Renesas Pioneers RISC-V Technology With RZ/Five General-Purpose MPUs Based on 64-Bit RISC-V CPU Core

March 03, 2022

News

Renesas Electronics Corporation's RZ/Five employs the Andes AX45MP, based on the RISC-V CPU instruction set architecture (ISA). The RZ/Five augments Renesas’ previously available Arm® CPU core-based MPUs, expanding customer options and providing more flexibility in the product development process.

Suitable for IoT Endpoint Devices

Demand is increasing for IoT endpoint devices, such as gateways for solar inverters or home security systems, to collect sensor data and connect to servers or to the cloud. In response to this need, RZ/Five is optimized to provide the performance and peripheral functions required of IoT endpoint devices.

Its maximum operating frequency is 1 GHz. Peripheral functions include support for multiple interfaces, such as two Gigabit Ethernet channels, two USB 2.0 channels, and two CAN channels, as well as dual A/D converter modules. Support is also provided for connecting external DDR memory with error checking and correction (ECC) and security functions.

Long-Term Linux Support via Industrial-Grade CIP Linux

As with the RZ/G Series, a Verified Linux Package featuring Civil Infrastructure Platform™ Linux, an industrial-grade Linux offering long-term maintenance support for more than 10 years, is available for RZ/Five. This makes the RZ/Five series suitable in corporate infrastructure and industrial applications that require reliability and extended service life. It also allows users to reduce future Linux maintenance costs.

Peripheral Functions and Package Compatible with the RZ/G2UL

The peripheral functions and package of RZ/Five are compatible with those of the Arm core–based RZ/G2UL, allowing for reuse of proven designs. The RZ/Five comes in a smaller, compact package to address less complex designs more efficiently. As an evaluation environment, an RZ SMARC Evaluation Board Kit will be offered with a module board conforming to the SMARC 2.1 standard, equivalent to the currently available environment for the RZ/G Series. This kit allows switching and evaluating between an RZ/Five CPU module and an RZ/G2UL CPU module, enabling evaluation and shortening product development cycles.

Winning Combinations with RZ/Five

Renesas will provide a complete system solution for the RZ/Five CPU module including Renesas’ DA9062 power management IC, 5P35023 programmable clock generator, AT25QL128A flash memory and SLG46538 GreenPAK IC implementing peripheral functions such as system reset. These devices work together in Winning Combinations, such as SMARC System for Single Core Cortex-A55 MPU, that can be used as reference designs to reduce product development time.

For more information, visit https://www.renesas.com.