NXP Semiconductors released the S32K5 family of automotive microcontrollers (MCUs), claimed as the first 16-nm FinFET MCU with embedded magnetic RAM (MRAM) for automotive applications. Extending the NXP CoreRide platform with pre-integrated zonal and electrification system solutions, the S2K5 MCU family empowers scalable software-defined vehicle (SDV) architectures.
The 32K5 MCU family addresses the distribution and integration of electronic control unit (ECU) functions, offering a next-generation microcontroller architecture that combines real-time performance with low-latency deterministic communication, as well as innovative isolation features. Providing high levels of MCU performance without sacrificing safety, efficiency, and isolation, the NXP CoreRide platform leverages the S32K5 family to help developers accelerate the creation of zonal architectures.
Features include Arm Cortex CPU cores running at up to 800 MHz, along with power-efficient operation enhanced by a 16-nm FinFET process. Optimized accelerators are available, such as network translation, security, and digital signal processing.
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An integrated Ethernet switch core provides a networking solution that streamlines design and enables software reuse. Its integrated software-defined, hardware-enforced isolation architecture enables automakers to implement safe and secure partitioning, and ensures that safety applications up to ASIL D can be integrated without compromising safety or performance.
Among the MCU's other features are a dedicated eIQ Neutron neural processing unit and NXP's scalable machine-learning (ML) accelerator to enable ML algorithms to perform power-efficient, real-time processing of sensor data.
On-chip high-performance MRAM accelerates ECU programming times both in the factory and for over-the-air (OTA) updates, with more than 15X faster write speeds than embedded flash memory. This is enhanced by NXP’s latest security accelerator, including post-quantum cryptography (PQC) capability, to safely and securely deploy new features throughout the vehicle's lifetime.
