MPC8536EBVTATHA - PowerQUICC III 1.25GHz MPU, 783-FCBGA | NXP
MPN: MPC8536EBVTATHA ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $147.31 | $147.31 |
| 10 | $132.5 | $1,325.00 |
| 100 | $118.2 | $11,820.00 |
| 250 | $108.75 | $27,187.50 |
| 500 | $99.4 | $49,700.00 |
MPC8536EBVTATHA Overview
A microprocessor (MPU) is a single-chip processor that integrates the central processing unit, memory management, and peripheral interfaces on a single die. The MPC85xx family sits in the broader hierarchy of Power Architecture MPU -> communications processor -> embedded SoC, designed for wire-speed packet processing and deterministic real-time control. The PowerQUICC III line is widely deployed in routers, switches, line cards, and industrial gateways where software compatibility with the PowerPC ecosystem is critical.
Key features of the MPC8536EBVTATHA include a 32-bit e500 core with dual-issue superscalar pipeline, integrated 256 KB L2 cache, four Gigabit Ethernet controllers (SGMII / RGMII), three PCI Express endpoints/RCs, two SATA controllers, two USB 2.0 ports (host + device), enhanced local bus controller, and a hardware security engine supporting DES, 3DES, AES, SHA-1/2, RSA, and random number generation. The DDR2/DDR3 SDRAM controller supports up to 16 GB of addressable memory with ECC.
The device is manufactured in a 90 nm CMOS process and supports operating voltages of 1.5 V, 1.8 V, 2.5 V, and 3.3 V for core and I/O domains. It is offered in industrial (0 °C to 105 °C Tj) and extended temperature grades. Hardware-assisted virtualization, RapidIO messaging, and advanced power management make it suitable for energy-efficient embedded designs. The security engine offloads cryptographic operations from the host CPU, enabling secure boot, IPsec VPN acceleration, and TLS termination at line rate.
Typical applications include enterprise routers, industrial control SoM (system-on-module) platforms, network-attached storage (NAS) controllers, factory automation line cards, and secure IoT gateways. The combination of multi-protocol connectivity and integrated SEC is especially valuable in defense-in-depth networking equipment.
When designing with this part, ensure the 783-ball FCBGA land pattern follows NXP's reference design with matched-impedance traces for SERDES and DDR interfaces. Adequate thermal management is essential - the FCBGA package dissipates significant power at gigahertz speeds and requires a heatsink in most deployment scenarios.
This page synthesizes distributor stock and pricing data, drop-in alternatives, and practical design considerations not found in the manufacturer datasheet alone.
Drop-in alternatives for MPC8536EBVTATHA — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Variants in this series
Same-series models that are drop-in compatible with MPC8536EBVTATHA (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Operating Temperature, Ethernet, Memory Controller, Core Architecture, Package.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
MPC8536EAVTATHA
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$132.75 / Unit
View Datasheet →MPC8536ECVTAVLA
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$112.8 / Unit
View Datasheet →MPC8536ECVTATHA
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$138 / Unit
View Datasheet →MPC8536EBVJATHA
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$162.99 / Unit
View Datasheet →MPC8555EVTAPF
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$218.75 / Unit
View Datasheet →MPC8536EBVTATHA Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | Power Architecture e500 |
| Core Count | 1 |
| Data Bus Width | 32-bit |
| Maximum Core Frequency | 1.25 GHz |
| Package | 783-FCBGA (FC-PBGA, 29x29 mm) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Process Technology | 90 nm CMOS |
| Operating Voltage (Core) | 1.0 V (typ) |
| Operating Voltage (I/O) | 1.5 V / 1.8 V / 2.5 V / 3.3 V |
| L2 Cache | 256 KB (integrated) |
| Memory Controller | DDR2 / DDR3 SDRAM with ECC, up to 16 GB |
| Gigabit Ethernet | 4x SGMII / RGMII |
| PCI Express | 3 controllers (endpoint / root complex) |
| SATA | 2 controllers |
| USB | 2x USB 2.0 (host + device) |
| Security Engine (SEC) | AES, DES/3DES, SHA-1/2, RSA, RNG |
| Local Bus | Enhanced local bus controller (eLBC) |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to +105 °C (Tj) |
MPC8536EBVTATHA 783-fcbga (fc-pbga, 29x29 mm) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for MPC8536EBVTATHA (783-fcbga (fc-pbga, 29x29 mm) package). This digital IC includes GPIO, communication interfaces (UART, SPI, I2C), and power pins. Refer to the manufacturer datasheet for alternate pin functions and configuration options. Essential for embedded system design and PCB layout.
