APPLICOM PCI1500S7 Renesas Electronics (TSE: 6723), a global provider of semiconductor solutions, today announced the introduction of a new 64-bit general-purpose microprocessor (MPU) RZ/G3S for iot edge and gateway devices that significantly reduce power consumption.

APPLICOM PCI1500S7 The latest member of Renesas’ RZ/G family of MPUs, the RZ/G3S is designed to meet the demanding requirements of modern iot devices, with power consumption as low as 10µW (microwatts) in standby mode and fast Linux operating system boot. The new MPU is equipped with a PCI Express interface that enables high-speed connectivity with 5G wireless modules. In addition, the product has enhanced security features such as tamper detection to ensure data security. These features also make the product ideal for iot applications such as home gateways, smart meters and tracking devices.

Daryl Khoo, Vice President of Embedded Processing 1st Division at Renesas, said: “The adoption rate of the Renesas RZ/G series has steadily increased in the global industrial human machine interface market. The RZ/G3S represent the next generation of products and will allow us to further tap into the rapidly growing 5G iot and Gigabit Wi-Fi 7 gateway markets. “Renesas continues to aggressively expand our connectivity portfolio in these markets through strategic acquisitions to create advanced connectivity solutions that are system-level, energy efficient and improve data utilization.”

APPLICOM PCI1500S7 The RZ/G3S uses one Arm® Cortex-A55 core operating at a maximum frequency of 1.1GHz as the primary CPU, and two Cortex-M33 cores operating at 250MHz as secondary cpus. Users can distribute the workload of the MPU to the secondary CPU, allowing the device to efficiently handle tasks such as sensor data reception, system function control, and power system management, thereby reducing the workload of the main CPU, which in turn reduces the number of components, achieving lower cost and smaller system size.

Low power standby mode with Linux quick boot feature

The new power management system is designed to reduce power consumption to extremely low levels of less than 10µW, and this MPU also supports DDR self-refresh, allowing DRAM data to be retained, while supporting Linux fast boot. The quick-start feature helps iot devices that frequently run intermittently save power, significantly extending the uptime of battery-powered devices. In addition, the product offers a standby mode, which is capable of maintaining sub-CPU operation at power levels as low as 40mW, allowing for flexible power optimization based on the specific operational requirements of each application.

5G connectivity via PCI Express

The RZ/G3S is equipped with a wealth of peripheral features, including Gigabit Ethernet, CAN, USB, and PCI Express interfaces. By connecting the 5G communication module, the product can achieve gigabit (GHz) class high-speed communication.

APPLICOM PCI1500S7 High reliability and powerful security features

Similar to other RZ/G series products, both the internal memory and external DDR interface of the RZ/G3S feature ECC (error correction code) to maintain data integrity. RZ/G3S can use a proven Linux package (VLP) with an industrial-grade Civil Infrastructure Platform™ (CIP) Linux kernel. With VLP, developers will receive more than 10 years of maintenance support, ensuring long-term protection from security threats. The product also provides a variety of functions such as tamper detection, safe startup, and safe debugging. The RZ/G series already has Arm PSA Level 2 certification, and Renesas plans to promote this certification for RZ/G3S products in the future.

APPLICOM PCI1500S7 Anders Holmberg, CTO at IAR, said: “Our IAR Embedded Workbench for Arm provides built-in support for MPUs and MCUS. By combining Renesas’ RZ/G3S MPU with its highly secure trust roots with IAR’s extensive security tool solution, developers can quickly develop high-performance, secure iot devices and bring them to market faster.”

Successful product portfolio

Renesas Electronics combines the new RZ/G3S MPU with optimized power management ics and clock products to develop a “gateway Design solution based on single board computers.” The rich interface of the RZ/G3S allows devices to connect to various sensors via USB, CAN, RS485, UART, and I2C. It also offers high-performance wireless connectivity options to build powerful networks for home automation or iot applications, and its multicore design allows real-time data processing while saving energy with advanced sleep mode features. Renesas’ Portfolio of successful products relies on compatible devices that work seamlessly together, coupled with a technologically proven system architecture that results in optimized, low-risk designs and faster time-to-market.