STMicroelectronics announced the STM32C5 series, a new generation of entry-level microcontrollers (MCUs). The STM32C5 series uses an Arm Cortex-M33 core implemented on ST’s proprietary 40 nm manufacturing process. It runs at up to 144 MHz and delivers 593 CoreMark performance, providing up to three times the performance of typical Cortex-M0+ devices with similar memory configurations.
On-chip Flash memory ranges from 128 Kbytes to 1 Mbyte, with SRAM up to 256 Kbytes in some variants. The design supports higher clock speeds and memory densities above 512 Kbytes compared to lower-density technologies.
The MCUs target consumer and professional devices, including smart thermostats, electronic door locks, industrial smart sensors, robotic actuators, wearable electronics, and computer peripherals.
They incorporate built-in security features such as memory protection, tamper protection, cryptographic engines (AES symmetric encryption and hashing), and temporal isolation for secure boot and firmware updates. Variants STM32C59x and STM32C5A3 include additional hardware unique key support, secure key storage, and hardware accelerators for symmetric and asymmetric operations with side-channel attack protection. The series targets SESIP3 and PSA Level 3 certifications.
Power supply uses a single low-dropout (LDO) regulator, enabling more user I/O pins. Direct memory access (DMA) includes two instances with at least four channels each for parallel fetches, supporting lower power, faster responses, and simplified software.
The devices operate from -40°C to 125°C ambient temperature, with junction temperature up to 140°C, maintaining maximum rated frequency across the range. They support industrial safety standards including IEC 61508 SIL-2 and IEC 60335-1/60730-1 Class-B through integrated hardware and software features.
The STM32Cube ecosystem has been upgraded with STM32CubeMX2 (including a preview feature for faster reference code access), size-optimized HAL2 drivers, enhanced code generation, development tools, and production-ready software examples. It includes ported middleware such as FreeRTOS, LwIP, USBX, and FileX, plus two free IDEs: STM32CubeIDE and STM32CubeIDE for VSCode.
STM32C5 MCUs are entering production, available in packages from 3 mm x 3 mm UFQFPN20 to 20 mm x 20 mm LQFP144. STM32 Nucleo evaluation boards and a Riverdi display extension board with TouchGFX software for entry-level GUIs are available.
Pricing starts at $0.64 for orders of 10,000 units.
Patrick Aidoune, Group Vice President and General Purpose and Automotive Microcontrollers Division General Manager at STMicroelectronics, stated that the STM32C5 elevates precision, speed, and reliability in competitively priced MCUs, building on two decades of STM32 heritage to deliver a scalable and secure portfolio from entry-level to advanced devices.
Dennis Agnello, Electronics Business Line Director at SIT Group, noted that the STM32C5 provides strong real-time performance for their Burner Integrated Control platform in safety-critical gas and HVAC applications, enabling accurate management of combustion, flame detection, and safety interlocks in a compact footprint, with firmware reuse accelerating development and certification.
Enrique Osorio, R&D Director at Circontrol (Grupo Circutor), stated that the STM32C5 enables a cost-efficient next-generation AC charger aligned with security, encryption, and interface requirements for metering and EV charging, with ST’s ecosystem support reducing development time and addressing functional and cost challenges.
More information is available at www.st.com/stm32c5.
