ST expands high-performance STM32 microcontroller product line

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China, January 5, 2015 – STMicroelectronics (ST; NYSE: STM) announced the launch of the latest STM32F446 microcontroller family, offering engineers more application flexibility. This new product integrates enhanced ARM Cortex-M4 processing power, with 256KB or 512KB of on-chip flash memory (both paired with 128KB RAM), an energy-efficient storage expansion interface, and a range of communication interfaces.

The STM32F446 leverages STMicroelectronics’ Adaptive Accelerator® (ART Accelerator®) technology to execute program code from flash without any wait states. Combined with intelligent system architecture and advanced 90nm flash technology, this enhances the performance of the standard ARM Cortex-M4 core, which includes a built-in floating-point unit and DSP instructions. As a result, the STM32F446 achieves a CPU performance of 225 DMIPS and scores 608 points in the CoreMark® benchmark when running at 180MHz, demonstrating excellent efficiency and speed.

Beyond processing power, the STM32F446 introduces advanced peripherals and efficient multi-interface communication, making it ideal for industrial, scientific, medical, and Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Features include a camera interface, seven I2S audio interfaces, a Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) module for managing multiple HDMI devices, a SPDIF digital audio interface, and a parallel display interface. The USB module with an integrated power rail allows the core supply voltage to drop as low as 1.7V.

To support scalable system designs, the STM32F446 includes a Flexible Memory Controller (FMC) and two quad SPI (QSPI) interfaces. The 90MHz FMC simplifies control over SRAM, SDRAM, NOR/NAND external memory, or built-in LCD controllers, while supporting memory remap mode for improved performance. The dual QSPI interface operates independently of the FMC, enabling direct access to up to two external SPI NOR flash memories via memory mapping, with support for single or double data rate transmission.

For developers focused on power efficiency, the STM32F446 offers energy-saving features such as dynamic voltage scaling, extensive clock gating, and flexible sleep modes. In STOP mode, the operating current can be reduced to as low as 50μA, ensuring that all SRAM data remains intact during low-power operation.

The STM32F446 benefits from the vast STM32 ecosystem, including over 600 pin- and software-compatible ARM Cortex-M core-based microcontrollers, such as the recently introduced STM32F7 family. Developers have access to tools like the STM32Cube open-source platform, STM32 Nucleo prototyping boards, and STM32 Discovery evaluation kits, which are compatible with popular development environments like IAR EWARM, Keil MDK-ARM, GCC-based IDEs, and online mbed. The mbed platform provides free tools and open-source modules to accelerate ARM-based microcontroller development.

Samples of the STM32F446 are available for major customers, with volume production expected in Q1 2015. Package options include the WLCSP81 micro package (3.728mm x 3.85mm) and the LQFP144 (20mm x 20mm). Flash memory options are 256KB and 512KB, both with 128KB of SRAM, giving designers flexibility in their design choices.