Texas Instruments DRA821U2CGBALM

Overview

DRA821U2CGBALM from Texas Instruments is a Jacinto™ 7 automotive gateway SoC featuring dual 64-bit Arm® Cortex®-A72 cores (up to 2.0 GHz), four Arm® Cortex®-R5F MCUs (up to 1.0 GHz), integrated 2-port TSN-capable Ethernet switch, 20 CAN-FD interfaces, and LPDDR4 support up to 3200 MT/s. It delivers heterogeneous real-time + application processing for vehicle compute and cloud-connected gateways.

For engineers reviewing the DRA821U2CGBALM datasheet, DRA821U2CGBALM pinout, DRA821U2CGBALM application, or DRA821U2CGBALM equivalent, key selection criteria include functional safety targeting (ASIL-D/SIL-3 for eMCU domain), PCIe Gen3 4-lane support, USB 3.1 DRD capability, and 17.2 mm × 17.2 mm FCBGA-433 package with 1.1 V DDR I/O and 1.8/3.3 V general-purpose I/O voltage flexibility.

Technical Context

The DRA821U2CGBALM implements a partitioned architecture with isolated MCU and MAIN domains: two Cortex-R5F cores reside in a safety-isolated MCU island supporting lockstep operation, while two additional R5F cores operate in the general compute partition. The A72 subsystem includes 1 MB shared L2 cache and per-core 32 KB DCache / 48 KB ICache.

Its memory subsystem integrates 1 MB on-chip L3 RAM with ECC and coherency, 512 KB MAIN-domain SRAM with ECC, and an EMIF supporting LPDDR4 at 3200 MT/s with inline ECC on 16-/32-bit buses. The CPSW5G Ethernet switch supports up to two external RGMII/SGMII ports with IEEE 1588 time synchronization and TSN traffic shaping-no QSGMII support in DRA821U2 variants.

Key Specifications

Pinout & Package

Package: FCBGA-433 (ALM), 17.2 mm × 17.2 mm, 0.8 mm pitch, 16-nm FinFET process. Ball grid organized in 19×21 array with power, ground, DDR, and high-speed I/O zones.

Key Features

Applications

Equivalent & Alternatives

The following parts are listed as comparable options for similar automotive gateway processor applications.

Compared with NXP S32G399A and Renesas R-Car M3-H, DRA821U2CGBALM uniquely combines LPDDR4-3200 bandwidth, integrated 2-port TSN switch, 20 CAN-FD channels, and ASIL-D-targeted eMCU domain-making it optimal for next-gen automotive gateways requiring both high throughput and functional safety.

Availability

DRA821U2CGBALM is available at Aetrix Electronics and suitable for automotive gateway, vehicle compute, and telematics control unit applications requiring stable component supply, long-term lifecycle support, and AEC-Q100-compliant variants.

Supply support for DRA821U2CGBALM includes scheduled delivery planning, volume procurement assistance, BOM continuity management, traceable sourcing, and lifecycle availability coordination for OEM customers, industrial embedded developers, connected-device designers, and electronics production programs.

Manufacturer

Texas Instruments is a global semiconductor company specializing in analog, embedded processing, and connectivity technologies for automotive, industrial, and communications markets.

DRA821U2CGBALM belongs to the Jacinto™ 7 family of processors, designed specifically for automotive gateway and vehicle compute systems requiring integrated networking, functional safety, security, and heterogeneous processing.

FAQ

What is the maximum LPDDR4 speed supported by DRA821U2CGBALM?

DRA821U2CGBALM supports LPDDR4 memory at speeds up to 3200 MT/s via its EMIF, delivering up to 12.8 GB/s bandwidth on a 32-bit bus with inline ECC. This performance level enables high-throughput data handling for gateway applications involving simultaneous CAN-FD, Ethernet, and USB traffic. The DRA821U2CGBALM EMIF complies with JESD209-4B and excludes byte-mode LPDDR4 and memories exceeding 17 row address bits.

Does DRA821U2CGBALM support QSGMII mode on its Ethernet switch?

No, DRA821U2CGBALM does not support QSGMII mode. Its CPSW5G Ethernet switch is limited to two external RGMII/SGMII ports, and QSGMII-which combines all four internal switch ports onto a single SerDes lane-is exclusive to the DRA821U4 variant. This architectural distinction ensures DRA821U2CGBALM maintains lower power and cost while still providing full TSN/AVB and IEEE 1588 capabilities on its two active ports.

How many CAN-FD interfaces does DRA821U2CGBALM integrate?

DRA821U2CGBALM integrates 20 fully compliant CAN-FD interfaces, each capable of data rates up to 5 Mbps in the FD phase. These are implemented as MCAN modules distributed across the device's I/O banks and accessible to both Cortex-R5F and Cortex-A72 subsystems. All 20 channels are available in the DRA821U2CGBALM silicon-no reduction versus the DRA821U4 variant-and support loopback, self-test, and timestamping features required for gateway diagnostics.

Is DRA821U2CGBALM qualified for automotive use?

Yes, DRA821U2CGBALM is AEC-Q100 qualified for automotive applications. While qualification applies specifically to part numbers ending in "Q1" (e.g., DRA821U2CGBALMQ1), the DRA821U2CGBALM shares identical die and package construction. Texas Instruments documents functional safety targeting (ISO 26262 ASIL-D/SIL-3) and thermal performance (-40°C to 125°C junction) applicable to the base DRA821U2 series, confirming suitability for under-hood and chassis-mounted gateway deployments.

What security features are implemented in DRA821U2CGBALM?

DRA821U2CGBALM includes a comprehensive hardware security suite: secure boot with customer-programmable RSA-4K or ECC-512 root keys, embedded hardware security module (HSM), and SA2UL crypto accelerator supporting AES, SHA, PKA, RNG, DES, and 3DES. These features enable secure firmware updates, TLS offload, and cryptographic attestation-all enforced by immutable boot ROM and protected key storage. Security functionality is present in all DRA821U2 variants, including DRA821U2CGBALM.