Renesas expands RA MCU family with two new entry-line offering optimal combination of performance, features and value

Renesas Electronics (TSE:6723), a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, announced the expansion of its 32-bit RA family of microcontrollers (MCUs) with two new Groups based on the Arm® Cortex®-M33 core with Arm TrustZone^® technology. The new 100-MHz RA4E2 and 200-MHz RA6E2 are optimized to provide best-in-class power efficiency without compromising performance. With 128 Kbyte and 256 Kbyte flash options and 40 Kbytes of SRAM, the new groups integrate abundant connectivity options such as on-chip CAN FD, USB, QSPI, SSI and I3C interfaces and offer an easy upgrade path to other members of the RA Family. They are ideal for applications requiring high performance in small packages such as sensing, gaming, wearables and appliances.

The RA4E2 and the RA6E2 are the most cost-effective members of the RA family with integrated CAN FD, and are available with small package options including a space saving 4 x 4 mm 36-pin BGA and a 5 x 5 mm 32-pin QFN to satisfy the needs of cost-sensitive and space-constrained applications. In addition, the low power consumption of the new devices saves energy, enabling end products to contribute to a greener environment.

All RA devices are supported by the Renesas Flexible Software Package (FSP) that includes highly efficient drivers and middleware to ease the implementation of communications and improve functionality of peripherals. The FSP’s GUI simplifies and accelerates the development process. It enables flexible use of legacy code as well as easy compatibility and scalability with other RA family devices. Designers using FSP also have access to the full Arm ecosystem as well as Renesas’ extensive partner network, offering a wide range of tools that help speed time-to-market.

“Our RA Family continues to exceed expectations by delivering market-leading performance, features, ease-of-design and value,” said Roger Wendelken, Senior Vice President in the IoT and Infrastructure Business Unit at Renesas. “The new RA4E2 and RA6E2 are exceptional examples of why many customers have adopted the RA family as their MCU family of choice. We’re confident that these parts will hit the sweet spot for a wide range of applications, and that many designers will look to the RA family for future designs as well.”

“Over 90% of processors shipped are microcontrollers. The applications that use these MCUs are exceptionally varied¹,” said Tom Hackenberg, Principal Market and Technology Analyst for Computing and Software at the Yole . “By continuing to expand its RA offerings, Renesas can address more customers in more markets with optimized parts for this wide range of specific applications.”