Freescale claims first MCU to achieve ISO 26262 certification

September 9, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO--Freescale Semiconductor Inc. announced that its Qorivva MPC5643L 32-bit microcontroller (MCU) was certified for compliance with the International Standards Organization’s (ISO) 26262 standard by Exida, an independent accredited assessor.

According to Freescale (Austin, Texas) the Qorivva MPC5643L is the industry's first MCU to achieve certification for ISO 26262, a functional safety standard for automotive electronics.

The Qorivva MPC5643L 32-bit MCU, built on Freescale's Power Architecture, is designed for use in a wide range of automotive applications that require high levels of automotive safety integrity, including electric power steering, active suspension, anti-lock braking systems and radar-based advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), according to Freescale. It is suitable for use for all automotive safety integrity levels (ASIL), up to and including the most stringent level, ASIL D, according to the company.

The MPC5643L MCU is part of the Freescale SafeAssure program, which offers a broad solution set of MCUs, sensors and analog ICs, as well as support for functional safety application design that includes training, safety documentation and technical support, according to the company.

"The certification of our Qorivva MCU by Exida represents additional proof of our commitment to easing customers’ development of functionally safe electronic systems,” said Ray Cornyn, vice president of Freescale's Automotive MCU division, in a statement.

According to the ISO, functional safety is the absence of unreasonable risk due to hazards caused by the malfunction of electrical/electronic systems. ISO 26262 targets complete automotive systems and consists of 10 parts, including clauses for hardware, software, their integration and the development and production processes. As the MPC5643L MCU will be only one component in such systems, Exida tailored the assessment scope to all clauses of the ISO 26262 that were identified as applicable to an MCU, Freescale said. The MPC5643L was successfully assessed and certified against the MCU-specific portions of the ISO 26262 standard, the company said.

More information about the ISO 26262 functional safety assessment certificate can be found on Exida's website.

"Freescale’s MPC5643L is the first microcontroller to achieve a formal ISO 26262 certificate for ASIL D functional safety capability by an independent third-party accredited certification body," said Exida’s Principal Partner Rainer Faller. "The certificate is issued based on a successful assessment of the product design and applied development and production processes against all requirements and work product definitions of ISO 26262 identified as applicable to this microcontroller part. Freescale has done an excellent job with this product."

The Qorivva MPC5643L MCU is included in Freescale’s product longevity program, with assured supply for a minimum of 15 years, Freescale said.

The Qorivva MPC5643L MCU is available now from Freescale. More information is available on the company's website.