STMicroelectronics Extends Availability of SPC58 Automotive Microcontrollers to 20 Years
STMicroelectronics, a global leader in semiconductors serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, has reinforced its long-term commitment to the automotive industry by extending the availability of its popular SPC58 automotive microcontroller (MCU) family. The company announced that the longevity program for these MCUs, which had previously guaranteed a 15-year supply, has now been extended to 20 years. This ensures that both general-purpose and high-performance SPC58 products will be available until at least 2038. For some series, such as the SPC58 H line featuring up to 10MB of non-volatile memory (NVM), availability is confirmed until at least 2041.
This extended longevity program directly addresses a growing challenge in the automotive sector: product lifecycle alignment. Vehicles often remain in service for more than a decade, and automotive OEMs need microcontrollers that remain available long after initial production begins. By stretching the guaranteed availability horizon to 20 years, STMicroelectronics is giving automakers, suppliers, and developers the assurance they need to launch long-term projects without concerns about sudden obsolescence of critical semiconductor components.
Luca Rodeschini, Group Vice President and General Manager of the General Purpose and Automotive Microcontrollers Division at STMicroelectronics, emphasized the company’s dedication to stability and support. “Our long-term commitment to supporting the SPC58 family for automotive customers globally lets system designers confidently start new projects and continue to leverage their investments in device validations, software, and tooling,” he said. “The MCUs enable a flexible, platform-based approach and future-proof scalability, presenting a broad selection of device variants that support evolving automotive electrical architectures.”
Broad Portfolio for Evolving Applications
The SPC58 family is designed to cover a wide spectrum of automotive use cases. The five general-purpose MCU lines are particularly well suited for body and gateway applications, including advanced lighting systems, door-locking modules, and communication gateways. These devices integrate communication, analog, and security peripherals to handle the complex demands of today’s connected vehicles.
Meanwhile, the high-performance SPC58 E and SPC58 N lines are optimized for demanding automotive domains such as powertrain electrification and chassis safety. These MCUs feature advanced motor control capabilities with multiple types of timers and FlexPWM modules, making them ideal for addressing the challenges of electric drive systems, braking modules, and other safety-critical subsystems.
Commitment to Customer Confidence
By extending the SPC58 longevity guarantee, STMicroelectronics enables automotive manufacturers to continue building on existing designs while also ensuring compatibility with future projects. This move is particularly important given the substantial investments customers make in validating devices, developing software ecosystems, and integrating specialized tooling.
STMicroelectronics leverages its in-house manufacturing model to support this long-term commitment. The company designs and produces these MCUs in its own semiconductor fabrication facilities, giving it full control over quality, design processes, and supply continuity. This vertically integrated approach helps shield customers from supply chain risks and ensures that lifecycle commitments can be honored.
This is not the first time ST has extended such assurances. In 2021, the company also lengthened the longevity commitment for the SPC56 MCU family, which serves as the predecessor to the SPC58 line. These consistent actions underscore STMicroelectronics’ focus on reliability, a key factor in maintaining trust among its automotive partners.
Technical Highlights of the SPC58 Family
The SPC58 product family is built on a strong technical foundation, offering performance, scalability, and robust safety features demanded by the automotive market. Key attributes include:
- Powerful Core Architecture: Up to three e200z4 32-bit Power Architecture® cores, delivering scalable processing performance tailored to different applications.
- Extensive Memory Options: From 1MB to 10MB of on-chip non-volatile memory, manufactured on ST’s advanced 40nm embedded flash process.
- Comprehensive Connectivity: Support for multiple communication standards, including ISO CAN-FD-compliant modular controller area network (MCAN) modules, which enable multi-drop connectivity crucial for modern vehicle architectures.
- Ethernet Integration: An IEEE 802.3 10/100 Ethernet controller with IEEE 802.1Q VLAN support to manage and segment network traffic efficiently.
- Advanced Security Features: A hardware security module (HSM) with independent core and memory, designed to isolate sensitive processes and data. This helps automakers build EVITA®-compliant systems and supports security certifications.
- Functional Safety: Hardware mechanisms that support functional safety certification up to ISO 26262 ASIL-B. In high-performance lines like SPC58 E and N, devices are capable of supporting safety systems targeting ASIL-D, the highest automotive safety integrity level.
Variants for Design Flexibility
The SPC58 family consists of more than 40 device variants, ranging from compact and economical models such as the SPC58 2B in a 10mm x 10mm eTQFP64 package, to higher-end models like the SPC58 H series packaged in 19mm x 19mm FPBGA386. This breadth of options allows automakers and tier-one suppliers to select the most suitable device for their design requirements, balancing cost, performance, and physical constraints.
For customers, ST’s local sales offices can provide detailed pricing information and assist with sample requests, helping engineers begin evaluation and design processes with ease.
Securing the Future of Automotive Electronics
By guaranteeing 20 years of availability for the SPC58 automotive microcontroller family, STMicroelectronics is doing more than extending a product lifecycle. It is making a statement about its role as a long-term partner to the automotive industry during a period of unprecedented change. As vehicles evolve into more software-defined, electrified, and connected systems, dependable MCUs like the SPC58 family will remain critical building blocks.
For automakers seeking stability, scalability, and safety, ST’s decision ensures that their current and future projects will have a reliable silicon foundation well into the next two decades.
