Renesas Introduces Industry’s First One-Chip 9-Axis Motion Control MPU

The new RZ/T2H chip combines multiple cores, real-time control, Ethernet, and advanced security into a one-chip microprocessor.

Renesas has introduced its highest-performing industrial microprocessor (MPU). The RZ/T2H delivers applications-processing and real-time performance for up to nine-axis industrial motor control. Renesas designed the MPU with communications in mind and offers industrial Ethernet on-chip.

New highly integrated RZ/T2H MPU. 

The MPU will be built into programmable logic controllers (PLCs), motion controllers, distributed control systems (DCS), and computerized numerical controls (CNC) for a variety of advanced motion control applications.

Key Features of the New High-End MPU

The new RZ/T2H (datasheet linked) is designed as a complete solution for a nine-axis control system. It includes generous communications, 45 channels of PWM (nine H-bridges), and three powerful Arm processor cores. The RZ/T2H comes in a 23 mm x 23 mm BGA package with 729 balls at a 0.8-mm pitch. The follow-on RZ/N2H will come in a 21 mm x 21 mm, 0.8-mm pitch, 576 ball BGA package.

Key comparisons between the new RZ/T2H and earlier RZ/T2M and RZ/T2L. 

The new MPUs have one to four 64-bit Arm Cortex A55 application processor cores and two 32-bit Arm Cortex R52 real-time processor cores. It affords three ADC units for 14 total channels with 0.32 us conversion, and its two lanes of PCIe Gen 3 include root complex and endpoint support. The series also includes a 60-fps WXGA LCD controller and four-port Ethernet supporting both controller and device modes. It features up to 287 GPIO (RZ/T2H) with reassignable pin locations or up to 189 GPIO (RZ/N2H).

For memory, the series offers 2 MB of system RAM, with external memory for 32 Gbytes of LPDDR4-3200, 32-bit RAM. It also supports an optional 2 MB of SRAM with ECC, operating at 250 MHz. 

Industry-Leading Nine-Axis Control

Renesas claims the new RZ/T2H is the industry’s first single-chip, nine-axis control solution. Competitive solutions require multiple microcontrollers or FPGA add-ons to meet nine-axis requirements. The RZ/T2H has all necessary hardware built-in, including pulse width modulation (PWM) drive, Delta Sigma interface for current measurement, and encoder interfaces capable of absolute and incremental positioning. All peripherals are on a low-latency bus with direct register access.

As mentioned, the multi-core processor hasrtt one to four Arm Cortex A55 64-bit cores for applications processing at 1.3 GHz. It supports external LPDDR4-3200 SDRAM with a 32-bit bus. A pair of Cortex-R52 cores running at 1 GHz handle real-time processing. The A55 delivers a 20% increase in performance over the A53 used in prior generation chips from Renesas.

Comparing multi-chip, nine-axis solutions (right) to the new Renesas RZ/T2H single-chip nine-axis solution (left). 

The RZ/T2H has all the drivers, encoders, and current measurement electronics for a nine-axis system built in. Conventional multi-axis systems tend to require significant external circuits, often including multiple microcontrollers, to provide the same functionality.

Consolidated Functionality

While industrial robotics applications require more functionality and flexibility, the application settings don’t always allow for more space for control electronics. The new processor fits this need by delivering higher performance than previous offerings while maintaining a small physical footprint. Reducing the number of components can lead to a more reliable design with a smaller, lower-cost bill of materials.

In addition to the MPU's processing and monitoring capability, the chip includes industrial Ethernet with a four-port switch. The industrial Ethernet switch can support EtherCAT, PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, OPC UA, and next-generation time-sensitive networking (TSN). The built-in security is designed to face the next generation of threats at the hardware level. It includes secure boot, a crypto engine, unique ID, and JTAG authentication.

Support for a Robotic Ecosystem

The new MPU comes with Renesas' Flexible Software Package (FSP) to help developers evaluate and better learn the operations of the MPU. The system comes as a Linux package with long-term support promised. Renesas also offers an out-of-the-box evaluation system with complete hardware needed for driving a nine-axis system. The RZ/T2H is available now. Renesas plans to release the next in-series RZ/N2H with the same performance in a smaller package in Q1 2025.