Texas Instruments (TI) (NASDAQ: TXN) today announced the industry’s first multiprotocol gigabit (Gb) time-sensitive networking (TSN)-enabled processor family. The new, highly integrated Sitara™ AM6x processor family provides industrial-grade reliability, with quad and dual Arm® Cortex®-A53 core variants built to meet the rapidly evolving needs of Industry 4.0 in factory automation, motor drives and grid infrastructure. For more information about Sitara AM6x processors, see www.ti.com/AM6x-pr.
By supporting gigabit throughput rates for TSN standards and other industrial protocols in a specific subsystem, Sitara™ AM6x processors are built for the convergence of both Ethernet and real-time data traffic on a single network. This capability is critical for real-time communication in Industry 4.0 applications and enables software-reconfigurable cyber physical systems in factories.
The inclusion of an on-chip isolated dual-core microcontroller (MCU) subsystem enables designers to use AM6x processors to create more dependable and functional safety-certifiable products, while reducing overall system-level complexity for applications including programmable logic controllers (PLC) and multi-axis motor drives. Comprehensive support for error-correcting-code (ECC) memory protection for both on-chip memory and external DDR memory and for 100,000 power-on hours (PoH) at a 105˚C junction temperature (TJ) operation enable AM6x processors to perform in high-reliability applications. This processor family allows developers to scale their designs to fit the needs of their system with pin-compatible processors that operate with a unified software platform.
Key features and benefits of AM6x processors
- Optimized for industrial networking: New gigabit industrial communications subsystem (PRU-ICSS-Gb) supports multiple Industrial Ethernet protocols including TSN, EtherCAT, Ethernet/IP and PROFINET and provides the flexibility to support the evolving needs of industrial communication.
- Integrated features enabling functional safety: On-chip isolated dual-core Arm Cortex-R5F central processing unit (CPU)-based MCU subsystem that can operate in an optional lockstep mode, diagnostic libraries and ECC memory protection help enable functional safety subsystems.
- Enhanced on-chip security: Secure boot, secure storage and smart crypto engines enable enhanced system security.
- Integrated 3D graphics and display: Enables HMI and Industrial PC applications.
- Unified software platform: Supported by the Processor SDK, customers can seamlessly reuse and migrate Android™, Linux® and TI-RTOS software across TI processor families.
- Simplifying system complexity: Integrated subsystems, streamlined power sequencing, integrated low-dropout regulators and pin-to-pin compatibility enable hardware reuse across platforms and reduce system complexity and cost.
