Microchip Technology Inc., a leading provider of microcontroller, mixed-signal, analog and Flash-IP solutions, has announced its debut of the MEC14XX family of highly configurable low-power embedded customizable controllers from its corporate headquarters in Chandler, Arizona.

Adaptable to the needs of x86-based notebook and tablet platform designers, the scalable family of MEC14XX devices is among the first to support both the Intel Corporation's new Enhanced Serial Peripheral Interface (eSPI) and the existing Low Pin Count interface (LPC).

"Microchip's work with Intel in development and co-validation has helped ensure that the new eSPI interface will be available on schedule in future generations of Intel platforms," Ahmad Zaidi, Intel Corporation’s vice president for Embedded IP Subsystems and Chipsets Group, said.

MEC14XX also allows for a seamless migration of intellectual property (IP) reuse across multiple x86 computing platform architectures, such as Intel Atom, Intel iCore and AMD-based systems. The package offers multiple options for maximum user-end flexibility. All members of the Microchip MEC14XX family are pin and register compatible.

To facilitate the industry's transition to the new interface and lower-voltage designs, Microchip's MEC14XX family also provides a flexible arrangement that allows multiple I/O signals to be configured to support 3.3V or 1.8V, reducing equipment costs; and the first product group targeted for general x86 computing that includes Microchip's award-winning MPLAB development tool support.

"We have worked closely with our industry partners and our customers to stay on the forefront of defining, implementing and validating the new eSPI system interface," Ian Harris, vice president of Microchip's Computing Products Group, said. “We are proud of our contributions to the new eSPI interface and expect it to serve the needs of the market well into the future."