STMicroelectronics: 40nm STM32 MCUs Start Shipping from China
On March 23, STMicroelectronics announced that its China-manufactured general-purpose STM32 microcontrollers have officially begun shipping. The first batch of STM32 wafers produced in China by Hua Hong Semiconductor Limited has already been delivered to customers in the Chinese market. This milestone marks a significant step in STMicroelectronics' global supply-chain strategy, with plans to expand local production to additional STM32 product lines—including high-performance, security-focused, and entry-level MCUs—by 2026.
Localized manufacturing of STM32 MCUs will initially focus on the high-performance STM32H7 series. It will be followed by the performance- and security-oriented STM32H5 series, as well as the new entry-level STM32C5 series.
Through this initiative, STMicroelectronics has established what it describes as a dual supply-chain model within the semiconductor industry. Its 40 nm MCU products can now be fully processed and manufactured in China while maintaining the same design architecture and technology used in devices produced at ST's overseas facilities. The company has built a fully localized STM32 production ecosystem covering the entire process—from wafer fabrication to packaging and testing.
For front-end wafer manufacturing, STMicroelectronics has further strengthened its more than 15-year collaboration with Hua Hong Semiconductor. The production uses the same 40 nm embedded non-volatile memory (eNVM) technology and quality control standards deployed across ST's global wafer fabs, ensuring that China-manufactured devices remain fully compatible with the company's worldwide quality benchmarks.
Back-end packaging and testing are handled by ST's Shenzhen facility together with local OSAT partners. This manufacturing framework provides customers in China with flexible sourcing options, allowing them to choose between locally manufactured or overseas-produced MCUs while maintaining identical performance, quality, and system compatibility.
