NXP announces i.MX 9, and extends i.MX 8 with security and Microsoft Azure Sphere

According to the company: “Scalable i.MX 9 families bring together higher performance applications cores, an independent MCU-like real-time domain, state-of-the art security and dedicated multi-sensory data processing engines for graphics, image, display, audio and voice. i.MX 9 integrates hardware neural processing units for acceleration of machine learning applications.”

Arm Ethos U-65 ‘microNPU’ will be included for edge machine learning, and the first chips will be on 16/12nm FinFET processes.

Security will be through a self-contained root-of-trust that the company is branding ‘EdgeLock secure enclave’ and combines secure boot, crypto processing, random number generation, e-fuses and one-time-programmable memory. It provides: “device-wide security intelligence, run-time attestation, silicon root-of-trust, key management, cryptographic services, trust provisioning and a simplified path to certification”, it said.

This security block, i.MX 9 has in common with the new part NXP has announced in detail – i.MX 8ULP with its Azure Sphere-certified cousin i.MX 8ULP-CS.

“Keeping an edge device secure long after initial deployment is a challenge that requires non-stop trusted management services,” said NXP. “NXP partnered with Microsoft to bring this capability to its customers with Azure Sphere chip-to-cloud security in the i.MX 8ULP-CS applications processor family which incorporates Microsoft Pluton enabled on EdgeLock secure enclave as the secured root of trust built into the silicon itself.”

In addition to the secured hardware, Azure Sphere includes the secured Azure Sphere OS, the cloud-based Azure Sphere Security Service, and ongoing OS updates and security improvements for over ten years. “Azure Sphere chip-to-cloud security will be enabled on specific products within the i.MX 9 series, giving developers an even broader set of processor options to implement managed device security across more of their products.”

“i.MX 8ULP-CS with Microsoft Azure Sphere will provide security, productivity, and opportunity for partners,” said Microsoft MD Galen Hunt. “This collaboration is going to empower a whole new class of connected devices supported by ongoing security improvements.”

Alongside Edgelock, the i.MX 8ULP processors (see diagram) come with one or two 1GHz Arm Cortex-A35 application processors, plus a 216MHz Cortex-M33 real-time processor and a 600MHz Cadence Tensillica Hifi 4 DSP  for audio, voice and machine learning, then a 200MHz Fusion DSP for low-power voice and sensor hub processing. The power management sub-system gets it own Risc-V core too.

There is a 3D graphics processing unit for Open GL ES 3.1, OpenCLTM and Vulkan, plus 2D graphics. These have external access through 1x MIPI DSI (4-lane) with PHY at up to 24bit RGB (DBI/DPI). Colour electronic paper displays can be connected.

Total on-chip SRAM count is 896kbyte, and external memory can include: LPDDR3/LPDDR4/LPDDR4X, SPI-NOR and SPI-NAND.

Other interfaces include: 10/100 Ethernet and FlexCAN, then 1x MIPI CSI (2-lane) with PHY for a display or camera.

Package options are 9.4 x 9.4mm FCBGA or 15 x 15mm MAPBGA. Operation is across -40 to +105°C.

They are built on a 28nm FD-SOI process, and the programmable power management sub-system has access to more than 20 different power modes down to 30μW.