RZ/A3M 1 GHz Arm® Cortex®-A55 Based Microprocessor

The Renesas RZ/A3M 1 GHz Arm Cortex-A55 based microprocessor (MPU) has a built-in large capacity 128 MB DDR3L memory which offers high-performance human-machine interface (HMI) and graphics space. The RZ/A3M allows customers to achieve the full potential of a real-time operating system (RTOS) while leveraging the performance boost provided by the 64-bit Arm Cortex-A55 CPU core with a maximum operating frequency of 1 GHz. The RZ/A3M MPU supports the specialized feature set required to address the needs of demanding graphics applications across a broad range of markets, such as smart appliances with displays, washers, ovens, coffee makers, smart remote controllers, patient monitors, industrial HMI, printer displays, and more.

The RZ/A3M MPU delivers excellent performance for HMI applications, offering high-resolution TFT-LCD graphics displays up to 1280 px x 800 px (WXGA). It achieves this through a high-performance Cortex-A55 core and an integrated 128 MB DDR3L memory, enabling smooth animations, real-time UI plotting, and video playback. The built-in high-speed 16-bit 1.6 Gbps DDR3L-SDRAM memory and 128 KB on-chip SRAM with ECC further enhance responsiveness. The USB 2.0 support allows seamless camera image capture, while the integrated DDR3L structure simplifies PCB design by eliminating the need for high-speed DDR signal routing.

The RZ/A3M reduces system costs by integrating DDR3L-SDRAM memory, eliminating the need for a dedicated high-speed signal interface and reducing electromagnetic interference (EMI). The MPU supports booting from both serial NAND Flash and NOR Flash, with driver support for large-capacity NAND Flash enabling lower-cost system designs. Its 0.8 mm pitch 244-pin LFBGA package is optimized for two-layer PCB designs, simplifying signal routing and reducing manufacturing complexity.

Designed for real-time graphical performance, the RZ/A3M supports high-resolution 1280 px x 800 px LCDs via parallel RGB and 4-lane MIPI-DSI interfaces. It includes a 2D graphics engine, a 1 GHz CPU, and fast DDR3L memory, ensuring smooth animation and real-time UI updates. The MPU supports USB camera image capture, and multiple graphics ecosystem partners (Qt, crank, embedded wizard, and LVGL) are integrating their solutions. Additionally, the H.264 software media player library is available free of charge, enabling 30 fps 1280 px x 800 px video playback overlaid on the GUI.