IAR Systems provides tools for new Atmel | SMART SAMA5D2 series

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IAR Embedded Workbench supports latest series of Atmel | SMART ARM Cortex-A5-based microprocessors with low power consumption and advanced security features.

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Our friends over at IAR Systems have shared that the IAR Embedded Workbench for ARM now supports the Atmel | SMART SAMA5D2 series. With its highly optimizing build tools and comprehensive debugging capabilities, their popular development toolchain enables developers to fully leverage the high performance of the recently revealed MPU family.

The Atmel | SMART SAMA5D2 is based on the high-end ARM Cortex-A5 core and features an ARM NEON engine. ARM NEON is a Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD) architecture extension providing the top performance that is crucial to developers working for example with multimedia and signal processing applications. With the IAR Embedded Workbench for ARM, users will be able to benefit from this technology thanks to the automatic NEON vectorization available in the tools. By vectorizing their code, they can achieve faster application response time, improve application battery lifetime and further meet the market demands for low cost and low power.

What’s more, the SAMA5D2 boasts a robust security system including ARM TrustZone technology, along with secure boot, hardware cryptography, RSA/ECC, on-the-fly encryption/decryption on DDR and QSPI memories, tamper resistance, memory scrambling, independent watchdog, temperature, voltage and frequency monitoring and a unique ID in each device.

The complete development toolchain IAR Embedded Workbench for ARM features the powerful IAR C/C++ Compiler and the comprehensive C-SPY Debugger in a user-friendly integrated development environment. The toolchain offers extensive debugging and profiling possibilities such as complex code and data breakpoints, runtime stack analysis, call stack visualization, code coverage analysis and integrated monitoring of power consumption. For complete code control, IAR Systems provides integrated add-on tools for static and runtime analysis.

“We are excited to see early support for our latest low-power MPUs in IAR Systems’ leading development toolchain,” explains Jacko Wilbrink, Atmel Senior Director of MPUs. “In order to be able to develop next-generation industrial IoT and wearables applications, developers require more performance, lower power and additional security. The Atmel | SMART SAMA5D2 series and IAR Embedded Workbench deliver excellent performance and a wide range of features to fulfill these requirements and deliver truly differentiating products to help bring products faster to market.”

Interested? You can head over to the IAR Embedded Workbench for ARM, as well as read up on the industry’s lowest power Cortex-A5-based MPU here.

Introducing the all-new Atmel | SMART SAMA5D2 series

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The latest Atmel | SMART ARM Cortex-A5-based MPU is pushing the boundaries of performance and power for industrial IoT and wearable applications.

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Exciting news — a new family of Atmel | SMART ARM Cortex-A5-based microprocessors have arrived! These MPUs deliver sub 200µA in retention mode with context preserved, 30µs ultra-fast wake-up and a new backup mode with DDR in self-refresh at only 50µA. The Atmel | SMART SAMA5D2 series provides great system integration with the addition of a complete audio subsystem, lower pin-count and ultra-small package for space constraints applications, and built-in PCI-level security targeting industrial Internet of Things, wearables and point of sale applications.

Expanding the Atmel SAMA5 family, the SAMA5D2 offers just the right price-to-performance ratio for applications requiring an entry-level MPU and extended industrial temperature range (-40 to 105°C ambient temperature). These MPUs are also a great migration path for designers using ARM926-based MPUs looking for higher performance and additional features including low power, higher security, DDR3 support, smaller footprint, audio, USB HSIC and Atmel’s patented SleepWalking technology.

“As a leader in ultra-low power MCU and MPU IoT solutions, we are excited to launch the new Atmel | SMART SAMA5D2 series for designers requiring a general, entry-level MPU,” explained Jacko Wilbrink, Atmel Senior Director of MPUs. “Designers for industrial IoT, wearables and POS applications are demanding more performance, lower power, smaller form factors and additional security for their next-generation applications. The Atmel SAMA5D2 is well positioned for these demanding requirements, delivering the world’s lowest power MPU, along with low-system cost and PCI level security.”

Featuring an ARM NEON engine, the new SAMA5D2 boasts 500MHz and 166MHz of system clocking. The memory system includes a configurable 16- or 32-bit DDR interface controller, 16-bit external bus interface (EBI), QSPI Flash interface, ROM with secure and non-secure boot solution, 128kB of SRAM plus 128kB of L2Cache configurable as SRAM extension. The user interface system for the SAMA5D2 is comprised of a 24-bit TFT LCD controller, an audio subsystem with fractional PLL, multiple I2S and SSC/TDM channels, a stereo class D amplifier, as well as digital microphone support.

The robust security system in the new SAMA5D2 is even equipped with the ARM TrustZone technology, along with secure boot, hardware cryptography, RSA/ECC, on-the-fly encryption/decryption on DDR and QSPI memories, tamper resistance, memory scrambling, independent watchdog, temperature, voltage and frequency monitoring and a unique ID in each device.

To support the SAMA5D2 MPUs, a free Linux distribution has been developed and published in the mainline kernel. For non-operating system users, Atmel delivers more than 40 peripheral drivers in C. Moreover, the company also collaborates with a global network of partners, including IAR, ARM, Free Electrons, Active-Semi, Micron, ISSI, Winbond, Segger, Lauterbach, FreeRTOS, Express Logic, NuttX and Sequitur Labs, that provide development tools, PMIC, memories and software solutions.

Interested? The SAMA5 Xplained Ultra kit is currently available for just $79. The board packs an embedded debugger and programmer and a wide range of compatible extensions boards. Standalone programmer debugger solutions supporting the SAMA5 family are available, too. Early samples of the SAMA5D2 are now ready, while those wishing for an ATSAMA5D2-XULT Xplained Ultra boards will have to wait until October. First production quantities of the SAMA5D2 series will ship in December 2015.