The new MCU series also features built-in flash memory of up to 16 megabytes (MB), as well as enhanced security features and functional safety.
Under Renesas Autonomy™, an open, innovative, and reliable platform for assisted and automated driving, Renesas provides comprehensive solutions that drive the evolution of vehicles toward next-generation eco-friendly cars, connected cars, and autonomous vehicles. The 28nm automotive control MCU is a groundbreaking new product featuring next-generation technology for vehicle control. Together with the R-Car family of systems-on-a-chip (SoCs) designed for cloud connectivity and sensing, these form the two main pillars of the Renesas Autonomy platform.
 
The main features of the new RH850 / E2x MCU series
• High processing throughput to enable complex automotive control for eco-friendly vehicles
To develop environmentally friendly vehicles, next-generation fuel-efficient engines require high processing performance to enable the implementation of new fuel combustion systems. Furthermore, both high processing performance and high integration densities are required to achieve miniaturization and increased efficiency in the motors and inverters used in electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). The newly developed 28nm flash memory MCU is the world's first to achieve up to six 400 MHz CPU cores and 9600 MIPS processing capabilities. Compared to previous 40nm MCUs, the new RH850/E2x MCU series also achieves approximately three times the performance at the same power level. The RH850/E2x achieves greater automotive control system integration by including enhanced sensor interfaces necessary for precise automotive control functions. Multi-core virtual environments and model-based development environments for the new MCUs will be available at Renesas' partner companies.
 
• Advanced OTA updates with large flash memory capacities for connected cars
The demand for large-capacity built-in flash memory is increasing to support over-the-air (OTA) functionality, which automatically and wirelessly updates ECU software for safer program control. The RH850/E2x series is equipped with up to 16 MB of flash ROM, and to meet user needs and preferences, only certain arbitrary areas can be updated during program operation. The RH850/E2x series also comes with enhanced serial interfaces, including up to ten CAN FD channels and one Ethernet channel. Safety features supported by Evita Medium enable the MCUs to support safe and fast OTA software updates.
 
• Improved functional safety for autonomous vehicles
Targeting ASIL-D, the highest level of the ISO 26262 functional safety standard for automotive E/E systems, the RH850/E2x series adopts a dual-core pass-through CPU architecture that ensures calculations performed by both CPU cores are identical. The RH850/E2x also provides up to four sets of CPU pairs and features a variety of hardware functional safety enhancements. In applications where a system malfunction could lead to life-threatening accidents, these features detect faults immediately should a malfunction occur, allowing system safety to be maintained. Renesas will provide safety analysis tools that can flexibly support a wide range of use cases for implementing safe systems.
 
Following the development of its 28nm embedded flash memory in February 2015, Renesas announced its collaboration with TSMC on 28nm MCUs in September 2016. The company reached a milestone today by shipping the world's first 28nm embedded flash memory MCU to market. Renesas has already successfully verified the large-scale operation of its finned-structure MONOS flash memory, targeting 16/14nm and beyond MCU generations.
 
To ensure scalability in the RH850/E2x Series, in addition to the 28nm flash memory MCU, Renesas has also launched a 40nm process MCU that includes (1) and (3) as described above.
 
(Note 1) As of today, compared to published data from other companies, according to Renesas research.
(Note 2) MIPS (millions of instructions per second): an expression of a computer's processing power.

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