Seoul, December 3, 2012 – STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, has expanded its STM32 F4 portfolio with the introduction of the STM32 F427 and F437 microcontrollers. These new devices are already being adopted in electronic designs that require additional features, performance, and efficiency boosts in embedded systems, including smart, connected embedded electronics for applications such as utility metering, renewable energy, and healthcare.

The STM32 F427 and F437 microcontrollers, which join the existing STM32 F4 portfolio, combine a high-performance version of the state-of-the-art ARM® Cortex™-M core with the industry's largest Flash memory storage and extra SRAM to enable richer application execution, additional communication ports, enhanced security, and best-in-class power consumption. As a result, they clearly demonstrate ST's superior performance among devices based on the same core. These features help accelerate software design and maximize application performance and battery life.

“The sophisticated features and connectivity of our latest STM32 microcontrollers will enable users to experience even greater performance in their consumer electronics,” said Michel Buffa, General Manager, Microcontroller Division, STMicroelectronics. “We are already working with key customers to integrate these products, which offer up to 2Mbytes of flash memory, into applications such as smart meters, solar panel controllers, wireless modules and personal health monitors,” he said.

With large on-chip Flash memory of 1MByte or 2MByte, these STM32 F4 expandable devices enable development of richer applications and accelerate project completion by programming in high-level languages such as Java, Microsoft .NET, or uC Linux. Using these high-level programming languages also allows embedded systems developers to take advantage of the latest software for desktop applications. Furthermore, both the 1MByte and 2MByte versions feature 256KByte SRAM, allowing designs with existing devices with 1MByte Flash and up to 192KByte SRAM to be easily migrated to the larger-capacity microcontrollers.

The STM32 F37 series offers enhanced security, protecting not only product developers' intellectual property but also user data from unauthorized access or manipulation. The cryptographic and hash coprocessor includes additional industry-standard security algorithms, supporting MD5, SHA-1, and SHA-2 secure hash algorithms, AES GCM[1], and CCM[2].

Additional information
The Cortex-M4 processor in the STM32 F427 and F437 consists of a 32-bit microcontroller, a floating-point operation unit, and a digital signal processor (DSP). Supported by ST's multi-AHS bus matrix for improved CPU and DMA (direct memory access), and the Adaptive Real-Time (ART) accelerator for instant execution from flash with no latency, it delivers 210 DMIPS (566 CoreMark) at 168MHz – the maximum performance achievable by the Cortex-M4 at this frequency.

The addition of 1 MByte or 2 MByte on-chip Flash versions and the inclusion of 256 Kbytes of SRAM significantly expand the integrated memory resources compared to other Cortex-M4 microcontrollers on the market. This allows developers to run rich applications by managing large code and data sizes without adding expensive external Flash and SRAM (by leveraging the external memory interface of the STM32 F4 series) or using a ROMless architecture. ROMless solutions can be significantly more expensive and significantly increase PC board complexity and electromagnetic emissions.

For applications requiring enhanced connectivity, four USARTs and four UARTs are provided. Previous STM32 F2 and F4 devices offered four USARTs and two UARTs. Additionally, digital filtering for the three I2C interfaces is optional to ensure reliable communication, and six SPI ports are integrated on-chip. The F2 and F4 series offer three SPI ports.

A total of 16 new STM32 F427 and F437 variants have been added to the STM32 F407 and F417 series announced in September 2011. The STM32 family currently includes over 360 individual part numbers, including ARM Cortex-M0, M3 and M4 cores, on-chip Flash from 16 KB to 2 MB, up to 256 KB SRAM, and package options from 36 to 176 pins.

The latest STM32 F427 and F437 variants provide a simple pin-to-pin and software-compatible upgrade path, providing additional resources to enhance applications based on existing STM32 F2 and STM32 F4 devices. Furthermore, with larger on-chip memory and a DSP-enhanced Cortex-M4 core, these latest devices offer a highly integrated alternative for systems that use a microcontroller and a standalone DSP, leveraging the extensive STM32 development ecosystem.

Other features of the STM32 F427/37
• 4 KB + 80 Byte backup SRAM
• Communication interfaces: 4x USART, 4x UART, 6x SPI, 3x I2C (with digital filter), 2x CAN, SDIO, 2x USB OTG
• Dedicated audio PLL and two full-duplex I2S channels
• Ethernet 10/100 MAC supporting IEEE 1588 v2
• 2x 12-bit DACs, 3x 12-bit ADCs, up to 17 16/32-bit timers

The STM32 F427 and F437 microcontrollers are currently sampling to lead customers and will enter volume production in Q1 2013 in LQFP100, LQFP144, LQFP176 and UFBGA176 packages. ST has priced the ST 1 MByte and 2 MByte variants as follows:

STM32F427VGT6 with 1MB Flash and 256KB SRAM in LQFP100 package: Resale price $7.45 for orders of 1,000 pieces per year

STM32F437IIH6 in UFBGA176 package, 2MB Flash, 256KB RAM, and crypto/hash processor: Resale price $9.50 for orders of 1,000 pieces