ASIL-D Real-Time Automotive MCUs with 40MB of On-Chip Memory
STMicroelectronics has launched Stellar, an automotive microcontroller (MCU) family. Stellar MCUs support next-generation car architectures, which rely on broad "domain controllers" for areas such as drivetrain, chassis, and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).
Applications for Stellar MCUs include smart control for hybrid powertrains, electrification of car systems with on-board chargers, battery-management systems, dc-dc controllers, as well as smart gateways, ADAS, and enhanced vehicle stability controls.
These domain controllers enable the transition toward software- and data-oriented architectures. They provide data fusion from connected sensors while reducing harness complexity and electronic-component weight. The Stellar family combines the advantages of 28nm FD-SOI, on-chip Phase Change Memory (PCM), advanced packaging, and multiple Arm Cortex-R52 cores.
The MCU family can operate at frequencies up to 600MHz and integrate more than 40MB of PCM. According to the company the MCUs minimize power consumption even in harsh, high-temperature environments. Stellar MCUs are manufactured in-house at ST's 12'' Crolles facility.
"Stellar MCUs deliver the safe, real-time performance required by new domain controllers that support data-enabled services - an industry that will reach $1.4 trillion in 2030," said Marco Monti, President, Automotive and Discrete Group, STMicroelectronics, citing a McKinsey, Center for future mobility - January 2019 report.
"Stellar MCUs are designed to support the new software-centric architectures that will enable this new revenue stream, where the functions of several control units are integrated in larger domains with the capability to remotely install new features without compromising automotive safety and security," Monti added.
"Next-generation automotive platforms need to meet demanding real-time and safety requirements if we're going to make applications such as autonomous driving and smart powertrain control a reality," said Lakshmi Mandyam, Vice President of Automotive, Embedded and Automotive Line of Business, Arm. "The powerful combination of the Cortex-R52's energy-efficiency, functional safety features and high performance with ST's optimized multi-core SoC architecture delivers to the needs of these platforms."
Features of Stellar MCUs
The Stellar devices complement the successful SPC58 series to manage the next generation of electronic systems.
According to ST, the new MCUs feature unique innovations to ensure real-time performance and safety with low power consumption with low cost and low weight.
The first Stellar automotive MCU samples combine six Arm Cortex-R52 cores with embedded non-volatile memory for fast and deterministic real-time computing, free from the delays of non-integrated memories.
With the extension of the Cortex-R52 cores with lockstep capabilities, Stellar satisfies the automotive industry's demanding ISO26262 ASIL-D safety qualification.
A hypervisor for software separation and memory protection further enhances functional safety and reliability.
Bolstering the multicore Cortex-R52 performance, Stellar also packs three Arm Cortex-M4 cores with a floating-point unit and DSP extensions to provide application-specific acceleration.
AEC-Q100 Grade 0
The MCU leverages ST's advanced embedded Phase-Change Memory (PCM), which is compliant with AEC-Q100 Grade 0. Safe and rugged, the 16MByte PCM assures performance, data retention up to 165°C, and supports software-over-the-air to manage multiple firmware images. The eMMC and HyperBus™ interfaces offer additional external storage.
Operating at more than 200MHz, Stellar is designed to maximize data throughput. It features a state-of-the-art Hardware Security Module (HSM) with *EVITA FULL support.
The combination of HSMs with multi-bus routing across Stellar's comprehensive set of automotive interfaces, including Ethernet, CAN-FD, and LIN, offers the solution to the increasing requirements of OEMs for security and connectivity to their time-sensitive car networks.
Now Sampling Stellar MCUs
ST is now sampling the first Stellar MCUs, which feature six Arm Cortex-R52 cores clocked at 400MHz, 16Mbytes of PCM, and 8Mbytes of RAM, all in a BGA516 package. Stellar-based control units are currently undergoing road tests with lead customers.
Stellar is supported by ST's partners already in, and applying to join, the ST Partner Program. These partners bring development tools (Arm, Green Hills, HighTec, Wind River), debugging tools (iSYSTEM, Lauterbach, PLS), and software (Elektrobit, ETAS, Vector).
*EVITA is E-safety vehicle intrusion protected applications, a project co-funded by the European Union to establish an architecture for automotive on-board networks capable of protecting security-relevant components and sensitive data.
