Schneider Electric Selects Cypress 1-Mbit Serial nvSRAMs for Two New Programmable Automation Controllers

High-Endurance nvSRAMs Serve as Time-Stamp Buffer to Record Critical System Errors

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (Nasdaq: CY) today announced that Schneider Electric has designed Cypress’s nonvolatile static random access memories (nvSRAMs) into two of its new programmable automation controllers. The Schneider BMXCRA31210 and BMXERT1604 controllers each employ Cypress’s CY14B101Q2 1-Mbit nvSRAM as a time-stamp buffer. When an event such as the closure of a switch or power line defect is detected, the nvSRAM records it in a rolling buffer. These types of events can occur an infinite number of times during the lifetime of a product, so it is critical to have a very reliable component in this function.

The 1-Mbit serial nvSRAM device offers an industry-standard SPI interface and operates at frequencies up to 40 MHz. The nvSRAM devices do not use a battery, so they are environmentally-friendly and maintenance-free, which is especially important for process applications. Cypress nvSRAMs feature infinite read, write and recall cycles, with 20-year data retention, making them the best solution for applications requiring continuous high-speed writing of data and absolute non-volatile data security. More information about Cypress’s portfolio of nvSRAM products is available at www.cypress.com/go/nvsram.

“Cypress’s serial nvSRAMs provide our BMXCRA31210 and BMXERT1604 programmable automation controllers with superior performance and reliability in a small form-factor,” said Marc Lafont, Plant Solution Control Marketing Director in the Industrial Control Business Unit of Schneider Electric. “It is critical for automation applications to have dependable event-logging, and Cypress’s nvSRAMs excel in this role.”

“The Cypress nvSRAM team worked very closely with us on these designs and provided excellent support,” said Jean-Jacques Adragna, Hardware Architect in the Industrial Control Business Unit of Schneider Electric. “We are pleased that the battery-free serial nvSRAMs are eco-friendly in addition to providing the reliability our customers demand.”

“We began selling serial nvSRAMs in 2010 and have seen rapid growth in this business segment, as evidenced by this design with a leading industrial control solutions provider such as Schneider Electric,” said Babak Taheri, Vice President of the Non-Volatile Products Business Unit at Cypress. “Our small-footprint serial nvSRAMs deliver unrivaled endurance, giving our customers a safety net they can depend on to store critical information when power is disrupted.”

The 1-Mbit serial nvSRAMs are available in 8-pin and 16-pin SOIC packages. Cypress’s nvSRAMs are manufactured on its S8™ 0.13-micron SONOS (Silicon Oxide Nitride Oxide Silicon) embedded non-volatile memory technology, enabling greater densities and improved access times and performance. nvSRAMs are ideal solutions for applications requiring absolute nonvolatile data security such as RAID systems, industrial control and automation (e.g. PLCs, motion control, motor drives and robotics), single board computers, POS terminals, eMetering, automotive, medical and data communication systems.

About Cypress nvSRAMs
Cypress’s nvSRAMs use charge stored on an external capacitor instead of a battery, making the devices compatible with standard PCB assembly processes. Cypress’s nvSRAMs are RoHS-compliant and directly replace SRAM, battery-backed SRAM (BBSRAM) and EEPROM devices, offering fast nonvolatile data storage. Data transfers from the SRAM to the device’s nonvolatile elements take place automatically at power down. On power up, data is restored to the SRAM from the nonvolatile memory. In Metering, Industrial, Automotive and RAID applications, nvSRAMs offer high-speed data transfer while ensuring data integrity in case of power outages, without the need for a battery.

About Schneider Electric
As a global specialist in energy management with operations in more than 100 countries, Schneider Electric offers integrated solutions across multiple market segments, including leadership positions in energy and infrastructure, industrial processes, building automation, and data centers/networks, as well as a broad presence in residential applications. Focused on making energy safe, reliable, and efficient, the company’s 130,000 plus employees achieved sales of 22.4 billion Euros in 2011, through an active commitment to help individuals and organizations “Make the most of their energy.” Visit www.schneider-electric.com.

About Cypress
Cypress delivers high-performance, mixed-signal, programmable solutions that provide customers with rapid time-to-market and exceptional system value. Cypress offerings include the flagship PSoC® 1, PSoC 3, and PSoC 5 programmable system-on-chip families and derivatives, CapSense® touch sensing and TrueTouch® solutions for touchscreens. Cypress is the world leader in USB controllers, including the high-performance West Bridge® solution that enhances connectivity and performance in multimedia handsets, PCs and tablets. Cypress is also the world leader in SRAM memories. Cypress serves numerous markets including consumer, mobile handsets, computation, data communications, automotive, industrial and military. Cypress trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol CY. Visit Cypress online at www.cypress.com.


Cypress, the Cypress logo, PSoC, TrueTouch, CapSense, and West Bridge are registered trademarks and S8 is a trademark of Cypress Semiconductor Corp. All other trademarks are property of their owners.