Microchip releases MCUs with integrated 12-bit analog capabilities

Microchip Technology has released the PIC32A family of microcontroller units (MCUs) targeting math-intensive applications across automotive, industrial, consumer, AI/ML, and medical sectors. The new devices operate at 200 MHz and incorporate high-speed analog peripherals to reduce external component requirements.

The PIC32A MCUs include integrated analog capabilities with 12-bit analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) operating at up to 40 Msps, high-speed comparators with 5 ns response time, and operational amplifiers with 100 MHz Gain Bandwidth Product (GBWP). The devices feature a 64-bit Floating Point Unit (FPU) for handling complex mathematical calculations, enabling efficient execution of data-intensive processing, and facilitating the implementation of model-based designs.

The PIC32A family incorporates hardware-level safety mechanisms including Error Code Correction (ECC) on both Flash and RAM, Memory Built-In Self-Test (MBIST), I/O integrity monitoring, clock monitoring systems, immutable secure boot, and Flash access control. These features are engineered to ensure the reliable execution of software code in embedded control systems.

The MCUs are supported by Microchip’s development ecosystem including MPLAB XC32 Compiler, MPLAB Harmony embedded software development framework, dsPIC33A Curiosity Platform Development Board (EV74H48A), and PIC32AK1216GC41064 General-Purpose DIM (EV25Z08A). The development boards include mikroBUS and Xplained Pro interfaces for connecting to expansion modules and sensors.

The PIC32A MCU family is currently available starting at less than $1 per unit in volume production quantities. This pricing structure makes high-performance capabilities accessible for cost-sensitive applications while delivering advanced analog integration and computational power.