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Hybrid Microcontrollers (MCUs)

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What Are Hybrid MCUs?

As embedded systems become more complex, designers need greater processing power and enhanced flexibility to handle larger volumes of data, support higher-display resolutions and manage multitasking. Hybrid microcontrollers (MCUs) fill the gap between traditional MCUs and multicore microprocessors (MPUs) to unleash higher performance, expand memory and storage and future-proof designs while consuming low power.

We offer hybrid MCUs as Systems-on-Chips (SoCs), Systems in Packages (SiPs) with embedded DRAM and Systems on Modules (SOMs). They are supported by our MPLAB® X IDE and MPLAB Harmony development environments to enable development for RTOS and bare-metal software, Linux® OS and Microchip mainline distributions.

SAM9 Arm926EJ-S™ Based Hybrid MCUs

Designed for efficiency, hybrid MCUs combine low power and cost optimization with high performance, leveraging the Arm926EJ-S™ CPU up to 800 MHz. With advanced connectivity, graphics and security features, they can be used in a range of embedded applications. Our easy-to-use hybrid MCUs include comprehensive development environments.

Explore SAM9 Hybrid MCUs

Hybrid MCU Solutions

Click on the interactive block diagrams below to learn more about how hybrid MCU SoCs, SiPs and SOMs can reduce your costs and time to market. You can switch easily from one solution to another, maximizing reuse from hardware sub-system and software when moving from prototyping to production.

Choosing Between MCUs and Hybrid MCUs

When choosing between hybrid MCUs or MCUs, consider the deterministic/real-time response, low-power, data management footprint/display resolution and the Operating System (OS) requirements.

For instance, a regular MCU could fall short in the following scenarios:

  • Handling multitasking and more complex algorithms
  • Processing with significant data storage (tens to hundreds of MB) while managing networking and security
  • Improving your GUI rendition for a display resolution larger than VGA

However, a hybrid MCU can handle these use cases. Consult the diagram below for more information about choosing between hybrid MCUs and MCUs.

Hybrid MCUs Diagram

Low Power Consumption

When choosing between hybrid MCUs or MCUs, consider the deterministic/real-time response, low-power, data management footprint/display resolution and the Operating System (OS) requirements.

For instance, a regular MCU could fall short in the following scenarios:

  • Handling multitasking and more complex algorithms
  • Processing with significant data storage (tens to hundreds of MB) while managing networking and security
  • Improving your GUI rendition for a display resolution larger than VGA

However, a hybrid MCU can handle these use cases. Consult the diagram below for more information about choosing between hybrid MCUs and MCUs.

Hybrid MCUs Block Diagram

Migration Considerations When Transitioning From MCUs to Hybrid MCUs

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