company blog about Recycle Infineon 32-Bit AURIX™ TriCore™ Microcontroller:TC2x,TC3x,TC4x

Recycle Infineon 32-Bit AURIX™ TriCore™ Microcontroller:TC2x,TC3x,TC4x

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I. Core Foundation: Advantages of the TriCore™ Core Architecture

The TC2x, TC3x, TC4x series are all based on Infineon’s proprietary TriCore™ core. This core integrates the real-time control capabilities of a microcontroller (MCU), the high-speed signal processing capabilities of a digital signal processor (DSP), and the efficient execution characteristics of a reduced instruction set computer (RISC). It breaks down the functional boundaries between traditional MCUs and DSPs, enabling integrated ‘control + signal processing’ without the need for additional coprocessors, thereby significantly enhancing system integration and reducing hardware costs.

The entire range complies with the ISO 26262 functional safety standard and supports certification up to ASIL-D. With built-in hardware security modules (HSM) and fault detection and diagnosis units, these devices effectively prevent system failures, meeting the demands of highly safety-critical applications in the automotive and industrial sectors. Furthermore, leveraging Infineon’s comprehensive ecosystem, all three series support MCAL drivers, the AUTOSAR architecture and model-based software development (MATLAB/Simulink), significantly shortening customer development cycles and lowering the barriers to entry for R&D.

II. Detailed Overview of the Three Series: Differentiated Positioning and Graded Capability Enhancement

1. TC2x Series: The Benchmark for Entry-Level Security Control, Fortifying the Defence Line for Basic Applications

As the first-generation core product of the AURIX™ family, the TC2x series is positioned as an entry-level high-end security microcontroller. It focuses on scenarios with basic security requirements and moderate performance demands, serving as Infineon’s core product for entering the low-to-mid-range security control market in the automotive and industrial sectors. It primarily includes sub-models such as the TC27x and TC29x.

In terms of core features, the TC2x series is equipped with 1–3 TriCore™ cores, operating at clock speeds of up to 200 MHz. It features up to 4 MB of on-chip flash memory and up to 472 KB of SRAM, both of which support ECC (Error Checking and Correction) functionality to ensure the reliability of data storage and transmission. The peripheral configuration balances versatility with practicality, featuring a variety of communication interfaces such as 100 Mb Ethernet, FlexRay, CAN and LIN, as well as high-performance timer modules including GTM and CCU6, and 64 DMA channels, capable of meeting the signal acquisition, data transmission and real-time response requirements of standard control scenarios.

In terms of functional safety, the TC2x series fully supports the ISO 26262 standard and can achieve the highest safety level of ASIL-D. It features the built-in SafeTlib software test suite, which includes functions such as CPU core self-test (SBST) and watchdog (SafeWDG), helping customers to rapidly achieve safety-compliant development. Furthermore, the series supports single-supply operation at 5V or 3.3V, with an operating temperature range spanning -40°C to +150°C, making it suitable for the harsh operating environments of industrial and automotive applications.

Typical application scenarios are concentrated in the fields of automotive basic control and industrial automation, including auxiliary control of new energy vehicle powertrains, body control modules (BCM), braking and stability control, basic control of industrial robots, and auxiliary control for rail transit. Thanks to their high reliability and cost-effectiveness, they have become the product of choice for entry-level safety control scenarios.

2. TC3x Series: Mid-range Performance Workhorse, Bridging Upgrade Needs

As the second-generation product of the AURIX™ family, the TC3x series represents a performance upgrade and functional expansion over the TC2x series. Positioned as a mid-range, high-performance safety microcontroller, it is designed to meet scenarios in automotive electronics and industrial control that demand higher standards of performance, connectivity and safety, thereby filling the market gap between the TC2x and TC4x series. Key models in this series include the TC37x and TC39x.

In terms of performance enhancements, the TC3x series features up to six TriCore™ 1.62 cores, with a maximum clock speed of 300 MHz. Compared to the TC2x series, computational performance has been significantly improved, delivering 2,700 DMIPS of processing power to meet the demands of more complex real-time control and signal processing. Storage capacity has been substantially upgraded, with built-in flash memory of up to 16 MB and SRAM of up to 6.9 MB, supporting ECC functionality. Additionally, a new eMMC interface has been added to enable expansion of external flash memory, meeting the demands of large-scale program storage and data processing.