No detailed pinout data available for MPC8536EBVTATHA.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
MPC8536EBVTATHA is suitable for 6 applications: Enterprise Router SoC Platform, Industrial Gateway and Edge Controller, Network-Attached Storage (NAS) Controller, Secure VPN Concentrator, Managed Switch Line Card, Avionics and Defense Networking.
Enterprise Router SoC Platform
The MPC8536EBVTATHA is well matched to enterprise router platforms where gigahertz-class packet processing is required alongside hardware VPN acceleration. The e500 core running at 1.25 GHz executes forwarding and routing stacks with low jitter, while the integrated SEC engine offloads AES and SHA workloads so the host CPU stays available for control-plane BGP/OSPF. The four SGMII/RGMII Gigabit Ethernet MACs handle multiple WAN and LAN links without an external switch ASIC, and the DDR2/DDR3 controller with ECC supplies high-bandwidth memory for the route table. Pair the part with NXP QorIQ SDK and the open-source Linux kernel to ship a feature-complete router in a compact FCBGA footprint.
Recommended
Industrial Gateway and Edge Controller
In industrial gateway and edge-controller applications, the MPC8536EBVTATHA combines deterministic processing with the connectivity options required for protocol conversion on the factory floor. The e500 core runs real-time Linux or VxWorks with cycle-accurate latency, while the integrated USB, SATA, and local bus controllers let the gateway bridge fieldbus (Modbus, PROFINET) to upstream Ethernet networks. The hardware security engine (SEC) authenticates field devices and signs telemetry, and the three PCI Express controllers attach Wi-Fi, 5G, or accelerator cards. The 0 °C to 105 °C Tj rating supports deployment in cabinets and outdoor enclosures.
Recommended
Network-Attached Storage (NAS) Controller
The MPC8536EBVTATHA functions as the central controller for SMB and enterprise NAS appliances, where storage I/O and network throughput must scale together. Two integrated SATA controllers drive direct-attached disks, the enhanced local bus connects NAND flash for caching, and the four Gigabit Ethernet ports aggregate multiple clients with link aggregation. Hardware ECC on the DDR2/DDR3 controller protects against silent data corruption in ZFS or Btrfs filesystems, while the SEC engine accelerates SMB3 encryption. The 783-FCBGA package simplifies motherboard layout by combining CPU and storage I/O into a single chip.
Recommended
Secure VPN Concentrator
For VPN concentrator appliances, the MPC8536EBVTATHA pairs the 1.25 GHz e500 core with the SEC engine to terminate IPsec and SSL/TLS tunnels at line rate. The SEC block handles AES-CBC, AES-GCM, SHA-256, and RSA signatures without burdening the host core, leaving CPU cycles available for routing and policy lookup. Three PCI Express endpoints attach additional crypto or NP coprocessors when tunnel counts exceed the on-chip SEC capacity. The DDR2/DDR3 controller supplies the session and keying table bandwidth needed for thousands of concurrent tunnels.
Recommended
Managed Switch Line Card
In managed Ethernet switches, the MPC8536EBVTATHA serves as the line-card CPU running the Layer-2/Layer-3 control plane while an external switch ASIC handles wire-speed forwarding. The four SGMII/RGMII MACs provide stacking and uplink connections to the fabric, and the three PCI Express controllers attach the switch ASIC and management PHYs. ECC-protected DDR2/DDR3 holds MAC address tables and ACL rules. Hardware-assisted AES and SHA accelerate MACsec on trunk ports, securing enterprise switch deployments.
