Meet the Line Card: Nuvoton Microcontrollers and Embedded ICs

Discover Nuvoton's Microcontrollers and Embedded ICs

Nuvoton is one of Taiwan’s most important embedded semiconductor companies. Originally spun out of Winbond in 2008, the company has since evolved into a major force in the global microcontroller and embedded ICs market, serving industrial, automotive and computing sectors.

With a deep and diverse portfolio including ARM Cortex and 8051 microcontrollers, audio ICs, battery management, and GaN/GaAs laser diodes, Nuvoton offers engineers an alternative to legacy MCU suppliers with competitive pricing, robust supply, and Europe-based support.

HQ:

Hsinchu, Taiwan 

Country of Origin:

Taiwan 

Local Support:

Nuvoton provides direct European support via a growing team based in Munich, including former Panasonic Semiconductor Europe staff.

With Ineltek acting as a local distributor and technical interface, engineers have access to fast-response support, competitive quotations, and early access to product roadmaps.

Key Facts:

Founded 2008, 3,700+ employees, $1 Bn turnover

Products:

• 8051/M0/M23/M4/M7 Microcontrollers

• M33/M55/A35/ARM9 Microprocessors

• Audio ICs

• TOF Sensors

• GaN / GaAs Laser Diodes

• CSP MOSFETs

• Battery Management ICs

Competitive Positioning

Nuvoton competes with ST, TI, Microchip, NXP and Renesas—but with some important distinctions:

• Extensive MCU line-up, especially in ARM Cortex M0+ and M4

• Proven foundry model, primarily via TSMC

• Flexible portfolio including IP from the Panasonic Semiconductor acquisition

• Dedicated European support team to assist with design-in and benchmarking

• Aggressive commercial positioning on unit cost, MOQ and availability

These advantages make Nuvoton particularly well suited for designers looking to benchmark or switch from incumbent suppliers.

Ineltek Insight:

Winbond divested their non-memory business into Nuvoton in 2008, including motherboard interface and audio ICs and close links remain between the two companies, though Nuvoton’s principal fab partner is TSMC. They are now firmly established as a major player in microcontrollers with an extensive and extremely competitive offering based on 8051 and ARM cores. Nuvoton acquired Panasonic Semiconductor’s business in 2020, gaining access to a diverse range of IP and process technology for growth market segments.

Product Focus:

While Nuvoton is best known for its microcontrollers, it has developed or acquired a range of additional embedded technologies:

• 8051 and ARM Cortex-M0/M23/M4/M7/M33/M55 MCU families

• Advanced microprocessors including Cortex-A35 and ARM9-based solutions

• Audio ICs – CODECs, amplifiers, voice playback and recording

• Battery management ICs – including AFE and monitoring components

• TOF sensors and laser diodes – GaN/GaAs-based, with high-efficiency output

• CSP MOSFETs – ultra-compact for power control in embedded systems

From general-purpose embedded control to specialist analogue and power functions, Nuvoton has grown into a complete platform supplier for embedded developers.

Markets:

Legacy computing markets are still important, but increasingly Nuvoton focusses on general purpose industrial applications, including automotive. This is a perfect fit for European electronics business.

Actions: 

Contact Ineltek for introduction to confidential new product releases and roadmaps as well as to benchmark pricing and performance of your existing MCU partner.

Technical Docs: view some of our library of Nuvoton's technical docs and presentations here.