In terms of peripherals and functionality, the TC3x series builds upon the TC2x by adding Gigabit Ethernet, additional CAN FD and LIN interfaces, and a dedicated radar signal processing unit (SPU). This enhances signal processing and high-speed communication capabilities, making it suitable for scenarios such as entry-level automotive ADAS functions and entry-level domain controller applications. In terms of functional safety, the series maintains ASIL-D certification, incorporates a more comprehensive hardware security module (HSM), supports the EVITA Full safety standard, and features an optimised lockstep architecture. This reduces the development workload for ASIL-D systems and enhances system reliability.

It is worth noting that the TC3x series offers a high degree of hardware and software compatibility with the TC2x series, allowing customers to migrate seamlessly from TC2x to TC3x without the need for significant modifications to hardware design or software algorithms, thereby substantially reducing upgrade costs and development cycles. Typical application scenarios include entry-level automotive ADAS functions (such as lane departure warning), battery management systems (BMS) for new energy vehicles, powertrain control, industrial PLCs, and high-end sensor fusion.

3. TC4x Series: The High-End Flagship, Pioneering Next-Generation Intelligent Applications

As the third-generation flagship product of the AURIX™ family, the TC4x series is positioned as a high-end, high-performance intelligent microcontroller. Designed specifically for next-generation electric mobility, ADAS, automotive E/E architectures and embedded AI applications, it is Infineon’s core product in response to the trends towards automotive intelligence and connectivity. It has now entered the sampling phase and has been incorporated into the next-generation product designs of leading customers.

In terms of core performance, the TC4x series delivers a comprehensive upgrade, featuring up to six TriCore™ v1.8 cores with a maximum clock speed of 500 MHz, providing powerful real-time control and AI workload processing capabilities when running in parallel. Additionally, the scalable AURIX™ accelerator suite has been introduced, including a new Parallel Processing Unit (PPU) – a SIMD vector DSP – capable of meeting the requirements of various AI topologies, enabling ASIL-D-rated AI processing and facilitating the implementation of advanced ADAS and autonomous driving functions; Furthermore, it incorporates a Data Routing Engine (DRE), a Radar Signal Processing Unit (SPU), and CSRM/CSS (hardware security accelerators), comprehensively enhancing data processing, signal processing and cybersecurity capabilities.

In terms of memory and connectivity, the TC4x series features up to 24 MB of on-chip NVM (non-volatile memory) and supports SOTA (Software-over-the-Air) functionality, meeting OEMs’ requirements for rapid and secure vehicle updates; It also supports high-speed communication interfaces such as 5 Gbps Ethernet and PCIe 3.0, as well as new interfaces like CAN-XL and 10BASE T1S Ethernet, providing ample throughput and flexibility for domain and zone control within automotive E/E architectures, thereby meeting the connectivity requirements of next-generation vehicles.

In terms of functional safety and cybersecurity, the TC4x series fully complies with the ISO 26262-2018 ASIL-D standard and the ISO 21434 cybersecurity standard; It features a built-in enhanced hardware security module, supporting stronger asymmetric encryption capabilities and multi-channel concurrent symmetric encryption and decryption. Additionally, it incorporates hardware virtualisation technology, enabling a single physical core to support up to eight virtual machines, thereby isolating the kernel from peripherals and ensuring the security and reliability of multi-functional parallel operation.

In terms of the ecosystem, the TC4x series can reuse the algorithms and ecosystem resources of the TC3x series. In collaboration with Synopsys, it provides a Virtual Design Kit (VDK) and the MetaWare toolkit, supporting automatic code generation from MATLAB/Simulink. Furthermore, when paired with the TLF4x OPTIREG™ PMIC power management IC, it enables seamless power design, further reducing development complexity. Typical application scenarios include advanced ADAS (such as automated parking and adaptive cruise control), automotive domain controllers/zone controllers, high-voltage control for new energy vehicles, embedded AI terminals, and high-end industrial automation.