Renesas RX23W MCU Bolsters IoT Security with Bluetooth 5.0

Renesas Electronics Corp. has unveiled the RX23W, a 32‑bit microcontroller that embeds Bluetooth 5.0 and Renesas’ Trusted Secure IP. The chip is engineered for IoT endpoints such as smart appliances, medical devices, and fitness gear, and it tackles common Bluetooth threats—eavesdropping, tampering, and malware—right at the hardware level.

The RX23W builds on Renesas’ RXv2 core, delivering an impressive 4.33 Coremark/MHz and a 54 MHz maximum clock. Its enhanced floating‑point unit and DSP capabilities make it ideal for system control and wireless communication. The MCU fully supports Bluetooth 5.0 Low Energy, including long‑range and mesh networking, and boasts the industry’s lowest reception‑mode peak power consumption of just 3 mA.

Beyond wireless, the RX23W bundles key peripherals—security, touch key, USB, and CAN—enabling a single‑chip solution for control and connectivity in home, health, and industrial applications. The built‑in Bluetooth mesh makes it especially suited for factory or building sensor networks.

Key Features

• Long‑range communication (up to 400 m) at 2 Mbps, full Bluetooth 5.0 Low Energy, and mesh networking support.
• 3 mA peak current in reception mode and –105 dBm sensitivity at 125 kbps.
• Complete Bluetooth 5.0 stack with API support for standard profiles: Health Thermometer (HTP), Environmental Sensing (ESP), and Automation I/O (AIOP).
• Smart Configurator (GUI) that auto‑generates peripheral drivers and pin assignments for e² Studio; a BLE Quantum Emulator (QE) that embeds custom profiles; and a Bluetooth Trial Tool Suite for GUI‑based wireless validation. The RX23W reference board includes antennas, is Radio‑Law certified, and is priced at $55 per unit (ex‑tax).
• Trusted Secure IP (TSIP) as part of the hardware security engine, featuring hardware‑accelerated encryption key management and secure boot. CVAP certification is anticipated.
• On‑chip, high‑precision low‑speed oscillator for Bluetooth, eliminating external matching circuits and reducing BOM cost and PCB area.

The RX23W is offered in two compact packages: a 7 × 7 mm 56‑pin QFN and a 5.5 × 5.5 mm 85‑pin BGA, both with 512 KB of flash. The 56‑pin QFN variant is priced at $3.83 for orders of 10 000 units.