Recommended
Avionics and Defense Networking
The MPC8536EBVTATHA is suitable for avionics networking and defense line-replaceable units where long-life-cycle SoCs with hardware cryptography are mandated. The e500 core runs DO-178 certifiable RTOS workloads, and the integrated SEC engine supports FIPS-validated AES and SHA primitives for secure communications. The 783-FCBGA package is qualified to industrial temperature grades, and NXP's long-term product roadmap (10+ year availability via Rochester Electronics) matches typical defense program lifecycles. Multiple SGMII ports and PCI Express lanes attach MIL-STD-1553 or ARINC-429 bridges as needed.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for MPC8536EBVTATHA — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | MPC8536EAVTATHA | MPC8536ECVTAVLA | MPC8536ECVTATHA | MPC8536EBVJATHA | MPC8555EVTAPF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | NXP Semiconductors | NXP Semiconductors | NXP Semiconductors | NXP Semiconductors | NXP Semiconductors | NXP Semiconductors |
| Package | 783-FCBGA (29x29 mm) | 783-FCBGA (29x29 mm) - same | 783-FCBGA (29x29 mm) - same | 783-FCBGA (29x29 mm) - same | 783-FCBGA (29x29 mm) - same | 783-FCBGA (29x29 mm) - same |
| Core Frequency (max) | 1.25 GHz | 1.5 GHz | 1.25 GHz | 1.25 GHz | 1.0 GHz (J-grade) | 1.0 GHz |
| Core Architecture | Power Architecture e500 | Power Architecture e500 | Power Architecture e500 | Power Architecture e500 | Power Architecture e500 | Power Architecture e500 |
| DDR Memory Controller | DDR2/DDR3 with ECC | DDR2/DDR3 with ECC | DDR2/DDR3 with ECC | DDR2/DDR3 with ECC | DDR2/DDR3 with ECC | DDR1/DDR2 with ECC |
| Gigabit Ethernet Ports | 4x SGMII/RGMII | 4x SGMII/RGMII | 4x SGMII/RGMII | 4x SGMII/RGMII | 4x SGMII/RGMII | 3x SGMII |
| PCI Express Controllers | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 (PCI-X + PCIe) |
| Security Engine (SEC) | Yes (AES/SHA/RSA/RNG) | Yes (AES/SHA/RSA/RNG) | Yes (AES/SHA/RSA/RNG) | Yes (AES/SHA/RSA/RNG) | Yes (AES/SHA/RSA/RNG) | Yes (subset of MPC8536E SEC) |
| SATA Controllers | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 (external SATA via PCI-X) |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to 105 °C (Tj) | 0 °C to 105 °C (Tj) | -40 °C to 105 °C (Tj, extended) | 0 °C to 105 °C (Tj) | 0 °C to 105 °C (Tj) | 0 °C to 105 °C (Tj) |
Key Differentiators
- Integrated hardware security engine (SEC) for IPsec/TLS offload (vs MPC8555EVTAPF)
- DDR3 memory controller with ECC, up to 16 GB (vs MPC8555EVTAPF)
- Four Gigabit Ethernet MACs with both SGMII and RGMII (vs MPC8536EBVJATHA)
- Same 783-FCBGA footprint as the rest of the MPC8536E family (vs Cross-brand 1 GHz communications MPUs (none drop-in))
Design Notes
Estimated: at 1.25 GHz with the e500 core fully active and all four SERDES lanes toggling, the FCBGA package dissipates approximately 8-12 W depending on workload. Use a heatsink with thermal interface material and at least four thermal vias under the die flag to keep Tj below 105 °C in a sealed enclosure. NXP's hardware specification provides exact theta_JA values in the package thermal model.
The 783-FCBGA 29x29 mm footprint requires a 1 mm ball pitch with matched-impedance routing for SERDES (SGMII/PCIe/SATA), DDR2/3, and clock traces. Use NXP's reference designators and follow the layout guidelines in the MPC8536E hardware specification for length-matching within ±25 mils on DDR data/byte lanes and ±5 mils on SERDES differential pairs. Keep the FCBGA balls on a 10-layer stack-up with continuous ground planes beneath the package to control return paths.
SERDES reference clocks must come from a low-jitter oscillator (≤50 ppm, ≤1 ps RMS jitter) routed with a guard trace and AC-coupled to the FCBGA balls. The DDR2/DDR3 controller requires Vtt termination at the midpoint of the address/command bus and fly-by topology for the clock. Read- and write-leveling training sequences must run at power-up using the U-Boot DDR init code from the NXP SDK before any high-speed memory access.
Do not skip the proper POR (power-on-reset) sequence - the e500 core will not boot if the SYSCLK and JTAG TAP are not initialized in the correct order. Ensure that the SEC engine is initialized by the bootloader before any cryptographic workload runs, or the kernel will fault on first SEC call. Finally, do not mix MPC8536E variants with different temperature grades on the same PCB without verifying the operating range envelope matches your system thermal profile.
Compliance Information
RoHS/REACH/lead-free status not stated in the verified web data; AEC-Q100 is not applicable for industrial communications MPUs. NXP publishes the most recent compliance certificate for PowerQUICC III parts via the product environmental compliance portal.
