Renesas Electronics Delivers RL78/I1C Group of Microcontrollers Supporting Meter
2018-05-02 11:03:00
SANTA CLARA, Calif., August 25, 2016 — Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723), a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, today announced the availability of its new microcontrollers (MCUs) for the power meter market, particularly targeting smart meters. The new RL78/I1C Group of MCUs is designed for the international standard DLMS (Note 1) with enhanced security functionality and improved arithmetic operation. The RL78/I1C Group of MCUs also retains the measurement accuracy and low power consumption of its predecessor, the RL78/I1B Group, of which more than 30 million units have been shipped over a period of three years. Demand for electric power has increased worldwide in recent years, and the adoption of smart meters has spread rapidly in order to encourage energy conservation, support the liberalization of the power industry, and prevent electricity theft. The number of installations per year of smart meters with enhanced security features such as DLMS support is expected to grow from 30 million in 2016 to 110 million in 2020 worldwide (Note 2). Ensuring the security of power meter data and lowering meter prices have become key issues amidst this sudden increase in the number of smart meters in use. As a result, power meter manufacturers are calling for improved security features to support DLMS and reduced development cost by utilizing common platform for various meter systems.
