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Recently, the 2023 Munich Shanghai Electronics Exhibition was officially held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). GigaDevice brought over 50 advantageous products and innovative solutions, including storage, GD32MCU, sensors, and analog products, making a significant debut. They joined hands with ecological partners to focus on key application fields such as automotive, industry, the Internet of Things, and consumer electronics, providing extensive and rich design resources to help customers flexibly develop products and quickly bring them to the market, empowering them in the era of intelligent development of embedded systems.

At the exhibition site, media such as the semiconductor industry observer were invited to have in-depth exchanges with GigaDevice's MCU business unit product marketing director Jin Guangyi and Flash business unit executive director Chen Hui, further understanding GigaDevice's forward-looking market layout and excellent technical strength, as well as GigaDevice's thinking and planning in response to current market trends.

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Focusing on GigaDevice's Cortex®-M7 core ultra-high-performance MCU

At this exhibition, GigaDevice highlighted the first GD32H7 series ultra-high-performance MCU in China using the Cortex®-M7 core and application reference design.

It is understood that the Arm® Cortex®-M7 core provides the GD32H7 series MCU with processing capabilities up to 600MHz, equipped with 4MB on-chip Flash and 1MB SRAM, supporting large-capacity code storage. It has a built-in 512KB ultra-large tight coupling memory TCM and a 64KB L1-Cache high-speed cache, as well as advanced hardware DSP, double-precision FPU, trigonometric functions, and digital filters to achieve optimal processing efficiency.

Compared with existing high-performance products, Jin Guangyi believes that the GD32H7 series MCU not only achieves a significant increase in performance but also significantly expands peripheral resources and unprecedentedly enhances analog performance. It integrates two 14-bit ADCs with a sampling rate as high as 4MSPS and one 12-bit ADC with a sampling rate as high as 5.3MSPS, providing high-precision sampling rates and rapid response in applications such as graphic image display, AI algorithm support, motor control, and photovoltaic energy storage. Three CAN-FD interfaces and two Ethernet controllers also provide good advantages for industrial network cards, frequency converters, and servo drives.

In addition, cost is also a major advantage of this product. The GD32H7 series MCU adopts the industry-leading process technology, so the cost advantage is very obvious compared to foreign competitors. At the same time, GigaDevice has also optimized a variety of IPs, including digital IPs and analog IPs, greatly improving integration, allowing more IPs to be integrated in the same area.

It is worth noting that the GD32H7 is also the first M7 core MCU launched by GigaDevice in China. So why haven't other domestic MCU manufacturers made this layout? Jin Guangyi believes that on the one hand, the technical requirements for ultra-high-end performance MCUs are higher. For example, the higher the MCU frequency, the better control of its stability, heat dissipation, and power consumption is required. Domestic MCUs are more inclined to the mid-to-low end, and most are used in markets that can quickly increase in volume, while the high-end MCU market threshold has exacerbated the long-term existence of technical barriers.On the other hand, GigaDevice's GD32 MCU is a leader in China's high-performance general-purpose microcontroller field, with the largest family of Arm architecture MCUs in China. Its products cover a series of general-purpose MCU products with cores such as Arm® Cortex®-M3, M4, M23, M33, etc., and have achieved coverage of low/mid/high-end products. On this basis, the GD32H7 is a new product that GigaDevice continues to move towards more high-end products.

Jin Guangyi pointed out that the launch of the GD32H7 has profound significance for the MCU market. As China's first super high-performance MCU product with an M7 core, it continues to consolidate GigaDevice's leading market position with a very competitive cost-performance advantage from performance, integrated resources, to cost, and further perfects GigaDevice's super high-performance MCU product map, and continues to interpret the path of domestic substitution and popularization of super high-performance MCUs.

At the same time, the GD32H7 provides richer development options for high-end needs, supports innovative scenarios such as complex calculations, AI, and multimedia technology, and comprehensively promotes the application and popularization of MCUs in cutting-edge fields.

In terms of application reference design, the GD32H759I-EVAL full-function evaluation board uses the GD32H759IMK6 as the main control MCU, and now supports a variety of mainstream real-time operating systems (RTOS), graphical user interfaces (GUIs), and embedded AI algorithms in the industry, including Zephyr, AWS, and Azure RTOS.

