Gecko microcontrollers offer significant improvements in security, storage, and peripherals

     Silicon Labs continues to enhance the EFM32 Gecko microcontroller (MCU) family to meet the needs of embedded developers designing the next generation of secure, high-end IoT devices. With the new Jade and Pearl Gecko MCUS from Silicon Labs, developers can easily add touch control interfaces, robust security features, and multiple low-power sensors to IoT devices. The new MCUS are specifically optimized for high-performance, low-power applications and support for online (OTA) end-product updates.

     Jade and Pearl Gecko MCUS offer best-in-class hardware encryption with energy-efficient security accelerators, true random number generators (TRNGS) and security management units (SMUs) to ensure secure connectivity of IoT devices without sacrificing battery life. Encryption/decryption accelerators run the latest security algorithms with higher performance and lower power consumption than traditional software implementation schemes. In addition to the traditional memory protection unit, the security snap-in is capable of configuring a finer level of security for peripheral access through software. Peripherals can also be individually secured by hardware, and only authorized access to the peripheral's register interface is allowed.

     Compared to the previous generation Jade and Pearl Gecko products, the new MCUS have more flash capacity (up to 1,024KB with a dual-zone architecture) and RAM capacity (up to 256KB), making it easier to develop feature-rich embedded applications that support real-time operating systems such as Micrium OS. The dual-zone storage architecture enables reliable field upgrades even after product deployment.

     Based on ARM? Cortex? M3 and M4 processors, the enhanced Jade and Pearl MCUS feature ultra-low active currents, multiple sleep modes, and other architectural features that ensure secure, battery-powered IoT products, while supporting other embedded systems that require high performance and low power consumption. The new MCUS also include an advanced capacitive sensing controller that keeps the device active while it is in an energy-efficient deep sleep mode and supports capacitive touch operation, eliminating the cost and design complexity typically associated with adding an off-chip controller. These MCUS also feature Silicon Labs' LESENSE sensor interface, which allows automatic detection of sensor inputs while the MCU core is in sleep mode.

     Daniel Cooley, senior vice president and general manager of IoT products at Silicon Labs, said: "We continue to expand our Gecko MCU family to meet the needs of the rapidly evolving iot. Our new Jade and Pearl MCUS offer an unmatched combination of performance, including security features, large storage, integrated peripherals, and ultra-low activity and sleep currents."

     The new Jade and Pearl MCU software is compatible with the full range of EFM32 Gecko MCUS and Wireless Gecko SoCs, enabling the broadest software reuse and saving developers time and costs. Silicon Labs plans to launch new Gecko MCU products later this year that feature higher performance, greater storage, lower power peripherals, and industrial communication capabilities.