February 28, 2013, Seoul – STMicroelectronics (ST), a global semiconductor company providing a wide range of electronic applications and the largest supplier to the automotive industry, has introduced the new multicore microcontroller SPC56EL70, suitable for functional safety applications in automotive electronics. The newly released device complies with the strictest automotive safety standards (ISO 26262) and features a larger non-volatile memory size, providing easy scalability for existing products and further strengthening ST's line of fault-resistant microcontrollers for mission-critical automotive applications.

The SPC56EL70 32-bit microcontroller is the newest addition to ST’s product line, which covers a wide range of automotive applications. It must now comply with Automotive Safety Integrity Levels (ASIL), including the most stringent ASIL D level. These requirements have now become standard for key systems such as anti-lock braking systems, electric power steering, active suspension, and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

The ISO 26262 functional safety standard specifies the rules necessary to avoid abnormal risks caused by malfunctions in fully electrical systems. Because the role of the microcontroller is critical, all applicable standards were applied to and evaluated ST's automotive safety devices.

ST's new single-chip automotive microcontroller combines two high-performance cores with 2MB of flash and 192kB of internal RAN memory, three CAN[1] interfaces, and a set of peripherals optimized for safety and motor control applications to support up to two brushless 3-phase motors. The dual-core architecture reduces system costs by reducing component redundancy at the system level.

This architecture provides unique flexibility for users to choose between lockstep or dual parallel processing (independent core operation) modes, supporting a multiple safety architecture that allows users to configure the necessary balance between safety and performance levels.

The SPC56EL automotive microcontroller product line is part of the Power Architecture™ device family, enabling the use of 32-bit MCU cores across powertrains, bodywork, chassis, and safety systems. It supports advanced features, improves vehicle performance and fuel efficiency, and reduces development costs by increasing hardware and software reuse.

In addition, the scalable e200 core 32-bit Power architecture is installed in all devices along with a dedicated set of peripherals and large-capacity embedded flash memory, resulting in increased integration, maximized design reuse, shorter time-to-market, and reduced costs.

As part of ST's comprehensive supply chain strategy, this product line was manufactured using ST's proprietary embedded flash (eFlash) process technology. ST has accumulated 20 years of expertise in the embedded flash sector. The SPC56EL product line offers flash memory capacities ranging from 768 Kbytes to 2 Mbytes and is currently available in LQFP100 and LQFP144 packages. The BGA257 version is also scheduled to be released soon.

Fabio Marchio, General Manager of ST’s Automotive Microcontrollers & Infotainment Business Unit and Group Vice President, stated, “Functional safety compliance is essential for implementing advanced SoC ICs for mission-critical automotive applications. By providing upgrades such as increased memory while maintaining compatibility with existing dual-core devices, we enable our automotive customers to respond quickly to demanding applications like radar. These radar applications are evolving from simply providing alarms to taking actual action.”

SP56EL70 complies with the ISO 26262 ASIL-D standard, and sample products are currently being supplied. For more information, please contact ST Korea.