At the same time as the exhibition, there is also a GUI development demonstration kit designed based on the GD32H7, which can demonstrate LCD display, touch control, QR code, image decoding, file browsing and other functions. With the upper computer simulator, it is convenient for customers to design and develop UI on the PC, as well as logical function verification. By connecting industrial control equipment such as PLCs, frequency converters, and instruments, as well as home control platforms, through serial ports, Ethernet, and CAN bus communication interfaces, users can interact with terminal devices in the workplace and home in a more intelligent, relaxed, and intuitive way.

"GigaDevice is also actively deploying dual-core and multi-core processor architectures. These super high-performance MCU products will further increase the coverage of AI on edge devices in the future. In addition, future products will also integrate security technologies such as TrustZone and Lockstep to meet the security requirements of more advanced applications," Jin Guangyi added.

Automotive-grade MCUs usher in a development boom

In recent years, the semiconductor industry has experienced cyclical fluctuations such as chip shortages and oversupply, and the prices of MCUs have also fluctuated accordingly, especially in the fiercely competitive consumer-grade MCU market.

However, in this process, with the development trend of the "new four modernizations" in the automotive industry, the demand for automotive chips has increased exponentially. As the main control chips for automotive electronic systems such as body control systems, safety and comfort systems, information entertainment and networking systems, power and chassis systems, and auxiliary driving systems, the market space for MCUs is expected to further open up in the process of transformation of the automotive electronics industry. According to ICInsights data, the global automotive-grade MCU market size was $7.6 billion in 2021, and it is expected to exceed $11 billion by 2025.Under this trend, GigaDevice is actively deploying automotive-grade MCUs. Jin Guangyi said, "We launched our first GD32A503 series automotive-grade microcontroller based on the Cortex-M33 core last year, officially entering the automotive-grade MCU market."

It is reported that the GD32A503 series automotive-grade MCU adopts an advanced automotive-grade process platform, follows automotive-grade design philosophy and production standards, meets the high reliability and stability requirements of automotive applications, and has passed the AEC-Q100 Grade 1 reliability and safety standard automotive industry quality management system IATF 16949:2016 certification.

With many excellent features, this series of products provides a mainstream development option for various electrified automotive scenarios such as body control, automotive lighting, smart cockpit, assisted driving, and motor power supply with balanced processing performance, rich peripheral interfaces, and enhanced security levels.

It is reported that GigaDevice is currently working with many automotive companies, Tier1, and solution providers in the industry to continue building an automotive-grade MCU ecosystem, providing users with differentiated application solutions for the automotive market. Through the construction of development tool chains and the deployment of ecosystems, it simplifies and shortens the development cycle of terminal devices and accelerates the mass production process.

In the automotive electronics application display area, GigaDevice also highlighted a series of solutions based on the GD32A503 automotive-grade MCU, including LED flow turn signal lights and automotive motor control solutions.

It is worth mentioning that the GD32A503 series of MCUs fully adopt GigaDevice's independently developed IP library design, including various high-quality and reliable digital and analog IPs that have been tested by hundreds of millions of mature mass-produced chips. This not only enhances the stability and consistency of automotive-grade products but also follows the GD32 family's various series and is seamlessly compatible, reflecting the continuous leading development and innovation genes of the GD32 product.

"Under the premise and background of the vigorous development of the new energy automotive industry and domestic substitution, the development potential of domestic automotive-grade MCUs is huge," Jin Guangyi pointed out that GigaDevice will continue to increase investment in automotive-grade MCUs and deepen the layout of automotive-grade product lines. The company's first generation of MCU products are suitable for mainstream automotive electronics, and subsequent product development directions will continue to move towards high-end automotive-grade fields such as ADAS, domain controllers, or co-processors, matching dual-core and high-security MCU products. Upgraded iterative products that meet the ISO26262 functional safety standard ASIL-B/D levels are also being planned in succession to meet the needs of automotive users with products and solutions, and to enhance industry influence together with partners.

In addition, under the background of the continuous increase in the penetration rate of new energy vehicles, the construction of supporting facilities such as charging piles directly affects the continuous and healthy development of the new energy automotive industry. GigaDevice also demonstrated the AC/DC EV-charger main control board solution based on the GD32F427 and the automotive 7.5KW AC charging pile solution designed based on the GD32E230. With the high main frequency, large-capacity storage, and rich peripheral interfaces of such MCU products, they can quickly respond to each control unit and meet real-time and reliability requirements.RISC-V MCU Forges a New Path

In addition to advancing into the automotive-grade MCU market, MCUs based on the RISC-V architecture are also a key focus for the industry.

