Initially a supplier of low-cost 8-bit microcontrollers (MCUs), Microchip Technology has since evolved its portfolio and grown by acquisition. Still emphasizing low-cost chips, it now offers quad-core, 64-bit microprocessors (MPUs). The new PIC64GX processors integrate four RISC-V CPUs and peripherals such as DRAM, Gigabit Ethernet, USB, and PCIe controllers. A fifth CPU monitors the chip and works alongside a platform-security block.
If these specs sound familiar, the PIC64GX’s pin-compatibility with Microchip’s PolarFire SoC FPGAs is a further hint that these new MPUs derive from already-shipping chips, such as the MPFS250T PolarFire, which includes an FPGA fabric with 254 K logic elements.
SoC FPGAs—FPGAs that integrate complete microprocessor subsystems—have captured share from standalone microprocessors since Xilinx introduced Zynq a decade ago. Semiconductor integration favored FPGA companies such as Actel (Microchip), Xilinx (AMD), and Altera adding CPUs and peripherals over embedded-processor suppliers adding FPGA technology to their chips. Nonetheless, a market for standalone processors remains. Possessing the semiconductor technology and software ecosystem to tackle this market, Microchip is opening a new front against embedded processor companies. Industrial OEMs and others requiring a low-cost microprocessor will find the basic PIC64GX an attractive 64-bit chip.