Renesas introduces new 28nm automotive MCU

Renesas has recently introduced a new addition to its automotive MCU range, the RH850/U2C, targeting body, chassis, battery management, and safety-related control systems. This 28nm device is part of the RH850 family and is designed to cater to current electronic control unit designs while also facilitating the transition towards more software-defined vehicle architectures. The launch of the RH850/U2C signifies a shift in mainstream automotive MCUs towards adapting to zonal and domain-based E/E architectures, rather than solely focusing on high-end compute platforms. It also highlights the increasing demand for MCU vendors to incorporate networking flexibility, cybersecurity, and power efficiency in cost-sensitive vehicle control designs.

Positioned as a solution for evolving E/E architectures, the RH850/U2C is constructed on a 28nm process and sits below the RH850/U2B and RH850/U2A in Renesas’ automotive portfolio. Featuring four RH850 CPU cores running at speeds of up to 320MHz, including two lockstep cores, and up to 8MB of on-chip flash memory, this device is versatile and powerful. Renesas aims to address a wide range of automotive applications with the RH850/U2C, including chassis and safety systems, battery management, lighting, motor control, and other ASIL D applications in passenger cars and motorcycles.

The RH850/U2C is also designed to facilitate the migration from earlier RH850/P1x and RH850/F1x devices, enabling existing ECU developers to update their designs without the need for a complete platform overhaul. One of the key features of the RH850/U2C is its comprehensive interface support, which includes compatibility with various in-vehicle networking technologies such as CAN-FD, LIN, UART, CXPI, I²C, I²S, and PSI5. Additionally, it offers support for Ethernet 10Base-T1S, TSN, CAN-XL, and I3C, making it suitable for systems that require bridging between legacy ECUs and newer zonal architectures during phased vehicle platform upgrades.

Regarding safety and security, Renesas ensures that the RH850/U2C complies with functional safety standards up to ASIL D as per ISO 26262. In terms of cybersecurity, the device aligns with ISO/SAE 21434 and incorporates hardware acceleration for cryptographic processing, including support for post-quantum cryptography and algorithms mandated by international regulations. The company also emphasizes lower active and standby power consumption, with a dedicated standby mode for deep stop and intermittent operation, which can help reduce ECU power demands and thermal constraints in distributed vehicle electronics.

Satoshi Yoshida, Vice President of the High-Performance Computing MCU Division at Renesas, emphasized the importance of balancing system robustness and operational efficiency in modern ECUs. He stated, “The RH850/U2C combines performance, a rich feature set, and compliance with key industry standards to meet the requirements of next-generation ECUs. This is exactly the kind of platform our customers are looking for to build reliable and scalable automotive systems.” Bosch also expressed support for the RH850/U2C, with Christoph Wenger, Chief Expert Semiconductor at Vehicle Motion at Bosch, praising Renesas’ commitment to reliability and quality in their MCU family.