Motorola Unveils Next Generation Family of 32-Bit Microcontrollers

DETROIT, Oct. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CONVERGENCE CONFERENCE -- Confirming its commitment to continued development of high-performance microcontrollers (MCUs), Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) outlined plans for its next-generation MPC5500 family of products. Motorola has developed a scalable platform that encompasses a comprehensive set of peripherals with advanced features to meet and future requirements for embedded systems that require complex, real-time control. The MPC5500 devices are designed to offer system performance of up to five times higher than its predecessors, even more embedded Flash memory, enhanced timing mechanisms and a superior peripheral set.

This newest 32-bit embedded MCU family provides a strong roadmap and transition path for users of the popular MPC500 family. Engineers who have invested time and resources in using embedded microcontrollers compatible with the PowerPC instruction set can quickly move to the new family. All future family members and generations of the MPC5500 will be code compatible both in supervisor and user modes for an even easier adoption of the extension of the family.

The MPC5500 roadmap outlines a family of products that can be scaled to meet requirements of low-end to high-end applications. Unique partitioning moves many functions previously performed by hardware into software, creating a system-on-chip that is faster and more efficient. The first MPC5500 family members will feature up to four Mbytes of Motorola's high quality, embedded Flash, a DMA (Direct Memory Access) controller and multi-core debug capability -- all industry firsts for an automotive-qualified microcontroller. These exciting devices will also feature multiple eTPUs (enhanced timer processor units), each with increased timing resolution (24-bit compared to 16-bit on today's existing MPC500 TPU timer). Combining these enhancements will allow much faster, more accurate control of increasingly complex timing systems.

Though initially this family targets automotive applications, designers of any complex system -- from industrial control to avionics -- can expect to have a clear follow-on range of devices offering the familiarity of the PowerPC instruction set from the existing MPC500 family. This is particularly important in those markets where long-term, assured supply is crucial, such as in the automotive, aerospace, industrial control and health care equipment industries.

"Customers don't want to redesign their systems every time a microcontroller is qualified," said Dr. Franz Fink, general manager of Motorola's 32-Bit Embedded Controller Division. "To help customers protect their investments in equipment, training and tools, we're developing an entire family of devices that is scalable from low-end to high end. And since this family initially targets the automotive industry, customers can expect that these products will be available and supported for many, many years into the future."

• Next Generation MPC5500 Family Features
• PowerPC ISA compatible Book e - e500 core
• Up to 300 MHz core speed
• Up to 4 MB embedded Flash memory
• Up to 128KB embedded SRAM memory
• MMU (Memory Management Unit)
• SIMD (Single Instruction Multiple Data) Unit for DSP functionality
• eTPU (Enhanced Time Processor Unit) with increased time base width

from 16 bits to 24 bits and increased number of channels

• Superfast QADC -- for multiple ADC readings without any CPU intervention
• DMA (Direct Memory Access) controller - a first!
• Nexus Class IEEE-ISTO 5001 three Multi-core debug capabilities -- a first!
• Multiple CAN (Controller Area Network) controllers with flexible buffers sizes ranging up to 64 deep
• SCI and SPI Communications controllers
• Advanced real-time calibration and debug features
• Designed to meet -40C to + 150C automotive temperature range
• FM-PLL to minimize electromagnetic Interference
• Up to 504 Source Interrupt Controller
• MPC500 compatible External Bus Interface to support legacy memory devices
• Initial 388 PBGA Package offered with other package options planned along with KGD (Known Good Die)

Development Support

Motorola is committed to making its products easy for customers to use. With the next generation MPC5500 family, heavy focus has been placed on ensuring that state-of-the art tools are available to help simplify and speed system design. A comprehensive suite of hardware and software development tools is being developed for the MPC5500 Family from Metrowerks and independent tool developers to shorten customers' development cycles. Motorola offers a broad portfolio of low-level driver software that provide an established software base to develop control functionality and timing systems by helping to ease development processes for OEMs.

The Metrowerks CodeWarrior(TM) Development Studio for the MPC5500 family, generally available in April 2003, offers the industry's first tightly integrated tools suite that contains advanced tools from several of the worlds leading vendors, includes a GUI tool for system initialization, highly optimized C compiler for the core and the eTPU, an advanced multi-core simulator, a powerful multi-core debugger, analysis tools (trace and profiler), data visualization tools, Nexus support, OSEK operating system and much more. In addition, Motorola offers a broad portfolio of low-level driver software that provide an established software base to develop control functionality and timing systems by helping to ease development processes for OEMs.

Motorola plans to offer the first multi-processor debug implementation that meets the IEEE-ISTO Nexus 5001 industry standard real-time debug specification for debug assistance amongst the four on-chip processing elements. The planned debug port will be a Nexus 5001 Class 3+ compatible port providing real-time debug data and instruction information over a single interface.

Availability

Limited samples of the first member of the family - the MPC5554- are expected to be available to specific automotive customers in the fourth quarter of 2003. General samples will be available in mid-2004.

About Motorola

As the world's #1 producer of embedded processors, Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector creates DigitalDNA(TM) system-on-chip solutions for a connected world. Our strong focus on wireless communications and networking enables customers to develop smarter, simpler, faster and synchronized products for the person, work team, home and automobile. Motorola's worldwide semiconductor sales were $4.9 billion (USD) in 2001. www.motorola.com/semiconductors

Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) is a global leader in providing integrated communications and embedded electronic solutions. Sales in 2001 were $30 billion. For more information, please visit: www.motorola.com .

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