hello,
the current semiconductor shortage and non-availability of STM8 devices
had me think about long-term availability...
On the STM8 product page
<https://www.st.com/en/microcontrollers-microprocessors/stm8-8-bit-mcus.html>
and a sales brochure
<https://www.st.com/resource/en/brochure/brstm8.pdf> I had read about a
"10 years longevity commitment", but failed to find the details, namely
the starting date. Therefore I contacted STM support directly.
Unfortunately the reply is not as I expected, so I thought I should
share the information.
Here's my question to the STM support:
for some projects I am considering to use your STM8S microcontrollers,
but I am a bit concerned about remaining product lifetime.
Page 3 of your sales brochure
(https://www.st.com/resource/en/brochure/brstm8.pdf) promises "a
minimum longevity of 10 years for its STM8 microcontrollers",
but it doesn't state a specific date. Does that mean that the 10 years
will start whenever STM officially announces the termination of the
STM8 controller, i.e.
at least 10 years from now on? In other words, is it safe to start a
design with long product lifetime based on STM8?
And here's their response:
to guarantee the longevity, you have to contact the sales person of ST
and ask him for declaration of longevity for the specific salestype.
We shall not terminate the production for salestypes under such
agreements.
The other salestypes may be terminated, if they don't justify their
production long-term, and Product Termination Notice to current
customers is sent.
So the "10 years longevity commitment" doesn't mean that all STM8
devices will be available at least until 2031. Rather you have to
contact STM sales for a specific device and the corresponding start date
of the 10 years period. If you're lucky the device is in that program,
else bad luck.
Don't get me wrong, this risk is not specific to STM8 but exists for all
"old" microcontrollers, especially in these dynamic times. And most
other suppliers don't even offer such a program. But if you plan to use
the STM8 for a commercial product, you should definitely contact STM
sales first.
Regards, Georg
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