GigaDevice GD32E230 series MCU opens a new generation of Cortex®-M23 core

As the first product series of the GD32 MCU family based on the Cortex®-M23 core, the GD32E230 series MCU adopts the industry-leading 55nm low-power process technology, focusing on ultra-low development budget requirements, to replace and improve traditional 8-bit and 16-bit product solutions, and cross the Cortex-M0/M0+ threshold, directly entering the new generation of 32-bit Cortex®-M23 core development to bring a one-step entry experience. The bulk order price of the basic model of the GD32E230 series is as low as 20 cents, thus leading the comprehensive popularization of the Cortex®-M23 core in the industry with unparalleled value-for-money features.

The GD32E230 series MCU offers 18 product models, including 6 package types such as LQFP48, LQFP32, QFN32, QFN28, TSSOP20 and QFN20. The chip area ranges from 7x7mm to 3x3mm, and it continues to easily cope with the challenges of rapidly developing intelligent applications with unprecedented design flexibility and compatibility. At present, the series of products has begun to send samples and will be officially put into mass production and supply this month.

Arm®Cortex®-M23 is the successor of Cortex®-M0 and Cortex®-M0+, and is an embedded microprocessor core based on the latest Armv8-M architecture. It adopts the von Neumann structure two-level pipeline and supports the complete Armv8-M benchmark instruction set, which maximizes the compactness of the code. It is compatible with all Armv6-M instructions, which can help engineers easily transfer code from Cortex®-M0/M0+ processors to Cortex®-M23. The new Cortex®-M23 core is equipped with independent resources such as single-cycle hardware multiplier, hardware divider, hardware frequency divider, nested vector interrupt controller (NVIC), and enhanced debugging, error correction and traceability capabilities for easier development. Subsequent products can also load TrustZone® technology to support the mandatory isolation and protection of trusted and untrusted software in hardware form, and excellently meet multiple security requirements. The GD32E230 series Cortex®-M23 core MCU is the latest embedded application solution with small size, low cost, high energy efficiency and flexibility, and supports security expansion.

A new generation of GD32E230 products

The GD32E230 series of value-added new products has a main frequency of up to 72MHz, equipped with 16KB to 64KB of embedded flash memory and 4KB to 8KB of SRAM, with built-in hardware multipliers, dividers and acceleration units, the working performance at the highest main frequency can reach 55DMIPS, and the CoreMark® test can reach 154 points. The code execution efficiency at the same main frequency is 40% higher than that of similar Cortex®-M0 products on the market, and more than 30% higher than that of Cortex®-M0+ products.

Not only does the GD32E230 series have high-speed processing capabilities, it also provides high-value interface resources to enhance connectivity. Up to 5 16-bit general-purpose timers, 1 16-bit basic timer and 1 multi-channel DMA controller are integrated on the chip. General interfaces include 2 USARTs, 2 SPIs, 2 I2Cs and 1 I2S. In addition, it also provides a 16-bit advanced timer that supports three-phase pulse width modulation PWM output and Hall acquisition interface, a high-speed rail-to-rail input/output analog voltage comparator, and a 12-bit 2.6M SPS sampling rate high-performance ADC to support multi-channel high-speed data acquisition, mixed signal processing and motor control and other industrial application requirements.

 

GD32E230 has adopted a 1.8V-3.6V wide voltage supply, and the I/O port can withstand 5V level. The newly designed voltage domain supports advanced power management and provides three power saving modes for low-power applications such as energy-saving and portable. The maximum operating current in all peripheral full-speed operation mode is only 118µA/MHz, the current in deep sleep mode is reduced by 86%, and the standby current in battery-powered RTC is only 0.7µA, which ensures high performance while achieving the best energy efficiency. It also has 6KV electrostatic protection (ESD) and excellent electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) capabilities, all in line with industrial-grade high reliability and temperature standards. It is fully suitable for industrial automation, motor control, LED display, home appliances and electronic toys, smart cities and smart homes, electronic payments, electric vehicles, aircraft, robots and other applications. It also maintains perfect compatibility of software code and hardware pins with the award-winning GD32F130/150 and GD32F330/350 series of value-added MCUs. This allows users to switch freely and conveniently between many value-added product lines, and realize development ideals with excellent flexibility and ease of use.

 

GigaDevice, product marketing director of GigaDevice, said, "The GD32E230 series products present the new Arm®Cortex®-M23 core microprocessor to users with the best performance and the most economical cost in one step, and make the latest technology directly popular in the entry-level and mainstream application markets. As the first Cortex®-M23 MCU series product in China, it has made an indelible contribution. Focusing on the development blueprint of the new core, from analog peripheral enhancement to security feature enhancement, we will continue to bring users more value experience with a richer and leading new product portfolio and a complete development ecosystem."

About GD32 MCU

GigaDevice GD32 MCU is the leader in China's high-performance general-purpose microcontroller field. China's first Arm®Cortex®-M3, Cortex®-M4 and Cortex®-M23 core general-purpose MCU product series has developed into the mainstream choice in China's 32-bit general-purpose MCU market. With more than 200 million units shipped, more than 10,000 customers, and a wide range of application coverage provided by 21 series and more than 320 product options, GigaDevice GD32 MCU is also one of the first partners of the Arm® University Program (AUP) in China, an ecological partner of the Arm® mbed™ IoT platform, and the title sponsor of the "GigaDevice Cup" China Graduate Electronic Design Competition. All models are compatible with each other in terms of software and hardware pin packaging, and are fully applicable to various high, medium and low-end embedded control needs and upgrades, fully releasing the outstanding value of high cost performance, and building a complete ecosystem and ease of use advantages to fully support multi-level development and accelerate the design cycle. The product has passed long-term market testing and has become the first choice for innovation in system design and project development.