NXP Elevates Security and Energy Efficiency at the Edge with i.MX 8ULP and the Microsoft^® Azure Sphere-certified i.MX 8ULP-CS Applications Processor Families

NXP has announced the expansion of its ultra-low power crossover applications processor product line with two new families based on state-of-the-art EdgeLock^® secure enclave and innovative Energy Flex architecture.

Energy Flex architecture for tailored, application-specific power-performance profiles

Chip-level energy optimization is becoming an increasingly crucial part of designing energy-efficient edge systems. NXP’s implementation of innovative Energy Flex architecture is designed to extend battery life and reduce energy waste in portable or plugged-in devices.

In the i.MX 8ULP and i.MX 8ULP-CS families, the Energy Flex architecture delivers as much as 75% improved energy efficiency than its predecessor by uniquely combining heterogeneous domain processing, design techniques and 28nm FD-SOI process technology. Embedded in these processors is a programmable power management subsystem anchored by an NXP built RISC-V core. The subsystem can govern more than 20 different power mode configurations to deliver exceptional energy efficiency – from full power to as low as 30 microwatts. Using this range of flexible configurations, OEMs and developers can customize application-specific power profiles to maximize energy efficiency.

EdgeLock^® secure enclave – self-managed, autonomous on-die security subsystem

Building on its strong history of providing turnkey security solutions, NXP introduces the EdgeLock secure enclave, a pre-configured security subsystem that simplifies implementation of complex security technologies and helps designers avoid costly errors.

This dramatic evolution of on-die security features autonomous management of security functions, including silicon root of trust, run-time attestation, trust provisioning, SoC secure boot enforcement, fine-grained key management augmented by extensive crypto services for advanced attack resistance, while also simplifying the path to security certifications. Going further, the EdgeLock secure enclave intelligently tracks power transitions when end-user applications are running on the device to help prevent new attack surfaces from emerging.

The secure enclave will be a standard feature across the i.MX 8ULP and i.MX 8ULP-CS applications processor families, providing developers with options to easily deploy security for hundreds of ultra-low-power edge applications.

Security peace of mind with Azure Sphere

Keeping an edge device secure long after initial deployment is a challenge that requires non-stop trusted management services. NXP partnered with Microsoft to bring this capability to its customers with Azure Sphere chip-to-cloud security in the i.MX 8ULP-CS (cloud secured) applications processor family. The i.MX 8ULP-CS with Azure Sphere incorporates Microsoft Pluton enabled on EdgeLock secure enclave as the secured root of trust built into the silicon itself, and as a key step toward enabling highly secured devices for a vast range of IoT and industrial applications. In addition to the secure hardware, Azure Sphere includes the secured Azure Sphere OS, the cloud-based Azure Sphere Security Service, and ongoing OS updates and security improvements for over ten years.

The i.MX 8ULP and i.MX 8ULP-CS families use single or dual core, power-efficient Arm^® Cortex^®-A35 for Linux^® or Android^™, and an Arm Cortex-M33 for real time operating systems. Purposefully designed for a more intuitive, secure, and useful edge, the products integrate an independent low-power flex domain powered by a Cadence^® Tensilica^® HiFi4 DSP for machine learning and advanced audio processing, and/or a Fusion DSP for low-power voice and sensor hub processing. The i.MX 8ULP family enables brilliant 3D and 2D Graphics through integrated GPUs.

For more information on these products and technologies please visit NXP Semiconductors or contact NXP Sales Worldwide.