New possibilities for the ultra-low power segment!

[Amel NASRI]

STM32U0 is the first Cortex-M0+ with a static consumption of only 160 nA in standby mode with RTC (Real-Time Clock) and 16 nA in shutdown. It also achieves 118 points in CoreMark and targets SESIP level 3 and PSA level 1 focusing on firmware code protection, making it one of the most capable MCUs in the ultra-low-power segment. This is possible because the STM32U0 adopts many features we’ve been implementing in other devices while reusing a 90-nm process node that offers exceptional yields.

Consequently, the STM32U0 achieves one of the best static consumption at this price point, granting engineers more freedom to optimize their design for entry-level battery-powered applications in industrial, medical, smart metering, and consumer wellness markets.

STM32 software and hardware tools available:

• Nucleo board: NUCLEO-U031R8 and NUCLEO-U083RC
• Discovery kit: STM32U083C-DK
• Dedicated software package:STM32CubeU0

For more information:

• Press release: https://newsroom.st.com/media-center/press-item.html/p4616.html
• Blog article: https://blog.st.com/stm32u0/
• Website: http://www.st.com/stm32u0
• Youtube playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnMKNibPkDnGHlQlfFmHi4huM77v4SIxD&si=zpiYKm1zJoni43yc

[tjaekel]

Cool, nicely reduced power consumption, well done.

But what about an MCU which can run with 1.2V?

I am looking for a MCU which has almost all pins (at least SPI/I2C/QSPI) as 1.2V VDDIO.

Reducing the power consumption is not "just" using an ARM Cortex M0/M0+ and lowering the core clock: it is also to consider going down on VDDIO (and run entire system with 1.2V).

When will you have a MCU supporting 1.2V systems?
(many external chips out there for 1.2V volt, just the MCU needs still level shifters... and burning power on the system board at the end - "think about systems" (not just the MCU itself).

[tjaekel]

STM has pretty cool MCUs in portfolio.

I have checked today: STM32H5x with 1.2V GPIOs:
It turns out, on this MCU I have VDDIO2 and some GPIO pins for 1V2 and below, so that I can run:

• 2x SPI
• I3C (or I2C)
• UART/USART
• and even SDMMC2 possible

with 1.2V volt. Cool!
Just QSPI with 1.2V is missing.

Dear STM team:

it would be great if the regular VDDIO could also go down to 1.2V. The MCU core runs away already at 1.1V.
Having the option to use QSPI as well on a 1.2V VDDIO(2) would be great: Map the QSPI ALT functions to the GPIO pins with VDDIO2, instead of SDMMC.

Great MCUs provided by STM.

[Thomas Roell]

Why not upgrading to Cortex-M23 ? Cortex-M0+ feels a tad outdated, no support for atomics, no hardware divide. It feels like a missed opportunity.

[Tobe]

This is advertisment, and i think it should not be in the forum. Id rather have better documentation, than new products!

[Amel NASRI]

Hi @Tobe ,

Yes this post was used to announce the new product.

Now that we have the Developer News section, announcements of new products will be done there.

Regarding the documentation improvements: we are in a continuous process to improve our offer. Starting from June 2024, we published 3 documentation updates articles:

•  STM32 MCU errata sheets: Expected preliminary updates
• STM32 MCU datasheets: Expected preliminary updates
• STM32 MCU reference manuals: Expected preliminary updates

This is said, if you have any documentation related feedback, please explain it in a separate thread. That will help us to be aware of possible limitations.

-Amel

[Bertrand DENIS]

Hello,

Yes this feature (VDDIO2 with IOs going down to 1.08V) is also available on STM32L4 and STM32U5.

Bertrand

[Oleksii]

It’s bad that these microcontrollers do not have a CAN bus.

[JCard.3]

Hi @Amel NASRI,

Thanks for sharing the info here.  I'm really interested in low power MCUs.  I do have one question:  where can I find information about the startup current draw of this part?  The datasheet has very good documentation on the supply current requirements in each low-power modes (6.3.5 Supply current characteristics).  But on an energy-harvesting system, the startup current might also be limited.  On my STM32L0 based designs, I noticed that the startup current was an order of magnitude higher than when running in low-power mode.  Is this also the case on the new STM32U0?  Is that documented anywhere?

Thanks!

Javier