IN Brief:
- RZ/T2N combines two Cortex-A55 application cores running at up to 1.2GHz with two Cortex-R52 real-time cores at up to 800MHz.
- Integrated peripherals support four-axis motor control, encoder interfaces, industrial Ethernet protocols, and network redundancy.
- The MPU and evaluation board are available, with functional safety software planned for the second half of 2027.
Renesas Electronics has introduced the RZ/T2N industrial microprocessor, integrating application processing, real-time motor control, and industrial Ethernet communication in a single device for robotics and automation equipment.
The 64-bit MPU combines two Arm Cortex-A55 cores operating at up to 1.2GHz with two Cortex-R52 cores running at up to 800MHz. Its integrated peripherals support motor control across as many as four axes, while the processor architecture allows Linux applications to operate alongside time-critical control software.
The RZ/T2N is intended for programmable logic controllers, multi-axis servo drives, motion controllers, and industrial robots. Renesas has designed the device to serve as either a network controller or a connected device, allowing related equipment to share a common processor and software foundation.
Combining these functions can reduce reliance on separate processors for application software, motor control, and industrial networking. Conventional arrangements may allocate real-time control to a dedicated microcontroller while a separate processor handles higher-level software and communications.
Renesas separates those responsibilities through the RZ/T2N’s different processing cores. The Cortex-A55 cores provide resources for application software and a Linux operating environment, while the Cortex-R52 cores handle control functions where predictable execution timing is required.
Each Cortex-R52 core incorporates 576KB of tightly coupled memory with error correction. This provides a memory resource that can be accessed with more predictable timing than arrangements relying primarily on cached external memory.
Predictable execution is important in motor control because calculations must be completed within the time available between control updates. Changes in memory access time or processor workload can introduce variation into the control loop, affecting the timing of commands sent to motor drive circuitry.
The integrated control peripherals support up to four motor axes, with eight encoder interface channels available across the device. Supported formats include EnDat 2.2 and 3, BiSS-C, BiSS Line, HIPERFACE DSL, and other industrial encoder protocols.
Encoder interfaces provide position or movement information from the connected motors. The controller uses this feedback to compare actual movement with the commanded position or speed and calculate the necessary control response.
Coordinating several axes adds another requirement because the movements may be mechanically related. A robotic arm or multi-axis positioning system must maintain the required relationship between motor commands while accounting for the behaviour of the connected drives and mechanical assembly.
Alongside the motor-control functions, the RZ/T2N integrates three Gigabit Ethernet media access controllers and a three-port Ethernet switch. Renesas supports EtherCAT, PROFINET RT/IRT, and EtherNet/IP, together with Time-Sensitive Networking capabilities.
Industrial Ethernet protocols provide different mechanisms for exchanging process data and coordinating equipment. Time synchronisation and bounded communication delays can be important in systems where distributed controllers and drives must operate to a common schedule.
The processor also supports High-availability Seamless Redundancy, Parallel Redundancy Protocol, and Frame Replication and Elimination for Reliability. These mechanisms provide options for maintaining communication when faults affect a network connection or path.
Actual fault tolerance depends on the complete network architecture. Incorporating protocol support within a processor does not independently protect an installation against every possible equipment or communication failure.
Memory protection is provided through error correction across several resources, including processor caches, tightly coupled memory, on-chip SRAM, and supported external memory. The device includes 2MB of on-chip SRAM and a 16-bit LPDDR4-1600 interface with on-the-fly encryption and decryption.
These functions address different aspects of system behaviour. Error correction helps identify and correct supported memory faults, while memory encryption provides protection for data travelling through the relevant external memory interface.
Additional security capabilities include secure boot, secure firmware updates, hardware cryptographic functions, a true random number generator, secure debugging, and Arm TrustZone. Their effectiveness in a finished product depends on firmware implementation, credential management, and the security configuration selected by the equipment manufacturer.
The device incorporates further interfaces including PCIe Gen2, xSPI, and storage controller functions. These allow a control system to connect additional peripherals and storage devices without relying solely on external interface controllers.
Renesas is providing a common Linux software package and Flexible Software Package resources across related RZ/T2x and RZ/N2x products. Sample programmes cover industrial Ethernet, encoder interfaces, and multi-axis motor control using the company’s evaluation hardware.
Software compatibility across processor families can simplify development of related equipment, although individual applications must still account for differences in peripheral configuration, available computing resources, and timing requirements.
Functional safety software solutions are planned for release in the second half of 2027. Renesas has existing experience with these functions on related processor families, but the forthcoming RZ/T2N software should not be treated as an already delivered component of the current development package.
The RZ/T2N and its evaluation board are available now. Renesas will demonstrate the processor at electronica 2026 in Munich from 10 to 13 November, with the integrated architecture intended to support compact industrial controllers requiring both real-time control and application processing.
