STMicroelectronics, a global leader in semiconductor solutions, has recently launched the STM32WBA52, a new family of wireless microcontrollers that is centred around a 100MHz Arm Cortex-M33 core. This new microcontroller family is based on the latest Bluetooth Low Energy 5.3 wireless protocol and features enhanced security features that meet the Arm PSA Certified Level 3 and SESIP3 IoT security standards.
Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) 5.3 is the latest version of the Bluetooth LE wireless protocol. It was released in 2021 and offers several new features and improvements over the previous version, Bluetooth LE 5.2.
Some of the new features and improvements in Bluetooth LE 5.3 include:
- Increased data bandwidth: Bluetooth LE 5.3 has a maximum data rate of 2Mbps, which is twice the speed of Bluetooth LE 5.2.
- Improved range: Bluetooth LE 5.3 includes improvements in its frequency hopping algorithm, which results in increased range and better performance in noisy environments.
- Enhanced security: Bluetooth LE 5.3 includes improvements in security features, such as secure connections and authenticated payload encryption, to protect against eavesdropping and other security threats.
- Multi-Link Support: Bluetooth LE 5.3 supports up to 20 simultaneous connections, allowing for multiple devices to connect and communicate with each other simultaneously.
Overall, Bluetooth LE 5.3 offers improved performance, security, and connectivity features, making it an attractive option for IoT devices and other wireless applications.
The STM32WBA52 family of microcontrollers is similar to the company’s earlier Cortex-M4-based STM32WB wireless microcontrollers. However, it comes with a more advanced security-enabled version of the Cortex-M3 core that has TrustZone virtualisation. It also has a +10dBm 2Mbit/s 2.4GHz transceiver that can support up to 20 simultaneous connections.
According to STMicroelectronics, the boost to cyber-protection comes from the PSA security program based on security isolation, memory protection, tamper protection, and Arm TrustZone. The platform is delivered with secure software based on Trusted Firmware for Arm Cortex-M, which meets the PSA Certified security framework. It includes PSA immutable root-of-trust, secure boot, secure firmware update, cryptography, secure storage, and attestation at runtime. The company has also included side-channel resistantant, symmetric and asymmetric cryptographic accelerators, and a hardware-unique key for added security.
The STM32WBA52 family of microcontrollers comes in two parts. The STM32WBA52CG has 1Mbyte of flash and 128kbyte of RAM, while the STM32WBA52CE has 512k of flash and 96k of RAM. Both flash and RAM get ECC (error code correction) for data integrity, and both devices come in a 7 x 7mm exposed pad UFQFPN48 package.
The M33 100MHz operating power is 50µA/MHz (1.8V LDO 25°C), and there are 10 power modes all the way down to 140nA standby with everything off. For development, there is a STM32CubeWBA package with a certified Bluetooth Low Energy 5.3 protocol stack for the STM32Cube tool-set. A dedicated dev board, Nucleo-WBA52CG, is planned.
The STM32WBA52 family of microcontrollers is expected to be a game-changer in the IoT and wireless applications space. Its enhanced security features, high data bandwidth, and improved range make it an ideal solution for IoT devices and other wireless applications that require reliable and secure connectivity. With the launch of STM32WBA52, STMicroelectronics is once again setting the standard for wireless microcontroller technology.
