“Chinese local companies and global companies that have entered China will manufacture products using STM32 products manufactured locally in China, and will manufacture products outside of China using ST products manufactured outside of China, maintaining the same product level using STM32 both inside and outside of China.”

STMicroelectronics (ST), a global semiconductor company, held the STM32 Summit in Shanghai, China on the 15th and announced its localization strategy in China.

ST, which has been in China for 40 years, will introduce its 40nm-class embedded non-volatile memory technology to China this year, allowing customers to benefit from the proven stability and quality of a local supply chain, and Chinese OEMs entering the global market will be able to build their products in China with STM32s produced in China, and use ST products produced outside China for products sold overseas.

Additionally, global companies that have advanced into China can procure STM32 products produced in China and produce their products in China.

For this purpose, ST has partnered with Huahong Semiconductoror) to establish a complete manufacturing supply chain in China to provide reliable products to local customers.

This strategy will provide us with supply flexibility not only in the Chinese market but also internationally.

These efforts are already producing tangible results for several partners.

For example, OpenMV is developing an embedded machine vision system based on STM32 MCUs, and EP Solar is improving the UI of a solar energy storage system using the STM32 H7 and H562.

These examples clearly demonstrate the role that STM32 products play in fostering innovation within the industry.

ST said it will start operating its supply chain in China later this year.

Along with the supply chain announcements, the event featured in-depth discussions on how the STM32 family can enable some of the most critical technological elements of modern industry, including artificial intelligence (AI), wireless connectivity, and security.

STM32 MCUs are a flexible and powerful family of products that can be applied across a wide range of industries, especially with Edge AI capabilities that can enhance existing products or enable entirely new applications.

First, by leveraging STM32's AI tools for improving existing applications, anomaly detection, advanced motor control functions, virtual sensor implementation, etc. can be applied even on general MCUs. This can be used in various industries such as not only robots but also smart manufacturing, medical devices, and automotive sensors.

The STM32 N6 series, which also features neural network acceleration, enables advanced vision applications such as obstacle avoidance and hand gesture recognition to be run on an MCU basis. It can be implemented without the need for expensive existing application processors (AP), resulting in cost savings and reduced power consumption.

In addition, the introduction of edge-based cloud-based AI applications can implement industrial AI functions that require real-time processing. The rapid growth of this technology can be confirmed by the fact that projects utilizing STM32 AI tools have grown by 250% in one year, expanding to over 160,000 cases.

STM32 MCUs also demonstrate outstanding strengths in AI, as well as wireless connectivity and security.

The STM32 WB5M6 is optimized for smart homes, industrial automation, and IoT devices, as it can simultaneously run wireless communications such as Bluetooth Low Energy, Zigbee, and Thread on a single chip. It also provides next-generation connectivity through the ST67 WW module with Wi-Fi 6 technology, and will support the Matter protocol in the future to build a wider IoT ecosystem.

Security has also made great strides. The latest STM32 MCU family offers PSA and CCP Level 3 security certification, meeting global security regulations such as the EU’s Radio Equipment Directive and cyber resilience legislation. In particular, the ultra-low-power STM32 U3 series is positioned as a key product that enhances the security of IoT devices while maximizing energy efficiency.

STMicroelectronics made it clear at the summit that the STM32 family will play a central role in the next generation of industrial transformation.

It is leading the industry's transformation, particularly by emphasizing strategic elements such as AI, wireless connectivity, security, and strengthening the manufacturing supply chain.

Companies are exploring new possibilities in a variety of fields, including smart manufacturing, medical devices, automotive, IoT, and robotics, through ultra-low-power MCUs that maximize energy efficiency, powerful AI and machine learning capabilities, innovative wireless connectivity technologies, and robust security systems.

ST is emphasizing continuous community growth and collaboration by hosting technology deepening sessions to further strengthen this trend and introducing computer vision use cases utilizing AI. It is expected that STM32 MCUs will continue to be one of the key driving forces driving innovation in the industry.