Renesas RZ/G3S Targets IoT Gateways

Renesas’s new RZ/G3S microprocessor (MPU) supports internet-of-things (IoT) gateways, which connect local IoT networks to the internet. It should provide a more power- and cost-optimized solution by eliminating camera inputs and graphics processing blocks.

The new chip joins the company’s RZ/G series of processors focusing on human-machine interfaces. It includes a single CortexA55 CPU and two microcontroller-class ones. Supporting blocks are simple, including an audio-digital converter (ADC), timers, and typical system management functions. A security block is optional. The chip is notable for its audio-only provisioning, but that characteristic may be incidental, as the company doesn’t view audio as central to the chip’s mission.

In production now, the chip enters a market populated largely by SoCs that include camera inputs and processing blocks, display engines, and even 3D GPUs. Gateways don’t necessarily require those features, so omitting them presumably will give Renesas a price edge, although the company withheld pricing. Industrial and consumer applications such as inspection, robotic navigation, and security cameras require visual input; if employed in such a system, the RZ/G3S will rely on other chips to forward that visual stream. It can directly implement smart speakers or security systems listening for events such as gunshots or breaking glass.

Renesas still views security as optional, so the RZ/G3S is available without a security block. The company is considering making that a standard feature in the future.