NPU-Equipped Dual-Core MCU Tackles AI Chores

Nov. 29, 2022

NXP’s multicore MCX N series of microcontrollers includes AI acceleration and motor-control support.

Related To:

The latest multicore system-on-chip (SoC) from NXP Semiconductors is based on dual 150-MHz Arm Cortex-M33 cores (Fig. 1). The MCX N series adds features such as a neural processing unit (NPU). The Cortex-M33 cores can deal with lightweight machine-learning (ML) chores, but the NPU provides a significant performance boost while utilizing less power. As a result, ML models can be handled on-chip instead of pushing data to the cloud.

1. The NXP MCX N adds a neural processing unit and the EdgeLock security subsystem to a dual-core Cortex-M33 system-on-chip.

Security and safety are high on its list of features, which include the EdgeLock security subsystem and 2 MB of flash memory that can optionally include ECC-supported RAM. It’s part of the MCX family that includes ultra-low power and wireless options.

The EdgeLock subsystem has a hardware random number generator (RNG) and provides acceleration for AES-256 and ECC-256. It has tamper- and glitch-detection plus its own one-time-programmable memory array, as well as physically unclonable function (PUF) SRAM. The PRINCE acceleration provides on-the-fly encryption and decryption of flash data. This works with off-chip memory such as eXecute-in-Place (XIP) serial memory.

The two Cortex-M33 cores are not equal. One is a basic core; the primary core incorporates TrustZone, FPU, SIMD, and DSP support along with control of the memory protection unit (MPU).

The top-end MCX N94X family adds a CoolFlux DSP to the mix along with enhanced motor-control support that has dual encoders, a SINC filter, and dual FlexPWMs (Fig. 2). In addition, there’s a four-channel, 16-bit ADC; dual 12-bit, 1-Msample/s DACs; and a 14-bit, 5-Msample/s DAC, as well as three on-chip op amps.

2. The NXP MCX N series is based on the Cortex-M33. The primary core includes all of the bells and whistles, while the other is designed to provide additional peripheral control or computational support.

The chips offer up to 10 Flexcomm interfaces that handle standard peripheral interfaces like UARTs, SPI, and I²C. There’s also support for full-speed USB with a high-speed USB hub, dual CAN-FD interfaces, Ethernet, and dual I3C interfaces.

SoCs like the MCX N are becoming quite complex with multiple, unique cores to manage everything from motor control to communication to security. This leads to significant advantages in terms of cost and integration, but it can be more challenging when it comes to software development.

NXP’s eIQ machine-learning software-development environment supports the MCX series as well as other NXP chips. It can work with models from most popular AI frameworks.

About the Author

William G. Wong | Senior Content Director - Electronic Design and Microwaves & RF

I am Editor of Electronic Design focusing on embedded, software, and systems. As Senior Content Director, I also manage Microwaves & RF and I work with a great team of editors to provide engineers, programmers, developers and technical managers with interesting and useful articles and videos on a regular basis. Check out our free newsletters to see the latest content.

You can send press releases for new products for possible coverage on the website. I am also interested in receiving contributed articles for publishing on our website. Use our template and send to me along with a signed release form.

Check out my blog, AltEmbedded on Electronic Design, as well as his latest articles on this site that are listed below.

You can visit my social media via these links:

I earned a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Masters in Computer Science from Rutgers University. I still do a bit of programming using everything from C and C++ to Rust and Ada/SPARK. I do a bit of PHP programming for Drupal websites. I have posted a few Drupal modules.

I still get a hand on software and electronic hardware. Some of this can be found on our Kit Close-Up video series. You can also see me on many of our TechXchange Talk videos. I am interested in a range of projects from robotics to artificial intelligence.