NXP Launches Advanced Connected MCX W Wireless MCU Family for Smart Industrial and IoT Devices

NXP Expands Its Leading Edge Portfolio with the Launch of the Advanced Connected MCX W Wireless MCU Family for Smart Industrial and IoT Devices

NXP’s MCX W family of scalable wireless MCUs is the first to feature Bluetooth channel detection, further expanding the rich connectivity capabilities of the MCX portfolio to maximize future flexibility for next-generation industrial and IoT devices

Shanghai, China - April 8, 2024 - NXP Semiconductors NV (NXP Semiconductors NV), following the recent success of the MCX A and MCX N series devices, today released the MCX W series, further adding rich connectivity features to the MCX product portfolio, helping MatterTM, Thread®, Zigbee® and low-power Bluetooth technologies adopt secure multi-protocol wireless MCUs . Like MCX A and MCX N, the MCX W series is equipped with a FRDM development platform and a device architecture, core, peripherals and MCUXpresso developer experience that is consistent across the MCX product portfolio, aiming to create a scalable MCU platform that simplifies the process of quickly creating new products or developing for new use cases in the industrial and IoT markets.

The first two families of the MCX W Series, the MCX W71x and W72x, feature a software-upgradeable independent radio subsystem to maximize the flexibility of smart connected devices. The subsystem offloads the main core to enable multitasking, while the main core only needs to run the main application. With scalable memory size for applications and connectivity protocol stacks and over-the-air (OTA) updates, the MCX W Series allows secure connected edge devices to be upgraded to adapt to changes in consumer demand and continuous updates to connectivity protocols such as Matter.

The MCX W series includes the first wireless MCUs to support the new Bluetooth channel detection standard, which improves the accuracy and security of distance measurement compared to traditional Bluetooth technology for a wide range of applications such as secure access, asset tracking and indoor navigation. Paired with NXP's Trimension® ultra-wideband (UWB) security radar and fine ranging products, the MCX W will further advance ambient computing technology into a wide range of market segments and applications.

Product Importance

Connectivity standards will continue to evolve over time, with new capabilities and features delivered in future versions. Therefore, upgradability is critical for devices to extend their field life, reduce redesigns, and deliver differentiated features. The MCX W Series allows developers to enhance their products over time, deliver the performance and memory needed to meet future standard changes, and adapt to user needs through OTA firmware updates. Developers benefit from a scalable and secure MCU platform that supports multiple connectivity standards, while the scalability of the entire MCX portfolio simplifies the process of developing a variety of end devices based on a common platform, reducing development costs and complexity while accelerating time to market.

“Smart, connected devices are evolving at an unprecedented pace, and new features and capabilities are emerging all the time,” said Charles Dachs, senior vice president and general manager of Industrial and IoT Edge at NXP. “The MCX W Series complements the entire MCX portfolio, making it easier for developers to design in advanced connectivity and deploy new innovations into the next generation of IoT and industrial devices.”

Developers can achieve more connectivity with MCX W MCUs

The MCX W series supports standalone or managed architectures, and the portfolio is pin- and software-compatible, so developers can easily migrate to the part that fits their use case. The MCX W71x and W72x series feature a 96 MHz Arm® Cortex®-M33 core. Both series feature an independent radio subsystem with a dedicated core that offloads the main CPU, leaving it for primary applications and providing additional memory to support software updates. They also integrate the EdgeLock® Secure Enclave Core Profile for advanced security features.

NXP Semiconductors has a rich history of providing industrial edge solutions, which lays the foundation for the launch of the MCX W series, which supports a wide operating temperature range (-40°C to +125°C), peripherals suitable for industrial applications (including CAN interfaces), and is included in NXP's 15-year product continuity supply plan to support long-term industrial use.

The MCX W71x family enables simpler IoT devices through a single-chip solution or as a co-processor in a managed architecture. NXP provides a complete software solution so that the MCX W71x can run seamlessly on NXP's broad portfolio of MCX MCUs, i.MX RT crossover MCUs and i.MX application processors as a network or radio co-processor.

The MCX W72x series adds Bluetooth channel detection capabilities and is equipped with a dedicated on-chip positioning calculation engine accelerator to reduce ranging latency. It contains additional memory to support application-specific code, connection protocol stacks, and wireless remote firmware updates. In addition, the radio subsystem can run a full Thread or Zigbee protocol stack in conjunction with a low-power Bluetooth protocol stack. This means that the real-time activities of the radio subsystem can run on a core that is different from the application, achieving reliable wireless performance.

Security is at the core of IoT

The security of smart, connected devices is increasingly important in IoT and industrial ecosystems. The MCX W Series protects sensitive security functions with an integrated EdgeLock Core Profile, and natively supports EdgeLock 2GO services to help comply with upcoming cybersecurity regulations such as the US Cybersecurity Trust Mark and the European Cyber ​​Resilience Act and other security standards such as IEC 62443. It also covers features for device authentication, secure boot, and secure firmware installation and updates. Encryption of connection standards can be accelerated by securely installing and managing keys in untrusted manufacturing locations.

NXP is the only chip supplier approved by CSA to issue Matter security certificates to other companies as a product certification body , which means that the MCX W series can simplify and accelerate the productization and production process of Matter terminal devices through a complete end-to-end solution to ensure the secure configuration and management of IoT devices.

Comprehensive developer support

The MCX W series can be accelerated through NXP's FRDM development board, a low-cost, scalable hardware development platform, and the entire MCX portfolio is fully supported by the MCUXpresso developer experience. The MCX FRDM development board includes industry-standard headers, easy access to the MCU's I/O, and an on-board MCU-Link debug probe. The MCX W FRDM development board includes comprehensive wireless certifications, providing developers with a strong starting point for their designs.

Like the broader MCX portfolio, the MCX W series is supported by the widely adopted MCUXpresso ecosystem, including the MCUXpresso SDK, which provides production-grade software, drivers and middleware in one central location. NXP offers proven and certified protocol stacks for a wide range of IoT connectivity standards, such as Matter, Thread, Zigbee, Bluetooth Low Energy, etc., to simplify the development and deployment of IoT devices.

Product Availability

The MCX W Series is expected to be available for sampling in the second half of 2024.