In response to the growing needs of today’s embedded designs, Microchip Technology is broadening its computing range with the introduction of its PIC64 portfolio. The PIC64 family will be made to accommodate a wide range of markets that demand both real-time and application class processing, making Microchip a single-vendor solution supplier for MPUs. The first in the new product line, PIC64GX MPUs, is available now and allows intelligent edge designs for the industrial, automotive, communications, Internet of Things, aerospace, and defense industries.
What’s Driving Embedded Processing?
Applications that require a lot of computation and are run in real-time, including machine learning (ML) and smart embedded vision, are pushing the limits of embedded processing specifications. These applications call for increased hardware-level security, power efficiency, and edge dependability.
“Microchip is a leader in 8- 16- and 32-bit embedded solutions and, as the market evolves, so must our product lines. The addition of our 64-bit MPU portfolio allows us to offer low-, mid- and high-range compute processing solutions,” said Ganesh Moorthy, CEO and President of Microchip Technology. “The PIC64GX MPU is the first of several 64-bit MPUs designed to support the intelligent edge and address a broad range of performance requirements across all market segments.”
For the intelligent edge to run Linux®, real-time operating systems, and bare metal in a single processor cluster with secure boot capabilities, 64-bit heterogenous compute solutions with asymmetric processing are frequently needed. The 64-bit RISC-V® quad-core PIC64GX series from Microchip handles mid-range intelligent edge compute requirements with deterministic latencies and Asymmetric Multiprocessing (AMP).
The first RISC-V® multi-core solution suitable for mixed-criticality systems with AMP capability is the PIC64GX MPU. It is built with a fifth microcontroller class monitor, a 2 MB flexible L2 cache running at 625 MHz, and a quad-core, Linux-capable CPU cluster.
Because of its pin-compatibility with Microchip’s PolarFire® SoC FPGA devices, the PIC64GX family provides a great deal of flexibility for developing embedded solutions. The 64-bit portfolio will also make use of Microchip’s user-friendly suite of tools and software for development, which includes a number of powerful processes to help configure, develop, debug, and qualify embedded designs.
As part of Microchip’s initial 64-bit offering, the PIC64 High-Performance Spaceflight Computing (PIC64-HPSC) family is also being launched. The 64-bit, multi-core, space-grade RISC-V MPUs are engineered to yield unparalleled radiation and fault tolerance for aerospace and defense applications, while also enhancing compute performance by over 100 times.
As part of its continuous attempts to form commercial partnerships, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA-JPL) announced in August 2022 that Microchip has been chosen to create an HPSC processor. For NASA-JPL, the commercial and defense aerospace industries, and NASA itself, the PIC64-HPSC family heralds a new age of autonomous space computing.
Microchip is now the only embedded solutions provider actively creating a full spectrum of 8-, 16-, 32-, and 64-bit microcontrollers (MCUs) and microprocessors (MPUs) with the launch of its PIC64 portfolio. Devices running on RISC-V or Arm® architectures will be included in future PIC64 families, and embedded designers will be able to benefit from Microchip’s end-to-end solutions—from silicon to embedded ecosystems—for quicker design, debugging, and verification as well as a shorter time to market.
For Further Info: 64-bit web page.
Development Tools
The PIC64GX family is supported by the PIC64GX Curiosity Evaluation Kit and will feature integration with Microchip’s MPLAB® Extensions for VS Code®.
The PIC64 MPUs are also supported by Linux4Microchip resources and Linux distributors such as Canonical® Ubuntu® OS, the Yocto Project® and Buildroot with support for Zephyr® RTOS and associated software stacks.
Pricing and Availability
The PIC64GX Curiosity Kit is now available for designers to get started with evaluation— for additional information and to purchase, contact a Microchip sales representative, authorized worldwide distributor or visit Microchip’s Purchasing and Client Services website, www.microchipdirect.com.
