STMicroelectronics has unveiled a new generation of microcontrollers that offer twice the processing performance of their predecessors, targeting industrial robots, power supplies, and increasingly demanding data centre equipment.
The STM32G5 series uses Arm Cortex-M33 processors running at 280MHz, delivering 1,136 CoreMark points compared with 569 for the previous STM32G4 generation. The new chips are designed for applications requiring precise real-time control, where even small delays can cause problems for motors or sophisticated power electronics.
Unlike processors meant to run desktop operating systems, these microcontrollers monitor sensors and adjust equipment thousands of times per second. Their work rarely attracts much publicity, although modern industrial machinery would be considerably less impressive without them.
STMicroelectronics general manager of general purpose and automotive microcontrollers Patrick Aidoune said the chips were designed to address increasing power demands in data centres and the growing complexity of robotic systems. The company believes more powerful controllers will allow manufacturers to improve efficiency while handling increasingly sophisticated equipment.
One of the biggest technical improvements is a new 12-channel high-resolution timer capable of 111-picosecond precision. This allows engineers to control switching operations in power supplies with exceptional accuracy, improving their ability to regulate voltage and reduce wasted energy.
The technology is particularly relevant to power supplies using gallium nitride and silicon carbide semiconductors, which can operate at higher switching frequencies than conventional silicon devices. Such components are increasingly attractive where manufacturers need to deliver substantial power without producing excessive heat.
ST says the new controllers could help data centres handle changing electrical loads more efficiently. Modern computing racks are approaching one megawatt in power requirements, making even modest improvements in conversion efficiency valuable when multiplied across thousands of servers.
Robotics is another major target. Humanoid robots can require sophisticated control of dozens of motors, particularly in articulated hands containing as many as 20 individual actuators. The STM32G5 includes improved position-encoding hardware and motor-control timers intended to coordinate movement while maintaining fast response times.
The controllers incorporate a programmable logic array called PLAy, with 16 logic elements that let engineers implement custom hardware functions directly in the chip. This can eliminate external logic components, reducing circuit-board complexity and potentially improving reliability.
ST has expanded the analogue capabilities, including a 12-bit analogue-to-digital converter supporting sampling rates of up to five million samples per second. The devices offer operational amplifiers, digital-to-analogue converters and fast comparators, giving designers more flexibility when developing industrial control systems.
Security has received attention through Arm TrustZone and ST’s STM32Trust technologies. The chips support secure boot, protected firmware updates and cryptographic functions, including software libraries for post-quantum cryptography. This is increasingly important as industrial equipment becomes network-connected and manufacturers discover that their machinery needs protection against more than incompetent operators.
The STM32G5 family is supported by ST’s STM32CubeMX2 development environment and its updated hardware abstraction layer. Developers can choose specialised motor-control and digital-power software packages, while dedicated Discovery Kits provide hardware for experimenting with the new controllers.
The single-core STM32G5 devices are already in production, with flash memory capacities ranging from 64KB to 512KB and packages extending from compact 32-pin QFN devices to 128-pin LQFP versions. Prices start at $1.034 per chip for orders of 10,000 units, with more powerful dual-core versions scheduled to enter production during 2027.
