MPUs Built for Cost-Sensitive Edge Applications
STMicroelectronics' latest STM32MP21 microprocessors target cost-sensitive edge applications such as smart factories, smart homes, and smart cities. They leverage advanced cores and peripherals with strong security targeting SESIP Level 3 and PCI pre-certification.
An expansion of the STM32MP2 series, the MPUs feature a 1.5-GHz, 64-bit Arm Cortex-A35 core and a 32-bit Cortex-M33 Core at 300 MHz, ensuring fast execution times with flexibility. The two cores handle complex tasks and real-time control, adding the opportunity for boot processing on the Cortex-M33 as well as accelerating system wake-up from power-saving modes.
Offering flexible choices in core configuration, peripherals, and packages, the STM32MP21 series provides a peripheral set suited to a given application, with support for multiple low‑power modes. The MPUs, attractive in terms of cost and long‑term stable supply, integrate MIPI CSI-2 and an image-signal-processing pipeline for machine-vision applications. Two Gigabit Ethernet ports with time-sensitive networking (TSN) support are dedicated to applications that need determinism, low latency, jitter-free communication, synchronization, and scheduling.
In addition to DDR4/LPDDR4 DRAM, the series supports DDR3L memory, enabling designers to optimize system performance, footprint, and BOM. In addition, the security architecture is built to comply with worldwide regulations, including the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA).
The MPUs’ SESIP Level 3 security-assurance target aligns with CRA implementation guidelines. Its complemented by ST’s in-factory secure secret provisioning (SSP) to load the unique identity and immutable passwords for authentication and attestation.
A secure hardware cryptographic accelerator inhibits physical attacks. Code isolation with Arm TrustZone protects startup and sensitive processes, plus there's hardware protection of memory and peripherals, leveraging ST’s proprietary resource isolation framework (RIF) to prevent tampering.
The STM32 ecosystem provides software and tools for building and testing MPU applications, such as ST Edge AI desktop and cloud tools like OpenSTLinux. Software expansion packages as well as evaluation boards are also available, in addition to the STM32MP215F-DK Discovery Kit and adapter boards. A bare-metal offering will be available for the STM32MP2 series in 2026, as presented previously for the STM32MP13 series.
STM32MP21 package options include 8- × 8-mm 225-pin and 10- × 10-mm 361-pin VFBGAs suited to 6-layer high-density interconnect (HDI) boards. In addition, an 11- × 11-mm 273-pin VFBGA and a 14- × 14-mm 289-pin TFBGA are available for 4-layer boards. The 10- × 10-mm VFBGA361 is pin-to-pin compatible with the entire STM32MP2 series.
Related links:
More New Products
About the Author
Alix Paultre
Editor-at-Large, Microwaves & RF
Alix is Editor-at-Large for Microwaves & RF.
An Army veteran, Alix Paultre was a signals intelligence soldier on the East/West German border in the early ‘80s, and eventually wound up helping launch and run a publication on consumer electronics for the U.S. military stationed in Europe. Alix first began in this industry in 1998 at Electronic Products magazine, and since then has worked for a variety of publications, most recently as Editor-in-Chief of Power Systems Design.
Alix currently lives in Wiesbaden, Germany.