Infineon Drives Advancement of Networked Industrial Automation: New XMC4800 Microcontrollers with EtherCAT® Technology Support Industry 4.0

Munich and Hanover, Germany – April 14, 2015 – On occasion of the Hannover Messe, Infineon Technologies AG (FSE: IFX / OTCQX: IFNNY) today announced its new XMC4800 series of 32-bit microcontrollers with on-chip EtherCAT® (Ethernet for Control Automation Technology) node. With its outstanding real-time capability the XMC4800 series will drive networked industrial automation and Industry 4.0 applications.

Infineon is the first semiconductor company to offer the EtherCAT node integrated on an ARM® Cortex®-M-based microcontroller with on-chip Flash and analog/mixed signal capability. The XMC4800 series will comprise at least 18 members varying in memory capacity, temperature range and packaging. All XMC4800 microcontrollers will be AEC Q100 qualified, making them also suited for use in commercial, construction and agricultural vehicles.

“The XMC4800 series simplifies the implementation of EtherCAT to a degree the market desired for years but has not seen available until now,” says Maurizio Skerlj, Senior Director, Industrial and Multimarket Microcontrollers, Infineon Technologies AG. “With the XMC4800, very compact system designs with EtherCAT connectivity are possible, as there is no need for a dedicated EtherCAT ASIC, external memory and clock crystal. In combination with its outstanding real-time capability, the XMC4800 series will accelerate the evolution of networked industrial automation.”

“The new Infineon XMC4800 microcontrollers will surely be welcomed by the EtherCAT community. Vendors will benefit from the extensive range of peripherals on this EtherCAT chip, reducing the bill of materials. Furthermore, the extended temperature range will further accelerate the EtherCAT adoption in mobile machines,” explains Martin Rostan, Executive Director of the EtherCAT Technology Group. 

The XMC4800 series is a member of the XMC4000 family which uses the ARM® Cortex®-M4 processor and was specifically developed for use in the automation of manufacturing and buildings as well as electric drives and solar inverters. The XMC4800 series offers a seamless upgrade path to EtherCAT technology with pin and code compatibility to the established XMC4000 microcontrollers. The XMC4800 enables the use of EtherCAT under the harsh condition of up to 125°C ambient temperature.

Technical details on XMC4800: The most compact EtherCAT node on the market plus top-notch memory and peripheral integration

With the integration of the EtherCAT functionality the XMC4800 enables the most compact design without need for a dedicated EtherCAT ASIC, external memory and clock crystal. It offers a 144-MHz-CPU, up to 2MByte of embedded Flash memory, 352Kbytes of RAM and a comprehensive range of peripheral and interface functions. The peripherals include four parallel fast 12-bit A/D converter modules, two 12-bit D/A converters, four delta sigma demodulator modules, six capture/compare units (CCU4 and CCU8), and two positioning interface modules. In addition to its EtherCAT functionality, its communication functions comprise interfaces for Ethernet, USB, and SD/MMC. Also, the XMC4800 series offers six CAN nodes, six serial communication channels and one external bus interface for communication. The three package options are LQFP-100, LQFP-144 and LFBGA-196. 

Availability of XMC4800

Samples of the series XMC4800 with EtherCAT technology will be available in August 2015. Start of volume production is scheduled for Q1 2016.

XMC4800 Development Support

As all members of the XMC™ families, the XMC4800 will be supported by Infineon’s free, integrated development platform DAVE™. Furthermore, Infineon collaborates with various third party tool partners ready to support the XMC4800 series.

Further information

Further information about XMC4800 with EtherCAT technology, the XMC microcontrollers and their development platform DAVE is available at www.infineon.com/xmc4800 and www.infineon.com/xmc and www.infineon.com/dave.

EtherCAT and XMC4800 at the Hannover Messe

To learn more about XMC4800 with EtherCAT and the EtherCAT technology, please visit the EtherCAT Technology Group at the Hannover Messe (April 13-17, Hanover, Germany) in hall 9 at booth D18.

About EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG)

The EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) is an association in which key user companies from various industries and leading automation suppliers join forces to support, promote and advance the EtherCAT technology. With over 3,100 members from 58 countries the EtherCAT Technology Group has become the largest fieldbus organization in the world. Founded in November 2003, it is also the fastest growing association of its kind.

About EtherCAT®

EtherCAT is the fastest Industrial Ethernet technology and stands for high-performance, low-cost, easy to use with a flexible topology. It was introduced in 2003 and became an international standard and a SEMI standard in 2007. The EtherCAT Technology Group promotes EtherCAT and is responsible for its continued development. EtherCAT is also an open technology: anyone is allowed to implement or use it. For further information please visit: www.ethercat.org

Press contact at EtherCAT Technology Group
Christiane Heubusch
Phone: +49 911 54056- 226
Fax: +49 911 54056-29
Email: c.heubusch@ethercat.org
www.ethercat.org/press

Infineon Technologies AG is a world leader in semiconductors. Infineon offers products and system solutions addressing three central challenges to modern society: energy efficiency, mobility, and security. In the 2014 fiscal year (ending September 30), the company reported sales of Euro 4.3 billion with about 29,800 employees worldwide. In January 2015, Infineon acquired US-based International Rectifier Corporation, a leading provider of power management technology, with revenues of USD 1.1 billion (fiscal year 2014 ending June 29) and approximately 4,200 employees.

Infineon is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX) and in the USA on the over-the-counter market OTCQX International Premier (ticker symbol: IFNNY).