Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE:6723), a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, today introduced the RA4C1 microcontroller (MCU) group based on an 80-MHz Arm Cortex M33 processor. The new devices offer ultra-low power consumption, advanced security features, abundant communication interfaces, and segment LCD support. This unique set of features and performance metrics is ideal for battery powered applications that need strict security, including gas, water, and industrial flow meters, as well as smart locks, thermostats, building controls and industrial user interfaces. These new MCUs exactly match the requirements for system control applications used in utility meters worldwide.  

The RA4C1 MCUs employ proprietary low-power technology that delivers 168 µA/MHz active mode @ 80 MHz and standby current of less than 1.79 µA with all the SRAM retained; the RA4C1 also support a real-time clock (RTC) with its own dedicated power domain, supporting easy battery backup for the time. This exceptional performance, coupled with support for input voltages as low as 1.6V, helps customers to design battery-powered applications that use smaller batteries or provide higher performance for the existing battery size.  

Strong security is an essential requirement for metering systems. The RA4C1 MCUs offer an RSIP-300 security engine that provides an isolated subsystem managed and protected by dedicated control logic. The new devices also include support for a 256-bit hardware unique key and True Randon Number Generator (TRNG), key management functionality with the ability to generate wrapped keys, SHA algorithms, hardware acceleration of AES, and ECC supporting NIST and Brainpool curves with a key length of up to 384 bits. The RA4C1 has also achieved PSA Certified Level 1 certification with European Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) compliance extension in keeping with Renesas’ continuing commitment to cybersecurity and compliance with upcoming European regulations.