MCU family expanded offering performance with features and value

Renesas Electronics Corporation has expanded its 32-bit RA family of MCUs with two new groups based on the Arm Cortex-M33 core with Arm TrustZone technology. The new 100MHz RA4E2 Group and 200MHz RA6E2 Group are optimised to deliver best-in-class power efficiency without compromising performance. With 128KB and 256KB flash options and 40KB of SRAM, the new groups combine abundant connectivity options, including on-chip CAN FD, USB, QSPI, SSI and I3C interfaces and provide a simple upgrade path to other members of the RA family. They are excellent for high-precision applications in small packages, including sensing, gaming, wearables and appliances.

The devices are the most cost-effective members of the RA family with integrated CAN FD. They are provided with small package options, including a space-saving 4mm x 4mm 36-pin BGA and a 5mm x 5mm 32-pin QFN to satisfy the requirements of cost-sensitive and space-constrained applications. In addition, the low power consumption of the new devices saves energy, enabling end products to contribute to a greener environment.

All RA devices are supported by the Renesas Flexible Software Package (FSP), which includes highly efficient drivers and middleware to ease communications implementation and improve peripherals' functionality. The FSP's GUI simplifies and speeds up the development process. It allows flexible legacy code use and easy compatibility and scalability with other family devices. Designers utilising FSP also have access to the full Arm ecosystem and the company's extensive partner network, offering a wide range of tools that help speed time-to-market.

"Our RA Family continues to exceed expectations by delivering market-leading performance, features, ease-of-design and value," said Roger Wendelken, senior vice president in the IoT and Infrastructure Business Unit at Renesas. "The new RA4E2 and RA6E2 Groups are exceptional examples of why many customers have adopted the RA family as their MCU family of choice. We're confident that these parts will hit the sweet spot for a wide range of applications and that many designers will look to the RA family for future designs as well."

"Over 90% of processors shipped are microcontrollers. The applications that use these MCUs are exceptionally varied," said Tom Hackenberg, principal market and technology analyst for Computing and Software at the Yole Group. "By continuing to expand its RA offerings, Renesas can address more customers in more markets with optimised parts for this wide range of specific applications."