The new MCX N microcontroller leads the intelligent and efficient edge processing into a new era

     NXP Semiconductor announced the launch of the first products in the MCX microcontroller portfolio, Series N: the MCX N94x and MCX N54x. Built specifically to simplify secure and intelligent edge applications, including the Internet of Things and industrial applications, the MCX N Series microcontrollers integrate NXP's proprietary neural processing unit (NPU) for the first time with the EdgeLock security subsystem. The multi-core design of MCX N-series devices enables intelligent and efficient distribution of complex work to analog and digital peripherals, improving system performance and reducing power consumption.

     Today's developers need more processing power from microcontrollers to turn pure edge data into edge intelligence, while also controlling power consumption as much as possible to maintain high energy efficiency. The MCX N94x and MCX N54x family of microcontrollers supports a wide range of analog and digital peripherals, providing engineers with the flexibility and high performance needed to build innovative designs while maintaining the low power consumption necessary for high-performance edge processing.

     Rafael Sotomayor, executive vice president and general manager of NXP Edge's Connectivity and Security Edge Processing Division, said, "Developers continue to create new devices that unlock the Edge's potential to further enable smart homes, smart factories and smart cities to become smarter and more automated. We need advanced MCUS that increase efficiency, simplify edge intelligence, and do all the work safely. Facing the smart edge of the future, we have introduced the MCX N Series to help future iot and industrial applications achieve a balance between power and performance."

     The MCX N-series dual-core system features a full-featured Arm® Cortex®-M33 master core and a streamlined Cortex-M33 secondary core to manage control functions, allowing developers to run multiple applications in parallel and reduce power consumption by shutting down a single kernel if necessary. For example, in secure iot applications such as over-the-air (OTA) communications, the main kernel is responsible for maintaining system security, while the slave core performs control functions.

     The MCX N94x and MCX N54x feature a high-performance dual-core ®Cortex®-M33 operating at frequencies up to 150 MHz, offering 2MB flash memory as well as configurable RAM with ECC, DSP coprocessor for audio and voice processing, and integrated NPU. The integrated NPU provides up to 30 times machine learning computational acceleration compared to a single CPU core, while multiple coprocessors and accelerators reduce wake times and overall power consumption. In addition, NXP's eIQ® machine learning software development environment provides multiple easy-to-use tools to train and support machine learning models using integrated Npus.

     MCX N series devices offer a wealth of peripherals. The MCX N94x comes with a wide range of advanced analog and motor control peripherals, while the MCX N54x also includes high speed USB (with PHY), SD or smart card interfaces for Internet of Things and consumer applications.

     This new family of devices is built with NXP design to ensure security, providing secure startup with immutable trust roots, hardware-accelerated encryption, and a built-in EdgeLock® security subsystem. This architecture supports on-site updates and online transactions, and prevents overproduction by remote original design manufacturers (ODMs).