GigaDevice's Entry-Level Microcontroller Range Gets an Arm Cortex-M23 Speed Boost in the GD32C231

Semiconductor firm GigaDevice has announced a new entry in its microcontroller range for those who need to balance performance and price at the entry-level end of the spectrum: the GD32C231 series, featuring Arm Cortex-M23 processor cores.

"With over two billion MCUs [Microcontroller Units] shipped," the company boasts, "GigaDevice leverages its mature supply chain and innovation to push past the limitations of traditional entry-level chips. The GD32C231 microcontroller series brings powerful integration, wide-voltage industrial-grade design, and a complete development ecosystem — all at competitive prices. It redefines what's possible at the entry-level tier."

Sitting, as the company says, at the lower end of the microcontroller spectrum, the GD32C231 is built around a single 32-bit Arm Cortex-M23 core running at up to 48MHz. Depending on model, that comes paired with 12kB of low-power static RAM (SRAM) and between 32–64kB of program flash, all of which supports error correction code (ECC), in package formats including TSSOP20, QFN28, and LQFP48. The move to the new Cortex-M23 provides, the company says, around a 10 percent performance uplift over its previous-generation Cortex-M0+ parts.

Peripherals on the new chips include a 12-bit analog to digital converter (ADC) with 13 external channels and two internal comparators, up to four general-purpose 16-bit timers plus one advanced timer, two high-speed SPI interfaces supporting quad-SPI at up to 24Mbps, two I2C buses with Fast Mode+ support for 1Mbps communications, an I2S interface, and three UARTs running at up to 6Mbps, plus an integrated three-channel direct memory access (DMA) controller.

There are up to 45 general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pins available in the 48-pin package versions, with claimed electrostatic protection for up to 8kV contact and 15kV in air, while the chips extend their industrial capabilities with support for 1.8–5.5V operation, temperatures between -40—105°C (-40–221°F), and a 2.6µs wake-up time from a 5µA deep-sleep state.

More information on the new chips is available on the GigaDevice website.