ST New STM32MP1 Microprocessor Series with Linux Distribution

STMicroelectronics announces that the company is applying its Arm Cortex expertise to expand the capabilities of its industry-leading STM32 MCU portfolio.

The latest announcement of ST is said to target applications requiring even more performance, resources and large open-source software.

STM32MP1 Series Microprocessor (MPU) Products Leverage:

• Strong, proven STM32*-family ecosystem from ST and its partners, including tools and technical support.
• With the release of OpenSTLinux as a mainlined, open-source Linux distribution, it extends the STM32 family to address important customer requirements for real-time, power-constrained applications.
• With this combination of MPU and software, ST has assembled all the pieces to match the product supply requirements of many industrial and professional applications.
• And, of course, the STM32MP1 is included in ST’s rolling 10-years longevity commitment.
• With ST’s new STM32MP1 microprocessor series (MPU), customers can now develop a new range of applications using the new STM32 heterogeneous architecture that combines Arm Cortex-A and Cortex-M cores.

The STM32MP1 Embeds:

• A 3D Graphics Processor Unit (GPU) to support Human Machine Interface (HMI) displays.
• Supports a wide range of external DDR SDRAM and Flash Memories.
• The STM32MP1 embeds a large set of peripherals that can be seamlessly allocated either to Cortex-A / Linux or Cortex-M / Real-time activities.
• The STM32MP1 series are available in a range of BGA packages to support the lowest PCB cost structure and use the smallest board space.

ST Accelerates Development:

• Demonstrating its commitment to software development with the release of OpenSTLinux Distributionas a mainlined open-source Linux distribution.
• OpenSTLinux has already been reviewed and accepted by the Linux community: Linux Foundation, Yocto project and Linaro. The distribution contains all the essential building blocks for running software on the application-processor cores.

Enhanced STM32Cube tools, specially upgraded from the STM32Cube package for Cortex-M microcontrollers, features all necessary characteristics – and more — to accelerate microprocessor development using Arm Cortex-A-core MPUs. ST’s solution simplifies setting up MPU projects and configuring the on-chip resources.

“The STM32MP1 brings the strength of the STM32 experience to applications that need MPU compute and graphics support, combined with power efficient real-time control and high feature integration,” said Ricardo De Sa Earp, General Manager of STMicroelectronics’ Microcontroller Division. “Our commitment to consolidating open-source Linux software and microcontroller development support, combined with the longevity that consumer-oriented alternatives cannot equal, establish solid confidence in STM32MP1 for embedded MPU projects.”

Key Applications Include:

The STM32MP1 multicore microprocessor series with compute and graphics support combined with power-efficient real-time control and high feature integration will facilitate development of high-performance solutions for Industrial, Consumer, Smart Home, Health and Wellness applications.

Additional Info: 

This flexible architecture performs fast processing and real-time tasks on a single chip, always achieving the greatest power efficiency. For example, by stopping Cortex-A7 execution and running only from the more efficient Cortex-M4, power can typically be reduced to 25%. From this mode, going to Standby further cuts power by 2.5k times – while still supporting the resumption of Linux execution in 1 to 3 seconds, depending on the application.

Availability and Pricing

STM32MP1 part numbers are in production now, priced starting at $4.84 for orders of 10,000 pieces. Other pricing options are available. Products will be available through distributors in March.

Two Evaluation boards (STM32MP157A-EV1 and STM32MP157C-EV1) and two Discovery kits (STM32MP157A-DK1 and STM32MP157C-DK2) will be available through Distributors channels in April.

 For Further Info About the Latest Rollout: Click here