ARM Technology and GigaDevice deepen technical cooperation to jointly create opportunities for Arm MCU innovation

On August 15, ARM Technology (China) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "ARM Technology") and GigaDevice Technology Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "GigaDevice"), an industry-leading semiconductor device supplier, jointly announced that the two parties will further strengthen technical cooperation in embedded chip design, microcontroller product planning, etc., and sign a multi-year Arm Total Access technology licensing subscription license agreement to work together to win the Arm MCU "core" opportunities.

Since launching the first domestic general-purpose MCU series based on the Arm Cortex®-M core in 2013, GigaDevice has been based on the mainstream Arm technology ecosystem and has steadily developed into a leader in the field of high-performance general-purpose MCUs in China. Over the past decade, the company has continuously built and improved its product matrix based on the Arm architecture, providing a rich selection of products covering 51 series and more than 600 models, with cumulative shipments exceeding 1.5 billion units. It has successfully built a general-purpose MCU ecosystem around the Arm core that fully covers the high, medium and low-end markets, meeting a wide range of development and application needs such as high performance, low power consumption, strong real-time, wireless, and automotive regulations.

In the high-end market, the GD32H7 series microcontroller is the first ultra-high-performance MCU based on the Arm Cortex-M7 core in China, breaking through the boundaries of traditional MCUs, supporting real-time control with a main frequency of up to 600MHz and large-capacity storage space, and providing powerful computing support for innovative applications such as complex computing, multimedia technology, and edge computing. The GD32E5 series microcontroller uses the advanced Arm Cortex-M33 core, which not only has industry-leading processing power and power efficiency, but also has excellent connectivity features and more economical development costs, which can fully meet the multi-functional integration and workload requirements of industrial applications such as digital energy, motor control, and mixed signal processing.

In addition, GigaDevice is continuously promoting the development of multiple new MCU products based on the Arm Cortex-M core, including the GD32G5 series using the Cortex-M33 core, and the GD32C2 series using the Cortex-M23 core. These new products are fully deployed in the power supply and motor, entry-level consumer and other markets, adapting to diversified application development needs and cost considerations.

The in-depth cooperation between GigaDevice and Arm Technology has not only successfully created a number of MCUs based on Arm technology, but also jointly promoted embedded technology innovation. Currently, the two parties are preparing to collaborate on products based on the Cortex-M52 core (previously known as "Star" STAR-MC2 in the Chinese market) and the Cortex-R52 core. Among them, the Cortex-M52 adopts the Armv8.1-M architecture and is the smallest, most area- and cost-effective processor among all currently supported Arm Helium™ technology, which can provide stronger AI capabilities for small, low-power IoT devices.

At present, the big model wave is accelerating the evolution of industry intelligence. Smart cars, AIoT, smart phones, PCs, data centers and other fields are booming, which puts forward new requirements for the architecture, computing power, security and other aspects of the underlying chips. The complexity of chip design continues to increase, and the speed of product iteration and mass production is also accelerating. In addition, the emergence of emerging application markets has undoubtedly brought new challenges to chip design companies.

Faced with the current challenges in technology, development, business, cost and other aspects, GigaDevice's complete product matrix based on the Arm architecture has become the key to its leading position in the MCU field. By adopting the Arm Total Access solution, GigaDevice can fully and timely obtain the latest Arm technology and its various IP resources, advanced tools and models, professional support and training services, as well as rich software and physical design resources, so that it can flexibly use and explore the Arm IP solution portfolio according to its own business needs and plans, so as to promote multiple key projects at the same time, realize one-stop acceleration of various MCU chip designs, and thus consolidate its competitiveness in the wave of intelligent innovation.

Since its launch in the domestic market this year, the "Arm Technology License Subscription" model has helped chip companies including GigaDevice to cope with more complex and time-sensitive chip development needs with its flexible, convenient and cost-effective product portfolio and service support. In just a few months, the number of authorized customers has reached more than 20. The two parties signed the Arm Total Access plan in this model.

As large models gradually penetrate the edge and end sides, the intelligent process of embedded design is also accelerating. As the world's most widely used computing platform, Arm technology will undoubtedly play an important role in this process. In the future, based on the rich and leading Arm technology platform, Arm's self-developed business products, and the innovative "Arm technology license subscription" model, Arm and GigaDevice will continue to carry out more diverse and close technical collaboration and ecological co-construction, and jointly draw up the blueprint for Arm MCU to create a "core".

Disclaimer: Arm, Cortex and Helium are registered trademarks or trademarks of Arm Limited (or its subsidiaries).