminals, insulin pumps and blood glucose meters.

As the first STM32 MCUs to use an advanced 40nm manufacturing process, the STM32U5 series is superior to alternatives on the market in terms of functional integration, memory capacity, dynamic power consumption and standby power consumption. The new products also add new power-saving features, including Low Power Background Autonomous Mode (LPBAM), in which the Direct Memory Access (DMA) controller and key peripherals operate autonomously without CPU intervention. An upgraded START Accelerator™ accelerator that shuts down unused MCU memory and an optional combination of DC/DC converters and low dropout (LDO) regulators reduce dynamic power consumption to 19µA with these power-saving techniques /MHz or less.

The STM32CubeU5’s supporting ecosystem is available for download on ST.com and GitHub, with more than 200 project examples and software to help implement MCU functions such as LPBAM, Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth® Low-Energy (BLE). The new product supports OpenBootloader, which reduces the difficulty of implementing custom bootloader code. The Azure RTOS operating system includes ThreadX RTOS as well as FreeRTOS and CMSIS OS wrappers, ensuring excellent application performance and simplifying industry certification. In addition, the X-CUBE-STL self-test library and functional safety documentation assist in safety-critical application development and accelerate IEC61508 SIL certification for STM32U5-based products.

There are also software packages that simplify cybersecurity and help comply with industry best practices, including reference code for Secure Boot and Secure Firmware Update (SBSFU) and PSA Level 3 and SESIP Level 3 certification utilizing Arm TrustZone® isolation technology in the kernel Example of Trusted Firmware (TF-M) for Security Services. STMicroelectronics has updated the industry-proven X-CUBE-CRYPTOLIB cryptographic library with simplified APIs, added cryptographic algorithms, and support for Secure Firmware Installation (SFI) to secure customer firmware downloads. These software packages support enhanced MCU hardware security features, including enhanced protection against side-channel attacks, and internal monitoring for erasing confidential data, meeting Payment Card Industry (PCI) requirements for POS applications.

Hardware development kits for the new MCUs are available on www.st.com and resellers, including the Discovery Kit (B-U585I-IOT02A) for developing IoT nodes. Priced at $65.00, this kit features an onboard context-aware MEMS sensor and BLE and Wi-Fi wireless communication modules for direct cloud connectivity and has been designated as a cloud access reference platform by Microsoft and Amazon.

The NUCLEO-U575ZI-Q Nucleo 144 development board provides a flexible and variable takeoff platform for prototyping that can be expanded infinitely.

STM32U5 MCUs are available in a variety of packages including 4.2mm x 3.95mm WLCSP and 7mm x 7mm UQFN48 and UFBGA169.

STMicroelectronics recently hosted a webinar on “Solving Power and Performance Challenges with STM32U5 MCUs” on September 30.