As a pioneer in the MCU industry, in August 2019, GigaDevice launched the world's first 32-bit general-purpose MCU product based on the RISC-V core. With balanced processing performance and system resources, it provided an innovative, cost-effective choice for RISC-V to enter the mainstream market.

Recently, GigaDevice has demonstrated new progress in RISC-V MCUs. The brand-new combo GD32VW553 series of wireless MCUs, based on the open-source instruction set architecture RISC-V core, made its debut at the exhibition and will be officially launched in the near future.

The new GD32VW553 series features a 160MHz RISC-V core, equipped with 4MB Flash and 320KB SRAM, supports the latest Wi-Fi 6 and BLE 5.2 wireless communication protocols, and also integrates a rich set of peripheral interfaces and hardware encryption functions. This creates a secure, reliable, and cost-effective wireless connection solution for users, suitable for various wireless connection scenarios such as smart home appliances, smart home, industrial internet, and communication gateways.

The GD32VW553 series development board demonstrated on-site simulates smart home devices, supports mobile phone Bluetooth pairing to access the Wi-Fi network, and controls the on/off and brightness adjustment of the lights through the Matter protocol, displaying the device status in real-time on the mobile app.

Jin Guangyi stated that since the launch of the world's first 32-bit general-purpose MCU with a RISC-V core in 2019, GigaDevice has continued to extend and expand in the field of new architecture cores, and has built a thriving software ecosystem support. It has played a distinctive role in the segmented market to increase efficiency and reduce costs, continuously accelerating the commercialization of RISC-V open-source applications.

It is foreseeable that with the global warming of attention to RISC-V, this open-source architecture will further enter the mainstream market, and MCUs equipped with RISC-V cores will also more frequently enter the daily lives of engineers. The new RISC-V MCU products that GigaDevice is about to launch will bring a broad increase to the "domestic substitution."

"In the future, we will also consider automotive-grade MCU products with RISC-V cores, but due to ecological issues, the progress of RISC-V in the automotive field may still require time to accumulate and there is still a long way to go," Jin Guangyi added.Focus on Niche Storage, Shaping Differentiated Advantages

In addition to MCUs, storage chips are also one of the key businesses of GigaDevice.

At the exhibition site, GigaDevice also brought many exciting products and solutions, including the industry's ultra-small size FO-USON8 package 128Mb SPI NOR Flash - GD25LE128EXH, as well as automotive-grade GD25/55 SPI NOR Flash and GD5F SPI NAND Flash series of products.

In May of this year, GigaDevice took the lead in launching the SPI NOR Flash with a 3mm × 3mm × 0.4mm FO-USON8 package - GD25LE128EXH. Its maximum thickness is only 0.4mm, and the capacity is up to 128Mb. It is currently the smallest plastic package product that the industry can achieve at this capacity, which can meet the needs of large-capacity code storage while providing the greatest degree of compact design freedom.

Chen Hui said that for Flash, there are many different needs for different applications. We have done a lot of work in product layout, from product performance, capacity, including packaging, reliability, power consumption, and other aspects, there are different product series to meet different needs.

In recent years, with the rapid development of applications such as the Internet of Things, wearables, health monitoring, and network communications, there is a need to provide rich functions in a delicate and compact product form, while also having extremely low power consumption to ensure the long-term operation of the product. As an important code storage unit in these devices, SPI NOR Flash needs to provide smaller, thinner, and lighter product options to meet these constantly changing application needs.

Previously, the ultra-small size 3mm × 3mm × 0.4mm FO-USON8 package 128Mb SPI NOR Flash was also a new packaging form made in response to the industry's requirements for miniaturization and high integration in new application fields. The low power consumption characteristics of the first product GD25LE128EXH based on this packaging technology also make it suitable for any battery-powered product design.

Chen Hui pointed out in the interview that with the continuous upgrade of smart devices, GigaDevice foresees that the demand for large-capacity, small-size, and low-power SPI NOR Flash products will continue to grow. In response to this trend, the company is planning to develop other storage products with other capacities and smaller sizes through advanced packaging and storage technology to provide customers with more diverse options.

