I personally have a deep appreciation for working with ST (STMicroelectronics) chips and the entire ecosystem they offer. However, I’ve noticed a growing trend among my clients where they are transitioning from ST to GD (GigaDevice). This has led me to wonder about the reasons behind this shift.
In recent years, the global chip shortage has significantly impacted various industries. Sourcing chips from well-established international brands such as ST, AD (Analog Devices), TI (Texas Instruments), and others has proven to be challenging and costly. Consequently, many companies have made the strategic decision to alter their designs and opt for more readily available chips.
One compelling option that has gained traction is the GD32 series by GigaDevice Semiconductor, which is based on ARM architecture. These chips offer pinout and peripheral compatibility with the popular STM32 line of microcontrollers. The advantage of this compatibility is that there’s no need to make substantial hardware-level changes to your electronics design. By making some programming configurations, you can address the chip shortage issue and potentially reduce costs by up to 30%.
Allow me to provide a few examples for comparison:
|
ST chips |
STM32F030x |
STM32F10x |
STM32F40x |
STM32F429 |
|
GD compatible chips |
GD32E23x GD32F3x0 |
GD32F30x |
GD32F40x GD32F42x |
GD32F450 GD32F470 |
This compatibility between GD and STM32 chips presents a viable solution for those facing chip shortages, without necessitating extensive modifications to existing hardware designs.
Feel free to reach out if you’d like to explore how the GD32 series can address your specific chip supply needs while potentially achieving cost savings.