Renesas Electronics has expanded its RZ/G Series with two new 64-bit general-purpose microprocessors designed to bring higher processing performance, low standby power, and fast connectivity to HMI and IoT edge applications.
The new RZ/G3L and RZ/G3SE are pin-compatible MPUs aimed at industrial and consumer systems, including IoT gateways, home gateways, and human machine interface (HMI) devices. Their pin compatibility allows developers to use a common PCB design across different product variants, helping simplify development and potentially shorten time to market.
The two devices target different levels of graphics and display performance. The RZ/G3L combines a GPU for 3D graphics rendering with an H.264 video codec, making it suitable for applications such as smart retail terminals and medical HMI systems that require rich graphics and video.
The RZ/G3SE, meanwhile, is designed for IoT applications where basic display functionality is sufficient. Target applications include EV chargers and industrial gateway equipment that use displays primarily for status information, configuration, and system control.
High Performance With 1mW-Level Standby Power
Both MPUs are built around a CPU cluster featuring up to four Arm Cortex-A55 cores operating at speeds of up to 1.2GHz. A Cortex-M33 coprocessor running at 200MHz handles additional processing requirements.
Despite the focus on performance, Renesas has also targeted significantly lower standby power with its third-generation RZ/G architecture. In deep standby mode, the new devices can reduce standby power to the 1mW level while retaining the Linux system in memory.
This allows systems to remain in a low-power standby state and resume operation quickly when required, making the devices suitable for industrial and IoT applications that need always-on connectivity without continuously operating at full power.
High-Speed Interfaces Support Flexible Connectivity
The new MPUs also provide a range of high-speed interfaces, including PCIe, TSN-capable Gigabit Ethernet, and USB.
These interfaces give developers greater flexibility to add application-specific connectivity and processing capabilities.
PCIe can be used to connect the MPUs with 5G communication modules, Wi-Fi 6 modules, and external AI accelerators. For industrial applications, TSN-capable Gigabit Ethernet enables low-latency and reliable communications where deterministic, real-time networking is important.
Ecosystem Support Aims to Speed Development
Renesas is supporting the new devices with an ecosystem that includes ten solutions covering GUI development environments, operating systems, software, and system-on-modules (SoMs).
The company plans to continue expanding this ecosystem with additional validated software, development tools, and hardware solutions to help developers move HMI and IoT products from design to deployment more efficiently.
With the RZ/G3L and RZ/G3SE, Renesas is extending the RZ/G platform into a broader range of HMI and IoT edge systems, combining scalable processing, low-power operation, high-speed connectivity, and a common hardware platform for multiple product configurations.
- GUI development solutions: LVGL, Embedded Wizard, Slint, Candera, Spyrosoft, Qt Group
- OS solutions: Zephyr RTOS, Atmark Techno
- SoM solutions: Embedded Artists, a Virtium Company, Advanet
For other partners, please see the Renesas Partner Program.
Additional Features
- Main CPU in quad-core or dual-core configurations
- Available in 14 mm square 400-pin LFBGA and 17 mm square 368-pin LFBGA packages
- ECC (error checking and correction) on both on-chip memory and the external DDR interface
- Comprehensive security features, including Renesas Secure IP, Secure Boot, Arm TrustZone, and tamper detection
- Wide operating temperature range from –40°C to +125°C
- Verified Linux Package (VLP) compliant with the trusted Civil Infrastructure Platform (CIP) for long-term support
Winning Combinations
Renesas has combined the new MPUs with numerous compatible devices from its portfolio to offer a wide range of solutions. These include the Mode3 AC EV Charger Wallbox with High-Level PLC Communication based on the RZ/G3L, as well as the AI-Enabled Smart Home Security Hub based on the RZ/G3SE, which enables advanced monitoring through integration with cameras, microphones, and sensors, along with cloud connectivity. For other Winning Combinations, please visit renesas.com/win.
Leadership Comment
“As industrial and IoT devices grow more sophisticated, customers need to balance performance, power consumption, connectivity and design scalability,” said Hari Pendurty, Vice President of the EP Edge AI and Application Processors Business Division at Renesas. “The RZ/G3L and RZ/G3SE were developed to help customers meet these evolving requirements and scale products more efficiently by leveraging a common hardware platform across different applications.”
Availability
The RZ/G3L and RZ/G3SE are available today. An evaluation board kit, consisting of a SMARC v2.1 module board and a carrier board, is also available for both devices.
More information is available at https://www.renesas.com/rzg3l and https://www.renesas.com/rzg3se.