In addition, GigaDevice's storage products have also been laid out in the automotive field.It is well known that automotive chips have extremely high requirements for their design and reliability, which takes at least over three years from planning to mass production, with an even longer investment cycle and higher technical requirements.

Firstly, automotive electronics need to pass automotive standards certifications, including AEC-Q100, IATF16949, ISO26262, etc.; secondly, chips must pass various rigorous reliability tests before leaving the factory; in addition, the long-term supply commitment of chip products, service support during the product life cycle, and the consistency of product planning, all these have put forward strict requirements for car manufacturers and any enterprises in the automotive electronics supply chain. At the same time, automotive chips also require suppliers to provide high-quality assurance for the chips, which requires strict management processes, timely listening to market and customer feedback, and strict control of product quality.

In response to this, from R&D to production, GigaDevice adopts a zero-defect (Zero Defect) quality control philosophy to implement complete management and close attention to all projects, tracking and ensuring the reliability of the product throughout its life cycle.

As a chip manufacturer that started from consumer electronics, GigaDevice has focused on the automotive market since 2015, and in recent years, it has continuously increased R&D investment, actively developed the market, and provided a rich and high-quality automotive-grade flash memory, which has been recognized by partners and mainstream car manufacturers.

According to Chen Hui, GigaDevice's automotive-grade GD25/55 SPI NOR Flash and GD5F SPI NAND Flash have been widely used in smart cockpits, intelligent driving, intelligent networking, and the large, medium, and small three-electric systems of new energy electric vehicles, and the global cumulative shipment has exceeded 100 million. This shipment also verifies the high quality of GigaDevice's products and the ability to serve automotive customers and Tier1 OEMs.

At the exhibition site, GigaDevice demonstrated multiple solutions based on the automotive-grade storage GD25 SPI NOR Flash, including millimeter wave radar, smart cockpit, intelligent driving, etc., to meet the growing demand for customized development and technical services in the automotive industry.

GigaDevice one-stop solution

In addition, GigaDevice also displayed many products and solutions in the industrial area, the Internet of Things, and the consumer field at the event site, allowing industry partners and audiences to have a further understanding of GigaDevice's product line and technical capabilities.

In the industrial display area, solutions for various sub-segments such as digital power, photovoltaic energy storage, motor control, and cold chain logistics were demonstrated, providing innovative "productivity" for efficient and reliable industrial systems;

In the Internet of Things display area, a number of combined solutions were jointly created around GD32MCU, power control, and fingerprint sensors, forming a joint force in key vertical markets, effectively enhancing the competitiveness of the product market;In the consumer electronics showcase area, nearly 20 intelligent interconnection solutions including mobile, wearable, and network communication were displayed, allowing users to experience the technological charm of smart interconnection life up close.

Overall, GigaDevice has advanced with the times and innovated with the trend, focusing on meticulous work in niche fields, and continuously providing automotive, industrial, IoT, consumer electronics, mobile, network communication, and other industry customers with a complete range of product choices and one-stop solutions.

In conclusion, in recent years, with the changes in supply and demand, the chip market is experiencing unprecedented changes. As a leader in domestic memory and MCU, how is GigaDevice overcoming the impact brought by the overall environment? How to deal with market cycle fluctuations?

Chen Hui believes that as a global Fabless company, GigaDevice has done a lot of homework since its establishment and has made full preparations in the semiconductor supply chain. In response to the large shortage in 2020 and 2021, we have sufficient backups from raw materials to manufacturers, packaging and testing factories, and other links in the entire industry chain, ensuring the stability of supply.

Jin Guangyi shared around "diversification," pointing out that it is necessary to ensure supply through diversification of products, markets, regions, and supply chains. Especially in terms of supply chain diversification, our MCUs are now produced in China and overseas simultaneously, including wafer factories and packaging and testing. At present, we have 7 wafer factories and 14 packaging and testing backend factories for our MCUs. With so many production resources, we have a very sufficient supply capacity, which will not be easily affected by the supply and demand relationship, enhancing the resilience of supply and ensuring the foundation for our long-term development.

He pointed out that to make general products, it is necessary to have a diversified supply capability in order to cover more applications. GigaDevice also relies on such a strategy to go through the low cycle and achieve continuous growth.