Nuvoton Technology announced the launch of its NuMicro M5531 series microcontrollers, powerful MCUs designed to deliver advanced digital signal processing performance. Based on the Arm Cortex-M55 processor, the M5531 series runs at speeds up to 220 MHz, delivering up to 371 DMIPS of computing performance. It also features excellent noise immunity, passing 3 kV ESD HBM and 4.4 kV EFT tests, providing users with stable and high-speed system performance.
Outstanding Computing Resources and Architectural Advantages
The M5531 series offers rich computing resources, making it an ideal choice for performance-intensive embedded applications such as real-time signal processing and high-performance control systems. Key features include:
- High-performance architecture: Built on a 64-bit AXI bus architecture, it provides high bandwidth and supports synchronous data read/write operations, reducing sequential latency and improving overall system efficiency. In addition, it provides CPU-dedicated Tightly Coupled Memory (TCM), including 64 KB I-TCM and 128 KB D-TCM, for running time-critical instructions and data.
- Hardware accelerators: Integrated Helium M-profile vector extension, double-precision floating-point unit (FPU), GDMA graphics accelerator, and a hardware cryptographic engine.
- Memory integration: Featuring up to 1.5 MB of SRAM and 2 MB of Flash memory on-chip, the M5531 series can operate independently in most applications without external SDRAM, simplifying system design and reducing overall cost.
Comprehensive Security Features Designed to Meet PSA Level 2 Requirements
Recognizing the growing demand for enhanced product security, the M5531 series integrates multiple hardware-based security mechanisms to strengthen system integrity and protection. These include Arm TrustZone, Secure Boot, cryptographic engines (AES-256, ECC-571, RSA-4096, SHA-512, HMAC-512), Key Store, Key Derivation Function, True Random Number Generator (TRNG), eXecute-Only-Memory, One-Time Programmable Memory (OTP), and tamper detection pins.
Rich Peripheral Integration and Low Power Consumption
The M5531 series provides a wide range of peripheral interfaces to support complex system designs:
- High-speed communication: 10/100 Ethernet MAC (with RMII interface), 2 sets of CAN FD interfaces, and 1 set of I3C interface (up to 25 Mbps)
- USB interfaces: 1 set of USB 2.0 High-Speed OTG/Host/Device and 1 set of USB 2.0 Full-Speed OTG/Host/Device
- Versatile interfaces: Up to 15 sets of UARTs, 6 sets of SPI/I2S, 6 sets of I2C, 1 set of USCI (configurable as UART/SPI/I2C), 2 sets of QSPI, 2 sets of SDIO, 1 set of CCAP, 4-channel PDM microphone interface controller (DMIC), and 1 set of PSIO interface
- Analog and PWM control: 2 sets of 12-bit SAR ADCs (up to 48 channels), 2 sets of 12-bit 1 Msps DACs, 4 analog comparators, and up to 24 channels of PWM output
In terms of power efficiency, the M5531 series delivers impressive performance with a dynamic power consumption as low as 94.5 µA/MHz. It also offers multiple low-power peripherals such as LPSRAM, LPPDMA, LPTimer, and 12-bit LPADC, allowing the system to maintain essential functions in low-power modes.
Complete Development Resources and Software Support
To help developers fully leverage the capabilities of the M5531 series, Nuvoton provides a comprehensive development ecosystem. The M5531 series supports multiple real-time operating systems (RTOS), including FreeRTOS, Zephyr, and RT-Thread, along with extensive drivers and example projects to accelerate development. For HMI and display applications, it also supports popular GUI libraries such as emWin, LVGL, and Qt for MCUs, enabling developers to build smooth and visually appealing interfaces efficiently.
Application Fields
The M5531 series is suitable for a wide range of industrial, consumer, and connected products, including:
- Industrial IoT (e.g., industrial gateways, communication modules)
- Industrial automation (e.g., PLC protocol converters)
- Smart building systems (e.g., fire alarm systems, LED advertising display)
- HMI applications (e.g., smart thermostats)
- Sensor fusion (e.g., environmental data collectors)
The NuMicro M5531 series is available in LQFP176 (24 x 24 mm), LQFP128 (14 x 14 mm), and LQFP64 (10 x 10 mm) packages.
For more information about the NuMicro M5531 series, please visit: https://www.nuvoton.com/products/microcontrollers/arm-cortex-m55-mcus/m5531-series/
Nuvoton has also released the NuMaker-M5531 development board for the M5531 series.
