Synaptics Incorporated (Nasdaq: SYNA) today introduced the xMCU, a new class of microcontrollers that runs multimodal Edge AI, with the launch of the Synaptics Astra SR200 Series. Unlike conventional MCUs constrained by limited on-chip memory and compute, the xMCU combines heterogeneous, AI-native compute and acceleration with integrated high-bandwidth custom DRAM scalable to hundreds of megabytes, enabling larger AI models and richer multimodal workloads to run entirely on-device. The Astra SR200 Series of xMCUs is designed for the next generation of AI wearables, battery-powered sensing devices, connected cameras, streamers, and industrial vision and voice systems.

The SR200 Series is powered by the Synaptics Torq AI engine, which brings a standards-based hardware architecture and unified developer experience featuring the Coral NPU from Google Research. It also comes with the industry's first pairing of the Arm Cortex -M85 and Cortex -M52. Together with integrated vision and audio capabilities and hardware-rooted security, the SR200 Series brings unmatched system design efficiency and cost benefits to Edge and Physical AI designs.Setting a new standard for the industry, the Astra SR200 Series is engineered around the following core vectors: high-performance compute with extensible memory; transformer-ready AI acceleration; silicon-rooted security; multimodal integration; ultra-low-power architecture with tiered domains; and an open-source software ecosystem, offering developer choice and OEM design flexibility.

The Synaptics Astra SR200 Series launches with three pin-compatible product lines, giving OEMs and developers a common hardware foundation and a shared SDK. The SR210 is designed to deliver 200 GOPS for power-optimized, always-on voice and sensing; the SR230 adds vision, display, and optional audio at 300 GOPS for mainstream multimodal devices; and the SR250 enables 400 GOPS with dual vision and display paths for premium, demanding edge applications. Developers can scale performance while preserving their software investment and system architecture.

In the SR200 Series of xMCUs, memory is the foundation, not an afterthought. A tiered architecture pairs up to 8 MB of SRAM with extensible, high-bandwidth, high-capacity custom DRAM that scales to hundreds of megabytes as AI models and workloads grow. Built around latency, retention, and power demands of Edge AI, this architecture runs workloads at one-third the power of typical system DRAM, eliminating the need for costly external memory in most applications at a fraction of the system power.

At the heart of the family is the Synaptics Torq AI engine integrating the Coral NPU, optimized for low latency and high-efficiency execution of deep learning workloads, including CNN, transformer, and fully connected networks. Its open-source MLIR/IREE compiler supports industry-standard frameworks and model formats in place of proprietary vendor toolchains, extending Coral's Edge AI heritage into ultra-low-power, always-on IoT.

A high-performance core, scaling to 800 MHz, tackles control, multimedia, and burst-compute workloads, while an efficiency core handles always-on sensor fusion, connectivity, and low-power inference. An optional Cadence Tensilica HiFi 5 DSP adds dedicated audio and acoustic ML processing, while an always-on domain manages voice activity detection, timekeeping, and wake-up.

The SR200 Series integrates a multi-layered security engine that combines hardware isolation, cryptographic acceleration, anti-tamper detection, device lifecycle management, and secure boot. The implementation conforms to PSA Level 3 and CC EAL4+ certification targets, providing protection against software and physical attacks.

The platform provides a broad peripheral and connectivity set, including high-speed octal SPI, SDIO and eMMC storage interfaces, UART, SPI, I2C, I3C, PWM, USB 2.0 and extensive low-power GPIO. Industrial variants add 1 Gb Ethernet with IEEE 1588 TSN support and two CAN-FD interfaces, supporting deterministic networking and real-time industrial control for Physical AI and Robotics applications.

Supporting Zephyr RTOS and the open-source Torq NPU compiler, the SR200 Series brings groundbreaking performance and power efficiency to define a new category of MCU experiences for Edge and Physical AI.

Vikram Gupta, SVP and GM, Edge Compute & Connectivity Division, Synaptics"The next wave of AI will be defined by devices that understand their environment and act locally, while meeting tight power, cost, and form-factor requirements. With the Astra SR200 Series, we're introducing a new class, the xMCU, that brings applications-processor capability into the MCU domain, running multimodal AI workloads that traditionally require Linux and discrete DRAM. It gives customers a scalable foundation for everything from intelligent sensing to advanced Edge and Physical AI systems."

Yossi Matias, Vice President and Head of Google Research"Open technologies and strong partnerships are key to making Edge AI more accessible. Our ongoing work with Synaptics combines the Coral platform with Astra's scalable hardware and developer ecosystem to power next-generation, wearable-class devices. We share a vision of turning advanced research into reality through real-world products, empowering developers to create faster, more useful, and responsive experiences."