Renesas Electronics has announced the RH850/U2C, a new 32‑bit automotive microcontroller (MCU) built on a 28nm process. With rich communication interface support and advanced security, the MCU targets a range of automotive applications, including chassis and safety systems for passenger cars and motorcycles, battery management systems (BMS), and body control functions such as lighting and motor control, and other general-purpose ASIL D applications.
The RH850/U2C combines four RH850 CPU cores operating at up to 320 MHz (including two lockstep cores), with up to 8 MB of on-chip flash memory.
Developers currently using RH850/P1x or RH850/F1x devices can transition to the new MCU to meet the requirements of the latest E/E architectures.
Features include:
- Interfaces designed for modern E/E architectures, such as Ethernet 10base-T1S, Ethernet TSN (1Gbps/100Mbps), CAN-XL, and I3C.
- Full compatibility with CAN‑FD, LIN, UART, CXPI, I²C, I²S, and PSI5.
- Functional safety up to ASIL D, conforming to ISO 26262.
- Compliance with the latest ISO/SAE 21434 standard to meet modern cybersecurity requirements.
- Supports cryptographic algorithms ranging from post‑quantum cryptography (PQC) to those mandated by current Chinese and other international regulations.
- Dedicated hardware accelerators that provide high throughput by offloading cryptographic processing and reducing CPU load.
- Built on a proven 28 nm manufacturing process.
- Significantly lower power consumption in both active and standby modes.
- A dedicated standby mode further reduces power usage during deep stop and intermittent operation.
- Low‑power modes that increase power‑design margins and reduce thermal demands so that systems remain compliant as environmental regulations tighten.
The RH850/U2C is supported by a comprehensive development environment designed to reduce time to market. Developers can use state‑of‑the‑art compilers and IDEs, together with automotive‑qualified software packages from Renesas and its ecosystem partners. The solutions meet the highest functional safety requirements and support ISO 26262 up to ASIL D. For fast evaluation and project startup, Renesas offers a dedicated RH850/U2C Starter Kit.
For more information, visit https://www.renesas.com/products/rh850-u2c.
