STMicro's STM32 Family Hits 800MHz with the High-Performance 18nm STM32V8
New part is sampling to "selected customers," including SpaceX, now, with broader availability in 2026.
STMicroelectronics has announced sampling of its STM32V8, the industry's first microcontroller to be built on an 18nm semiconductor process node and the most powerful STM32 yet released — targeting performance-sensitive applications, including within orbital satellites.
"The STM32V8 is our fastest STM32 microcontroller to date, designed for high reliability in harsh operating environments, with the ability to replace much larger and power-hungry application processors," claims STMicro's Remi El-Ouazzane, president of the company's microcontrollers, digital integrated circuits, and radio-frequency products group. "The STM32V8 represents the future of what a high performance MCU [Microcontroller Unit] can do for demanding embedded and edge AI applications such as industrial control, sensor fusion, image processing, voice control, and others."
The chip is built around Arm's Cortex-M85 processor, running at an impressive 800MHz and including the Helium M-Profile Vector Extensions (MVE) — designed to accelerate on-device machine learning and artificial intelligence workloads. Depending on model it includes up to 4MB of embedded non-volatile memory (eNVM) and 1.5MB of RAM with error correction code (ECC) protection. There's also a graphics block with Chrom-ART graphics accelerator, hardware JPEG codec, and a TFT LCD controller for displays.
In case the specifications weren't clue enough, STMicro is positioning the part with performance in mind — claiming a sixfold improvement in machine learning and digital signal processing performance over its predecessors. A chunk of this gain comes from a move to a smaller semiconductor process node: while many microcontrollers are still built on mature process nodes above 100nm, the STM32V8 is built on an 18nm node — the industry's first microcontroller to drop down that low, the company claims.
Between the promise of robust protection in harsh operating environments and a performance that would put some application-class processors to shame, there's no surprise to see interest in the new chip from the space sector — and satellite communication swarm provider Starlink has already deployed devices based on early-access parts. "The successful deployment of the Starlink mini laser system in space, which uses ST's STM32V8 microcontroller, marks a significant milestone in advancing high-speed connectivity across the Starlink network," claims SpaceX' Michael Nicolls.
"The STM32V8's high computing performance and integration of large embedded memory and digital features were critical in meeting our demanding real-time processing requirements, while providing a higher level of reliability and robustness to Low Earth Orbit environment, thanks to the 18nm FD-SOI [Fully-Depleted Silicon-On-Insulator] technology. We look forward to integrating the STM32V8 into other products and leveraging its capabilities for next-generation advanced applications."
More information on the STM32V8 is available on the STMicro website; the part is in "early-stage access for selected customers," with availability to key partners planned for the first quarter of 2026 and "broader availability" to follow.