Swiss electronics company ST Microelectronics has released software that simplifies connecting IoT devices to the Microsoft Azure IoT hub and the AWS cloud.

The software simplifies connecting IoT devices built using the STM32H5 microcontrollers (MCUs) to Microsoft Azure IoT Hub and software for its STM32Cube development tools simplifies connecting high-performing IoT devices to the AWS cloud.

The STM32Cube expansion package, named X-Cube-Azure-H5, consists of a set of libraries and application examples for high-performance microcontrollers of the STM32H5 series, acting as end devices. The sample application shows secure device-to-cloud connectivity with Azure IoT hub, including network configuration and data publishing. The application handles Azure messages, methods and twin update commands. This also leverages STM’s embedded security software, Secure Manager, to connect securely the STM32H5 to Microsoft Azure cloud.

“With its state-of-the-art processor architecture and enhanced security, our STM32H5 is ready to power the next generation of IoT devices,” said Daniel Colonna, marketing director at ST Microelectronics. “By using the STM32Cube reference implementation, developers can take advantage of the powerful services offered by the Azure IoT hub to transform the data collected from their devices into actionable insights. This can help them make informed decisions, optimise their operations, and improve their products and services.”

Kam VedBrat, general manager at Microsoft, added: “With the STM32H5 chip’s advanced security features, it simplifies the process for developers to securely provision and manage high-performance IoT devices, ensuring secure device-to-cloud connectivity with Azure IoT Hub.”

STM32H5 MCUs are programmed in STM’s factory to give each its own identity. The identity is managed by Secure Manager and allows smart devices to be easily and economically registered with the Azure IoT hub without needing to keep their identities secret during object production.

Devices in production, as well as those in the field, can also benefit from remote provisioning and administration of credentials via third-party service providers. Secure Manager stores the credentials needed to connect to the Azure IoT hub, as well as other device secrets and assets, within the STM32H5 MCU.

Secure Manager provides isolation properties that facilitate protecting the intellectual property of multiple owners on the same platform, also known as multitenant IP protection. From development to manufacturing and when deployed in the field, every aspect of protecting the confidentiality and integrity of these assets contributed by developers and partners is covered.

This also works well with use cases that involve AI inference, where models are running on edge devices with the benefit of protection by Secure Manager, while training and secure updating are handled via the cloud. The STM32Trust TEE Secure Manager simplifies the implementation of strong security.

The combination of STM’s STM32Cube ecosystem and STM32H5 MCUs gives developers a secure platform on which to build IoT applications that meet applicable regulations and standards. The STM32H5 series, introduced in March this year, are the first STM32 MCUs to support Secure Manager. The devices target PSA Certified level three and SESIP3 certifications.

The X-Cube-AWS-H5 expansion package enables a seamless and secure connection to the AWS cloud. It contains a set of libraries and application examples for high-performance microcontrollers in the STM32H5 series, which act as end devices.

This is built on the Free RTOS open-source real-time operating system and Secure Manager. The recently announced STM32H5 Discovery kit is available to use with this and lets developers securely connect their STM32H5-based prototypes to AWS IoT Core.

“The STM32H5 is ready for the next generation of IoT edge devices, bringing the performance to handle complex applications within a tight energy budget,” said Colonna. “The STM32Cube ecosystem helps developers unleash its powerful capabilities, accelerate development, and, with our latest software, connect securely to the powerful storage and data-analytics services in the AWS cloud.”

STM32H5 is one of the most powerful Arm Cortex-M33 MCU series. Devices are programmed with their own immutable identity at the STM (www.st.com) factory. Combined with Secure Manager, this simplifies registering smart devices to AWS cloud and removes the need for costly infrastructure otherwise necessary to keep the identities of IoT objects secret during their production.

Remote provisioning and administration of credentials will also be available via third-party service providers, during production of devices and in the field.