STMicroelectronics has announced the second generation of its STM32 microprocessors, which are designed to increase the performance and security of industrial and IoT applications.
“The new STM32MP2 series devices [combine] 64-bit cores with edge AI acceleration, advanced multimedia features, graphics processing, and digital connectivity,” said Ricardo De Sa Earp, Executive Vice-President at STMicroelectronics.
The first product line in this new generation, the STM32MP25, comes with single or dual 64-bit Arm® Cortex®-A35 cores running at 1.5GHz, a 400MHz Cortex-M33 embedded core that handles real-time processing, and support for 32-bit DDR4 and LPDDR4 memories. A neural processing unit adds up to 1.35 tera-operations per second of computing power, which is optimised for edge AI acceleration in applications such as advanced machine vision and predictive maintenance.
The STM32MP25 also features gigabit time-sensitive networking (TSN) support and a two-port Gigabit Ethernet TSN switch, with PCIe, USB 3.0, and CAN-FD peripherals. These, according to the firm, provide intensive connectivity for real-time industrial applications, data concentrators and gateways, and communication equipment.
The MPU's processing and networking capabilities enhance detection and feature recognition for security applications and industrial automation. For example, it can acquire video from a 5Mpixel sensor at 30 frames per second, perform analytics with the edge AI accelerator, and send relevant video with detection metadata leveraging Gigabit Ethernet TSN, all in real-time streaming mode.
A 3D graphics processing unit (GPU) with 1080p resolution for graphics and video capabilities permits rich user interfaces, including support for Vulkan real-time graphics in Android applications. A 1080p encoder/decoder and multiple display connections including LVDS, 4-lane MIPI DSI, and a MIPI CSI-2 camera interface simplify connecting displays and digital cameras including raw-Bayer image sensors.
The product line also includes SESIP Level 3 certified security features such as Arm’s TrustZone architecture and resource isolation framework (RIF), alongside secure key storage, secure boot, a unique device ID in one-time programmable (OTP) memory, hardware cryptographic engines, and on-the-fly DDR encryption/decryption. The devices can also operate between -40°C to 125°C, enhancing their reliability in industrial environments.
A selection of package options is offered including a 0.8mm-pitch chip-scale package (TFBGA). This helps ease PCB design routing and allows economical designs down to four layers avoiding costly laser vias.
The STM32MPU ecosystem contains the OpenSTLinux distribution, which includes the complete AI framework (X-Linux-AI), as well as the STM32Cube development tools. The STM32Cube firmware will run bare metal or RTOS on the Cortex-M33 embedded core.
ST is now delivering samples of STM32MP25 devices along with evaluation boards to select OEM customers.
