Independent server system… Provides efficient routing accelerator
ST provides its own security firmware for development convenience.

STMicroelectronics (hereinafter ST) introduced Stellar, a next-generation MCU capable of meeting the requirements of automotive domain and zone controllers.

ST Manager Son Seong-bae gave a presentation on the topic of 'ST Next-Generation Automotive 32-Bit MCU Stellar' at the e4ds webinar on the 25th, explaining the features of the Stellar P and G product families.

Stellar’s P and G product families are suitable for integrated platforms such as zones and domains; the P product family can be utilized in BMS, transmission, etc., while the G product family is used in gateways, etc.

Stellar products support the ST SDK, which provides MISRA-compliant code and example programs that can run directly on the board for the convenience of customer development.

In addition, Stellar MCAL is provided in accordance with R20-11, the new AUTOSAR specification for multicore applications, and subsequent versions.

Cyber SecurityIn terms of reliability, ST also develops and provides its own security firmware for development convenience.

In addition, regarding safety, it provides a safety library in accordance with ISO 26262 ASIL standards to support easier satisfaction of target ASIL criteria.

Manager Son explained the Stellar P and G families and introduced the advantages of the Stellar MCU.

Manager Son cited the following as the representative advantages of the Stellar MCU: high performance capable of supporting various future architectures, provision of a secure integrated controller environment through hardware virtualization, provision of an efficient routing accelerator using an independent server system with Cortex M4 cores, and the use of twice the memory space during OTA due to the characteristics of Stellar's PCM, which is designed to represent one bit with two cells.

In addition, Stellar provides hardware virtualization, allowing the hypervisor to control ECUs and virtual machines using up to 6 cores.

The hypervisor allocates dedicated memory space to each virtual machine or performs memory protection operations for bus masters.

And through real-time scheduling, real-time OS scheduler and efficient Interrupt Control of ECUs can be performed.

Stellar's NVM (Non-Volatile Memory) consists of PCM that can double the temporarily available memory capacity, and

NorIn mal mode, two cells can be used for operation per bit, and for updates such as OTA, one cell can be changed to a mode where the existing image stored is maintained and the other cell is changed to a mode for storing a new image.

Compared to conventional Flash, the PCM applied to Stellar eliminates the erase process before writing and enables writing in single-bit units.

The memory lifespan is guaranteed to be about 10 years for 250,000 writes and about 25 years for 1,000 writes, just like SPC5.

Since PCM does not require an erase process, writing is faster, and read access time is twice as fast as conventional Flash.

In terms of quality, it has performance similar to existing Flash, making it suitable for automotive devices.

Stellar refers to the hardware security module for security as HSM 2.0.

It features isolated NVM and RAM for security, includes a C3 engine for computational acceleration, and is equipped with AES Light to provide enhanced performance.

Regarding low power, Stellar supports Smart Power Mode. Smart Power Mode allows the use of some peripherals such as CAN and LIN with a separate Cortex M4 core.

Some functions can be operated with the core, resulting in low power consumption in high-power mode and the fastest startup when switching to high-power mode.

The Stellar P product family is divided into P3, P6, and P7 and is specialized in actuator interfaces and GTM. This allows for overheating, an input voltage of 3.3V, and temperature conditions up to 165℃.

The Stellar G product family is also divided into three types: G3, G6, and G7. It is capable of operating up to 150°C with a 3.3V input voltage and has strengths in connectivity such as Ethernet, CAN, and LIN, as well as routing acceleration.

It also supports a low-power mode and has a larger RAM size compared to the P product family.

Manager Son Seong-bae emphasized, “Recently developed automobiles require domain controllers and zone controllers capable of efficiently handling the rapidly increasing number of controllers,” adding that “Stellar MCU P and G product families are suitable for implementing domain and zone architectures.”