Renesas` 120MHz SuperH Microcontroller Is a Lower Cost, Power-saving Solution for Implementing Fine-grained Control of Automotive Powertrains

-- The Highly Reliable SH72531 32-bit MCU Provides 1.25Megabytes of On-Chip
Flash, Operates at Up to +125°C, Has Only 176 Pins, and Consumes 350mW or Less
--
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
Renesas Technology America, Inc. todayintroduced the SH72531, a 120MHz 32-bit
SuperH microcontroller (MCU) that integrates 1.25 megabytes (1.25MB) of flash
memory. It can implement the fine-grained control of automotive engines and
transmissions needed to achieve smooth, powerful performance and high efficiency
with low emissions. Built with the same 90-nm process as the successful 200MHz
SH72544R introduced in July 2008, the new MCU is value engineered to cost less
and consume less power, while meeting industry requirements for high reliability
and operation at temperatures as high as 125°C.

Amrit Vivekanand, marketing manager, automotive business unit, Renesas
Technology America, said, "By applying our 90-nm process technology and
exploiting our automotive industry expertise, we have created a powertrain
control system solution tailored to the requirements of smaller, less expensive
vehicles. The SH72531 is slightly less powerful than the SH72544R and provides
fewer features to reduce system costs and power consumption. Nevertheless, it
offers the functions and performance needed by the innovative vehicles that will
be launched in the next few years in fast-growing lower-end global markets."

The SH72531 has the same SH-2A high-performance 32-bit CPU core with a floating
point unit (FPU) as the SH72544R for full software compatibility, and achieves
240 MIPS processing performance at 120MHz. Yet the 3.3V/5V chip consumes just
350mW.

The SH72531`s 1.25MB on-chip flash memory operates at 100MHz speeds, but works
in conjunction with a low-power cache to deliver performance roughly equivalent
to single-cycle access at 120MHz. Furthermore, 32 kilobytes (32KB) of that flash
is allocated for data storage and can be overwritten while the MCU is operating.
The flash provides roughly the same functionality as EEPROM and eliminates the
need for external memory that increases system cost.

Peripheral functions that match actual application requirements make possible a
compact (24mm x 24mm) LQFP package with 176 pins, 35 percent fewer than the
SH72544R. The functions and interfaces that enable highly precise real-time
control of engines and transmissions include the ATU-III multifunction timer, a
fast 12-bit A/D, a CAN* interface, and a high-speed serial interface.

Price and Availability
Product Name Max. Operating Sample Price/
(Product No.) Frequency Package Availability
SH72531 (R5F72531KFPV) 120MHz 176-pin LQFP $87/Q1 2009

About Renesas Technology Corp.

Renesas Technology Corp. is one of the world's leading semiconductor system
solutions providers for mobile, automotive and PC/AV (Audio Visual) markets and
the world's No.1 supplier of microcontrollers. It is also a leading provider of
LCD Driver ICs, Smart Card microcontrollers, RF-ICs, High Power Amplifiers,
Mixed Signal ICs, System-on-Chip (SoC) devices, System-in-Package (SiP) products
and more. Established in 2003 as a joint venture between Hitachi, Ltd.
(TOKYO:6501) (NYSE:HIT) and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO:6503),
Renesas Technology achieved consolidated revenue of 951 billion JPY in FY2007
(end of March 2008). Renesas Technology is based in Tokyo, Japan and has a
global network of manufacturing, design and sales operations in around 20
countries with about 26,800 employees worldwide. For further information, please
visit http://www.renesas.com

Notes:

1. CAN (Controller Area Network): An automotive network specification proposed
by Robert Bosch GmbH.

2. SuperH is a registered trademark of Renesas Technology Corp. in the U.S.

Other product names, company names, or brands mentioned are the property of
their respective owners.

Renesas Technology America, Inc.
Akiko Ishiyama, 408-382-7407
akiko.ishiyama@renesas.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009