Summary of STMICROELECTRONICS RAISES PERFORMANCE AND VALUE FOR SMART, CONNECTED DEVICES WITH EVEN FASTER STM32H7 MICROCONTROLLERS
STM32H7 microcontrollers are single-core ARM Cortex-M7 MCUs running up to 550 MHz with up to 1 MB embedded Flash, offering high performance for HMI and embedded applications. They support external memory via FMC and Octal SPI, include caches, ITCRAM, FMAC, Cordic, advanced ADCs, Chrom-ART GPU, and security features like OTFDEC and SFI. Software support includes TouchGFX, STM32Cube.AI, STM32Trust, and common IDEs from ARM and IAR for building secure, graphical, and AI-enabled projects.
Parts used in the STM32H7 project:
- STM32H7 series microcontroller (ARM Cortex-M7, up to 550 MHz, up to 1 MB Flash)
- Flexible Memory Controller (FMC) interface
- Octal SPI memory interface
- 32 kB I-Cache and D-Cache
- Tightly coupled instruction RAM (ITCRAM)
- FMAC filtering block
- Cordic trigonometric acceleration block
- 2x 16-bit ADCs
- 1x 12-bit low power ADC
- ST Chrom-ART Accelerator (graphical accelerator)
- External memory (e.g., Octal SPI Flash or external RAM) as needed
- Development tools: TouchGFX framework and Designer
- STM32Cube.AI software tools
- STM32Trust security suite (OTFDEC, SFI, secure boot, encryption tools)
- ARM and IAR development environments
Have you been on the lookout for a deeply embedded board capable of rendering good quality HMI interfaces with the capabilities you normally find on microcontrollers? You may want to take a look at the new STM32H7 series of MCU’s, as they are the industry’s first ARM Cortex-M7 core with embedded Flash memory, running at a stunning core speed of 550 MHz!
But what exactly are we looking at here? First off, at 550 MHz, these single-core devices have the fastest core speed on the market for an MCU that integrates Flash storage on-chip to run deeply embedded applications. They are available with up to 1 MB of Flash memory, enabling them to perform very well while keeping the costs low. But you are not limited, as they can interact with external storage while keeping security and performance in mind too. To help with memory-hungry applications (like high resolution, colorful graphical interfaces, and video), they are aided by features such as the Flexible Memory Controller (FMC) and Octal SPI memory interface. This allows you to go even further when it comes to creating more immersive and refined user experiences.
Regarding specifications, we are looking at Cortex-M7 core with:
- 32 kB I-Cache and D-cache
- Tightly couple instruction RAM (ITCRAM) with remapping for zero latency in time-critical routines
- FMAC (filtering) and Cordic (trigonometric) blocks for mathematical acceleration
- Advanced analog peripherals, such as 2x 16-bit ADC’s and 1x 12-bit low power ADC and interfaces to popular industrial connectivity interfaces
- Superior graphical performance with the ST Chrom-ART Accelerator
Regarding software, the TouchGFX framework and Designer are going to help you create those beautiful user interfaces you are looking for, and are available for free. You can also dip your feet in neural networks, and other AI technologies, thanks to the STM32Cube.AI, to bring your neural networks, machine learning, and computer vision projects to life easily. When it comes to security, you get the STM32Trust security suite, which supports on-the-fly decryption (OTFDEC), enabling encrypted code to be run from external memory and secure firmware install (SFI), letting OEM’s order standard products from anywhere, to be programmed only with encrypted code. These two features safeguard the intellectual property in the Flash memory. You also get some other features such as secure boot support, symmetric (hardware / software), and asymmetric (software) encryption and cryptographic key provisioning, among other things. Concluding, their ecosystem can get you started on projects easily, along with the popular development environments from ARM and IAR.
- What is the core speed of the STM32H7 series?
The STM32H7 series runs at up to 550 MHz on a single ARM Cortex-M7 core. - How much embedded Flash is available on STM32H7 devices?
STM32H7 devices are available with up to 1 MB of embedded Flash memory. - Can STM32H7 devices use external memory for graphics and video?
Yes, they can interact with external memory using the Flexible Memory Controller and Octal SPI interface. - What hardware features help with mathematical acceleration?
They include FMAC for filtering and a Cordic block for trigonometric acceleration. - What graphical acceleration is available on STM32H7?
They feature the ST Chrom-ART Accelerator for superior graphical performance. - Which software tools support HMI development on STM32H7?
TouchGFX framework and Designer are available for creating user interfaces. - Can STM32H7 support AI and neural network projects?
Yes, STM32Cube.AI enables neural networks, machine learning, and computer vision projects. - What security features protect code and IP on STM32H7?
Security features include OTFDEC for on-the-fly decryption, SFI for secure firmware install, secure boot, and encryption/key provisioning. - Are common development environments supported for STM32H7?
Yes, popular development environments from ARM and IAR are supported.
