EFM32 Zero Gecko MCU Family Delivers Industry-Leading Energy
Efficiency and 32-bit Performance at Very Friendly Prices
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Silicon
Labs (NASDAQ: SLAB), a leader in high-performance, analog-intensive,
mixed-signal ICs, today introduced the industry's most energy-friendly
32-bit microcontrollers (MCUs) based on the ARM® Cortex®-M0+ processor.
The EFM32™ Zero Gecko MCU family is designed to achieve the lowest
system energy consumption for a wide range of battery-powered
applications such as mobile health and fitness products, smart watches,
activity trackers, smart meters, security systems and wireless sensor
nodes, as well as battery-less systems powered by harvested energy. The
new Zero Gecko family is the latest addition to the EFM32 Gecko
portfolio pioneered by Energy Micro. The family includes 16
cost-effective MCU products designed from the ground up to enable the
lowest possible energy consumption for connected devices enabling the
Internet of Things (IoT).
The EFM32 Zero Gecko MCUs feature the industry's most sophisticated
energy management system with five energy modes that enable applications
to remain in an energy-optimal state, spending as little time as
possible in the energy-hungry active mode. In deep-sleep mode, Zero
Gecko MCUs have an industry-leading 0.9 μA standby current consumption
with a 32.768 kHz RTC, RAM/CPU state retention, brown-out detector and
power-on-reset circuitry active. Active-mode power consumption scales
down to 110 µA/MHz at 24 MHz with real-world code (prime number search
algorithm) executed from flash. Current consumption is less than 20 nA
in shut-off mode. The EFM32 MCUs further reduce power consumption with a
2-microsecond wakeup time from standby mode.
Like all EFM32 Gecko products, the Zero Gecko MCUs include a
best-in-class energy-saving feature called the Peripheral Reflex System
(PRS) that significantly enhances system-level energy efficiency. The
PRS monitors complex system-level events and allows different MCU
peripherals to communicate directly with each other and autonomously
without involving the CPU. Leveraging the PRS, an EFM32 MCU can watch
for a series of specific events to occur before waking the CPU, thereby
keeping the Cortex-M0+ processor core in an energy-saving standby mode
as long as possible and reducing overall system power consumption.
The EFM32 Zero Gecko MCUs feature many of the same power-saving
precision analog peripherals included in Silicon Labs' popular Tiny
Gecko, Giant Gecko and Wonder Gecko devices. These low-energy
peripherals include an analog comparator, a supply voltage comparator,
an on-chip temperature sensor and a 12-bit analog-to-digital converter
(ADC) with 350 μA current consumption at a 1 MHz sample rate.
The EFM32 Zero Gecko devices are the only Cortex-M0+ MCUs on the market
that integrate a programmable current digital-to-analog converter
(IDAC). This on-chip precision-analog IDAC generates a biasing current
from 0.05-64 µA with only 10 nA overhead. The IDAC provides an accurate
bias and/or control capability for companion ICs and other external
circuits including amplifiers, sensors, Wheatstone bridges and resistor
ladders, thereby eliminating the need for external power amplifier
components for many cost-sensitive applications.
The Zero Gecko devices are also the only Cortex-M0+ MCUs containing a
128-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) hardware block. With this
built-in hardware AES encryption acceleration support, the Zero Gecko
MCUs provide an ideal companion for RF transmitters and transceivers
used in connected device applications for the Internet of Things.
"The Internet of Things is a huge and exciting market made possible by
low-cost, battery-powered connected devices and wireless sensor nodes
that sip nanoamps of energy," said Geir Førre, senior vice president and
general manager of Silicon Labs' microcontroller products. "The IoT
market requires battery-friendly Cortex-M0+ based MCUs that save both
energy and system cost. Our new EFM32 Zero Gecko MCUs — shipping now at
very cost-competitive prices — enable developers to create embedded
systems that are four times more energy-efficient than possible with
other Cortex-M0/0+ MCUs."
The EFM32 Zero Gecko family is pin- and software-compatible with Silicon
Labs' broad portfolio of nearly 250 EFM32 Gecko MCU products. This
compatibility provides developers with a cost-effective, energy-friendly
entry point to higher-performance Gecko devices including the new Wonder
Gecko based on the ARM Cortex-M4 core featuring a full DSP instruction
set and dedicated floating point unit (FPU).
Complimentary Software Tools for Faster Time to Market
To speed time to market and reduce development cost, the EFM32 Zero
Gecko family is supported by the complimentary Simplicity Studio
software suite, a comprehensive graphical user interface environment for
all major computing platforms including Microsoft® Windows®, Linux and
Mac/OS X. Available with the Zero Gecko starter kit at no charge,
Simplicity Studio provides developers with one-click access to all the
information, documentation, energyAware tools, and software and source
code libraries needed to quickly develop energy-friendly applications.
Key elements of Simplicity Studio include the energyAware Profiler, a
powerful yet easy-to-use debugging tool for low-energy embedded system
development, and the energyAware Designer, a tool that eases the
traditionally time-consuming task of debugging I/O pin conflicts. Using
these energyAware tools, developers can quickly drill down to the exact
lines of code that are consuming the most power. Simplicity Studio also
includes an energyAware software library built around ARM's standard
CMSIS abstraction layer and supported by leading tool chains.
Third-party tools support includes IAR's Embedded Workbench, Keil's
MDK-ARM and CrossWorks from Rowley Associates.
Pricing and Availability
Samples of Silicon Labs' EFM32 Zero Gecko MCUs are available now in QFN
and QFP packages with 4 to 32 kB flash sizes, and production quantities
are planned for Q4 2013. Product pricing for the Zero Gecko MCUs in
100,000-unit quantities begins at $0.49 (USD). The easy-to-use,
cost-effective EFM32ZG-STK3200 starter kit is available now and priced
at $69 (USD MSRP). For additional EFM32 Zero Gecko MCU product
information, samples and development tools, please visit www.silabs.com/zero-gecko.
Silicon Labs
Silicon Labs is an industry leader in the innovation of
high-performance, analog-intensive, mixed-signal ICs. Developed by a
world-class engineering team with unsurpassed expertise in mixed-signal
design, Silicon Labs' diverse portfolio of patented semiconductor
solutions offers customers significant advantages in performance, size
and power consumption. For more information about Silicon Labs, please
visit www.silabs.com.
Cautionary Language
This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on
Silicon Labs' current expectations. These forward-looking statements
involve risks and uncertainties. A number of important factors could
cause actual results to differ materially from those in the
forward-looking statements. For a discussion of factors that could
impact Silicon Labs' financial results and cause actual results to
differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, please
refer to Silicon Labs' filings with the SEC. Silicon Labs disclaims any
intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise.
Note to editors: Silicon Laboratories Inc., Silicon Laboratories,
Silicon Labs, SiLabs and the Silicon Labs logo, EFM, EFM32, EFR, Energy
Micro, Energy Micro logo and combinations thereof, and "the world's most
energy friendly microcontrollers" are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Silicon Laboratories Inc. ARM, Cortex-M0/M0+/M3/M4 and
Keil are trademarks or registered trademarks of ARM Limited. All other
product names noted herein may be trademarks of their respective holders.
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Silicon Laboratories Inc.
Dale Weisman, +1-512-532-5871
dale.weisman@silabs.com
Source: Silicon Laboratories Inc.
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