SPC5 Microcontroller Platform-based, Safety Integrity Level System Target

ST has announced the first product in its new automotive microcontroller family, the SPC57. This microprocessor opens new horizons for automotive applications with the industry's best combination of safety assurance and cost/performance. Based on the 32-bit Power Architecture™ SPC5 microcontroller platform, the new family targets automotive systems that are cost-sensitive yet must meet the most stringent safety requirements, reaching the highest ISO26262 ASIL-D Automotive Safety Integrity Level.

It is a System-on-Chip (SoC) device for safety-critical applications in entry-level vehicles, such as airbags and anti-lock braking systems (ABS) for automobiles and motorcycles, power steering, and DC/DC converters/inverters for hybrid/electric vehicles.

As automobiles become increasingly intelligent worldwide, manufacturers must safely protect all critical functions from accidental failures, which could be caused by a single cosmic ray altering the bits of a memory cell. ST's SPC57 device is specifically designed to address these challenges and provides top-tier safety combined with a cost-effective development path, along with competitive solutions for automotive control functions such as steering and braking.

55nm automotive technology applied, maximum clock speed 80MHz
Provides low-cost development environments, open source, and various evaluation boards

Luca Rodeschini, Senior Vice President of Strategic Business Development and Microcontroller Business Unit, Automotive and Discrete Products Group at ST, said, “The SPC57 is a scalable solution with future competitiveness that offers optimal cost/performance, full compliance with the most stringent safety assurance standards, a long product lifecycle for customers, and a comprehensive low-cost development ecosystem.”

The SPC57 family utilizes the world's most advanced 55nm automotive technology and offers clock speeds of up to 80MHz. Another key feature is the support for a fully featured, low-cost toolchain compatible with the development infrastructure of current Power Architecture devices, enabling the rapid development of cost-effective, safety-critical automotive systems. The design ecosystem includes the free SPC5Studio development environment, an open-source code compiler, and various evaluation boards available starting at just $100.

The first four models to be introduced in the SPC57 product family are the SPC570S50E1 (512K flash memory, QFP64 package), SPC570S50E3 (512K, QFP100 package), SPC570S40E1 (256K, QFP64 package), and SPC570S40E3 (256K, QFP100 package). The exposed pad QFP package supports applications requiring increasingly diverse user pinout functions and heat dissipation. QFP64 devices are currently available, and QFP100 devices are scheduled to be available at the end of the first quarter of 2016.