STMicroelectronics unveils 'world's most powerful' Cortex processor based mcus

As part of the company's STM32 series of mcus, the new F4 series is based on the latest ARM Cortex-M4 core which adds signal processing capabilities and faster operations. The STM32 range is suitable for applications such as metering, medical services, point of sales, building security and home audio. According to ST, the single cycle dsp instructions of the STM32 F4 opens the door to the digital signal controller market that requires high computational capability and dsp. By providing a full pin to pin and software compatible upgrade from the STM32 F2 series, designers can upgrade to the F4 series if they need more memory, performance or features. Designers using a 2chip mcu and dsp approach can now combine both chips in one digital signal controller. The F4 series operates 168MHz, offers single cycle dsp instruction support and a Floating Point Unit. It has 192Kbytes of sram, embedded flash memory from 512 Kbytes up to 1 Mbyte, and peripherals for imaging, connectivity and encryption. "The STM32 F4 series is attractive for so many more reasons than simply because it is the highest performing Cortex M processor based microcontroller available on the market today," said Claude Dardanne, executive vice president and general manager Microcontrollers, Memories and Secure MCUs Group. "With more than 250 compatible devices already in production, the industry's best development ecosystem, and outstanding power consumption and overall functionality, the F4 family is the cherry at the top of the STM32 family of Cortex-M processor-based mcus, which now includes four product series: the STM32 F1 series, the STM32 F2 series and the STM32 L1 series, all based on the Cortex-M3 processor, and the new F4 Series, based on the Cortex-M4 processor."