TI introduces new Tiva C Series ARM Cortex-M4 microcontrollers (MCUs) for connected applications

New Tiva C Series TM4C123x MCUs are in production today and offer connectivity and sensor aggregation, along with tools and software for development

DALLAS, April 15, 2013 -- Building on more than 20 years of experience developing leading microcontroller (MCU) technology and ARM-based processors, Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NASDAQ: TXN) announces its new Tiva™ ARM MCU platform.  The first devices in the new platform – Tiva C Series TM4C123x ARM Cortex-M4 MCUs – are the first Cortex-M-based MCUs to be built on 65 nanometer flash process technology, setting the roadmap to higher speeds, larger memory and lower power.  The Tiva C Series TM4C123x MCUs, formerly known as Stellaris LM4F MCUs, are in production today and are ideal for home, building and industrial automation. Tiva MCUs are built upon common software libraries to help ease migration across future Tiva ARM MCUs for a wide range of connected applications. 

"We are excited to introduce our Tiva C Series MCUs because they truly are unique to the market.  Tiva C Series MCUs combine TI's on-chip, high-performance analog, robust software ecosystem and system expertise in connected applications," said Scott Roller, vice president, MCU, TI. "Tiva C Series MCUs, along with our innovative low-power MSP, real-time control C2000™ and safety MCU platforms enable our customers to choose the perfect MCU to meet their design needs."

Features and benefits of Tiva C Series MCUs:

• Differentiate applications using targeted performance headroom with ARM Cortex-M4 floating-point core, operating at up to 80 MHz.
• Support mixed-signal applications with high-performance analog integration – two   high-performance 12-bit analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) and three comparators.
• Eliminate performance tradeoffs with12-bit ADC accuracy, achievable at the full 1 MSPS rating without any hardware averaging.
• Communicate with on-chip connectivity options, including USB (host, device and On-The-Go), UARTs, I2C, SSI/SPI and CAN.
• Support high-endurance non-volatile storage of user interface or configuration parameters to reduce system cost using integrated EEPROM.
• Enable longer battery life and support constrained power budgets withlow-power  –  standby currents as low as 1.6 uA.
• Address varying applications needs with device options up to 256KB flash and 32KB SRAM.

Tools, software, training and support

Tiva C Series MCUs come with easy-to-use development tools, software, training and support to further ease design and development. TivaWare™ for C Series MCUs provide "no-OS" software development, enabling even novice developers to get started quickly. TI-RTOS, a real-time operating system, unifies development among all TI MCUs to help designers easily transition devices while keeping code investments and is compatible with the latest version of Code Composer Studio™ v.5 integrated development environment (IDE). TI's software is complemented by a complete Design Network, which includes IAR Networks, offering various software and application solutions. TI MCU training can be found online and support is available through local sales offices or TI's E2E online community.

Pricing and availability  

The Tiva C Series TM4C123x MCUs begin at $2.15 USD at 10K quantities. The $12.99 USD EK-TM4C123GXL  Tiva ARM C Series LaunchPad is available for purchase now. View the entire TI MCU portfolio, order tools and download software.  TI's extensive ARM processor portfolio offers optimized silicon (more than 500 ARM products from $1 to 5 GHz), software and development tools for a variety of industries.  Future Tiva C Series devices with Ethernet are forthcoming.

TI's broad portfolio of microcontrollers (MCUs) and software Leading the industry in MCUs for low-power, real-time control, safety and connectivity, TI continues its 20+ years of microcontroller innovation to offer the broadest microcontroller portfolio in the industry: Ultra-low-power MSP MCUs, real-time control C2000™ MCUs,  Tiva™ ARM MCUs and Hercules™ Safety ARM MCUs. Designers can accelerate time to market by tapping into TI's tools, software, wireless connectivity solutions, extensive Design Network offerings and technical support.

About Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) is a global semiconductor design and manufacturing company that develops analog ICs and embedded processors.  By employing the world's brightest minds, TI creates innovations that shape the future of technology.  TI is helping more than 100,000 customers transform the future, today. Learn more at www.ti.com.