STMicroelectronics’ STM32WBA52 microcontrollers (MCUs) combine Bluetooth LE 5.3 connectivity with ultra-low-power modes, advanced security, and a broad selection of peripherals familiar to STM32 developers. Its arrival eases the next step for IoT device developers seeking to add wireless, cut power, strengthen cyber-protection, and boost processing in the edge. The STM32WBA wireless MCU platform includes ST patented leading-edge technology. Targeted applications comprise smart home, industrial lighting, sensors, electrical switches, gateways, and portable medical devices.
Leveraging ST’s investments in capacity expansion and resiliency, the STM32WBA52 is available now in the mass market and brings proven wireless capabilities from ST’s well-known ultra-low-power STM32WB MCUs. It is boosted by an Arm Cortex-M33 core operating at 100MHz for extra computing power, and with state-of-the-art STM32 peripherals.
The powerful STM32Cube ecosystem simplifies migrating from existing STM32WB and general-purpose STM32 MCUs. It features the STM32CubeWBA MCU package, embedding a certified Bluetooth Low Energy 5.3 protocol stack and builds on existing profiles from the STM32WB series for easy portability. The STM32Cube ecosystem also includes tools such as the STM32CubeMX peripherals configurator and code generator, STM32CubeMonitor-RF radio-performance tester, and STM32Cube.AI desktop and cloud versions for Artificial Intelligence. The extensive ecosystem is proven to accelerate application development and validation. Further, to ease prototyping, a dedicated Nucleo board, NUCLEO-WBA52CG, will be available for the STM32WBA52.
The integrated ultra-low-power radio delivers market-unique RF output power of +10dBm, enabling reliable communication over long distances at data rates up to 2Mbit/s. A deep standby low-power mode with active radio communication drastically reduces overall power and saves battery energy. The STM32WBA MCUs can support up to 20 simultaneous connections.
The boost to cyber-protection comes from the PSA security program based on security isolation, memory protection, tamper protection, and Cortex-M33 featuring the Arm TrustZone architecture. The platform is delivered with a secure software solution based on Trusted Firmware for Arm Cortex-M (TF-M).
TF-M meets the industry-standard PSA Certified security framework, with PSA immutable Root of Trust (RoT) including secure boot and secure firmware update, cryptography, secure storage, and attestation at runtime. Side-channel resistant symmetric and asymmetric cryptographic accelerators are embedded, and key protection is implemented using a hardware unique key (HUK) secure process. With strong resistance to physical attacks, the STM32WBA52 product line targets Arm PSA Certified Level 3 and SESIP3 IoT security standards.
Sharing many energy-saving technologies with the ultra-low-power STM32U5 MCUs, STM32WBA52 MCUs feature ST’s Low Power DMA and flexible power-saving states with fast wakeup times. Together, these features can cut MCU power by up to 90%. There are also state-of-the-art integrated peripherals including a 12-bit ADC for enhanced accuracy with oversampling capability, while error code correction (ECC) on internal Flash and RAM enhances data integrity and safety. Generous 1Mbyte flash memory density provides storage for the user application and protocol stacks.
The STM32WBA52 MCUs will be included in ST’s 10-year product-longevity program, which renews long-term assurances of production every year.
A lead customer, P4Q Electronics, uses STM32WBA52 microcontrollers in their Qassay Lateral Flow readers.
Based on advanced multi-spectral sensor technology combined with state-of-the-art AI models and Bluetooth LE connectivity, Qassay readers are flexible enough to host any type of lateral flow test, ensuring the highest accuracy, sensitivity, and repeatability, supporting assay development partners and lateral flow test strip manufacturers.
Aitor Alapont, CEO of P4Q Electronics, said, “We are on a mission to universalize rapid testing. Thanks to our innovative technology, Qassay enables both qualitative and quantitative diagnostics to be done at home. Using ST STM32WBA52 microcontrollers accelerated our time to market and will allow us to serve the market demand in time.”
Qassay reader has been developed in collaboration with Future Electronics Centre of Excellence (CoE). “The new STM32WBA52 microcontrollers provide wireless connectivity with advanced security as well as a rich set of peripherals. Together with ST’s development tool ecosystem it will allow to succeed on any new development requiring wireless connectivity,” said Etienne Lanoy, Advanced Engineering Group (AEG) senior Director – EMEA, Future Electronics.
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