Infineon drives the development of connected industrial automation

     Infineon Technologies AG has announced the launch of the new XMC4800 series of 32-bit microcontrollers with integrated on-chip EtherCAT(Ethernet for control and automation technologies) nodes. The XMC4800 series of devices with outstanding real-time capabilities will drive the development of connected industrial automation and Industry 4.0 applications.

     Infineon is the first semiconductor company to integrate EtherCAT nodes on ARM® Cortex-M microcontrollers with on-chip flash memory and analog/mixed-signal processing capabilities. The XMC4800 family includes at least 18 models that differ in terms of memory capacity, operating temperature range, and packaging. All XMC4800 microcontrollers will be AEC Q100 certified, making them equally suitable for commercial, construction and agricultural vehicles.

     Maurizio Skerlj, Senior Director of Microcontrollers for Industrial and Diversified Markets at Infineon Technologies AG, said: "The XMC4800 series simplifies the implementation of EtherCAT to what the market has expected for many years. With the XMC4800, users can design compact systems with EtherCAT because they no longer need specialized EtherCAT ASics, external memory, and clock crystals. The XMC4800 series, with its outstanding real-time capabilities, will accelerate the development of connected industrial automation."

     Martin Rostan, Director of the EtherCAT Technology Association, explained: "The new Infineon XMC4800 microcontroller is sure to be very popular with the EtherCAT technology community. The EtherCAT chip is equipped with numerous peripherals to reduce material costs, which can bring tangible benefits to manufacturers. In addition, the expanded operating temperature range will further accelerate the adoption of EtherCAT on mobile devices."

     The XMC4800 series is a member of the XMC4000 family with an ARM® Cortex®-M4 processor at the core, developed specifically for use in manufacturing and building automation, as well as electrical drives and solar inverters. The XMC4800 series enables users to seamlessly upgrade to EtherCAT technology, which is pin and code compatible with existing XMC4000 microcontrollers. The XMC4800 supports EtherCAT in harsh ambient temperatures up to 125°C.