In the 50 years since the rise of the first microcontrollers (MCUs), we’ve
seen continuous advancements in MCU technologies as these highly integrated
devices have become more powerful, energy-efficient, rich in peripherals,
secure and intelligent. While general-purpose 32-bit devices dominate today’s
broad MCU market, most portfolios include diversified offerings optimized for
specific applications, ranging from industrial control to IoT connectivity to
precision analog and much more.
Given the maturity, breadth and scale of today’s MCU market, it’s fair to ask:
Does the world need another new 32-bit MCU portfolio?
The short answer is yes. It boils down to keeping pace with our rapidly
evolving technology landscape and meeting developer and end-user needs.
Modern applications expect more from their MCU platforms than ever before.
Creating intelligent edge devices requires them to address complex security
challenges, IoT connectivity requirements and power limitations, while
delivering advanced machine learning (ML) capabilities to process vision and
voice inputs and predict human intentions with greater accuracy.
NXP debuts new MCX portfolio of MCUs
for the next era of advanced industrial and IoT edge computing.
Read more about the new MCU of choice.
Some applications require dedicated neural processing acceleration to tackle
ML workloads. Others need low-power wireless connectivity for IoT devices that
stretch battery life from months to years. Still, others need precision analog
for motor control and industrial automation. Everyone requires the latest
security technologies to stay a step ahead of cyber adversaries or to prevent
cloning by competitors. Scalable levels of performance, memory and
functionality across broad portfolios are also a must. And every MCU platform
must be backed by a rich ecosystem of software and tools that streamline
development.
Listening closely to the needs of new and existing customers, NXP has
introduced the MCX portfolio, a new MCU platform that addresses developer
requirements for scalability, parallelism, security, simplicity and optimized
capabilities for an array of IoT, edge ML and industrial automation use cases.
MCX: Merging the Best of Two Leading MCU Platforms
Born from the cross-platform convergence of NXP’s industry-leading LPC and
Kinetis MCU families, the
MCX portfolio
combines the DNA of each family to redefine the future of general-purpose MCUs
for the intelligent, connected edge and industrial applications. Using NXP's decades of MCU expertise as a guide, we've brought together the best features, peripherals and capabilities of LPC and Kinetis and created an all-new, purpose-built portfolio.
Backed by the popular and widely used
MCUXpresso suite of software and development tools, MCX gives developers a bold, new future for scalable, smart and secure
system design. The MCX portfolio offers optimal enablement, dedicated
accelerators, analog integration and a host of peripherals and memory options
for any power- and cost-sensitive application that needs intelligence, voice,
precision motor control and wireless connectivity.
Meet the new MCX general-purpose MCUs for the intelligent edge.
For existing LPC and Kinetis customers, the MCX family offers more memory
options and lower power requirements and it preserves their engineering investment by
enabling them to port existing code to a next-generation MCU platform with no
need to redesign from the ground up. New customers benefit from the
portfolio’s scalability, simplified system design and developer-focused
software. When evolving designs call for more performance and capabilities,
MCX customers can leverage NXP’s broad portfolios of
i.MX RT crossover MCUs
and
i.MX applications processors for future growth.
Four MCX Series with Shared DNA
Powered by a high-performance Arm® Cortex®-M33
core, the general-purpose MCX MCUs are built on a common foundation of
low-power processing, advanced on-chip security and wireless connectivity
technologies. The portfolio also features the first occurrence of NXP’s
new, specialized neural processing unit (NPU) for accelerating inference at
the edge, delivering up to 30x faster machine learning throughput compared to
a CPU core alone. Scalable memory options include up to 4 MB of flash memory
supported by a low-power cache, advanced memory management controllers and up
to 1MB of SRAM to enhance real-time performance.
The benefits and features of the MCX portfolio are shown in this block diagram.
The MCX portfolio debuts four new MCU series offering the right mix of
scalability, optimized integration and developer-focused software to simplify
system design.
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The MCX N Advanced series is designed for secure, intelligent applications,
with families that include an integrated EdgeLock secure subsystem and
dedicated NPU with a high-efficiency compute architecture for real-time
inference.
-
The MCX A Essential series is optimized to provide critical functionality
for a broad range of applications such as motor control, where cost
constraints, advanced analog capabilities such as high-precision data
converters and fast time to market are key considerations.
-
The MCX W Wireless series offers low-power narrowband connectivity,
including Bluetooth® Low Energy. Designed to simplify adding wireless
connectivity to IoT devices, its energy-efficient radio helps extend the
battery life of small connected systems.
-
The MCX L Ultra-Low Power series is designed for power-critical
applications. With one of the industry’s lowest static and dynamic power
consumption, these devices will help extend battery life significantly
compared to traditional MCUs.
The MCX MCUs are available in popular package options, ranging from TSSOP to
BGA and from 16 to 200 pins, to fit your system design needs.
Compare the benefits of each of the new MCX MCUs.
A Unified Development Ecosystem
Each MCX MCU series is supported by the unified MCUXpresso suite of software
and tools. The widely used, developer-focused MCUXpresso ecosystem provides
comprehensive, easy-to-use development tools and enables software
technologies designed to optimize, simplify and accelerate system development,
allowing customers to focus on differentiating their designs. The MCUXpresso
SDK includes key application examples such as asset trackers, beacons,
wireless sensors and other devices to help developers get up and running
quickly. Using MCUXpresso, existing customers can reuse and port their code
easily and preserve their engineering investment.
Every Gate Counts on Small Form Factor MCUs
Every application use case differs, and so does the security threat model. To
meet the requirements of so many different applications, we designed our MCX
portfolio to address this wide range of options. The MCX N Series features our
EdgeLock® secure subsystem which comprises the immutable core
security functionality. It’s part of the silicon root of trust and features
side-channel protected cryptographic acceleration engines, key management and
device attestation. Pre-configured security and key management policies enable
device makers to simplify the path to certification and avoid costly mistakes
and save development time. The W Series has advanced security features
including crypto accelerators for secure boot, and the A Series offers
essential security features including lock/unlock and read-out protection.
Connect with MCX
Transform and accelerate your next development project with NXP’s scalable MCX
portfolio, bringing smart, secure applications closer to the edge. To learn
more about the new MCX portfolio, visit
nxp.com/mcx
or contact NXP Sales worldwide.