Texas Instruments (TI) announced the industry’s first ultra-low-power ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM) 16-bit microcontrollers. The new MSP430FR57xx FRAM series ensures data can be written more than 100 times faster and uses as little as 250 times less power than flash- and EEPROM-based microcontrollers. Additionally, the on-chip FRAM allows data retention in all power modes, supports more than 100 trillion write cycles, and delivers a new dimension of flexibility by allowing partitioning of data and programming memory with changes in software.

 

The new MCU family offers FRAM densities up to 16kB and supports continuous data logging, eliminating need for costly external EEPROM and battery-backed SRAM. Other integrated peripherals are analogue and connectivity options, including 10-bit ADC, 32-bit hardware multiplier, up to five 16-bit timers and multiple enhanced SPI/I2C/UART buses. Code compatibility across MSP platform as well as low-cost tools, comprehensive documentation, user guide and code examples allow developers to get started immediately.