NXP Semiconductors has unveiled its MCX portfolio of microcontrollers designed to advance innovations in smart homes, smart factories, smart cities as well as many emerging industrial and internet of things (IoT) edge applications.
The MCUs include four series of devices built on a common platform and is supported by MCUXpresso suite of tools and software. The portfolio features the first instantiation of NXP’s specialized neural processing unit (NPU) for accelerating inference at the edge and delivering up to 30 times faster machine learning compared to a CPU core alone.
The four series in the portfolio are used to simplify migration and to scale up or down as needed with maximal software reuse to minimize development costs. The portfolio is based on an Arm Cortex-M core and integrates a set of peripherals for design flexibility. The MCX devices feature up to 4 MB of on-chip flash memory, low power cache and memory management controllers. Additionally, up to 1 MB of on-chip SRAM enhances real-time performance of edge applications.
The MCX N series is designed for secure, intelligent applications and includes integrated EdgeLock secure subsystem and a dedicated NPU with a high efficiency architecture.
The MCX A series is optimized for applications such as motor control where cost constraints, analog capabilities such as high-precision data converters and fast time to market are key.
The MCX W series includes Bluetooth low energy and can add wireless connectivity to IoT devices with its energy-efficient radio to extend battery life of small connected systems.
The MCX L series is designed for power-critical applications with low static and dynamic power consumption to extend battery life significantly compared to traditional MCUs.