Dracula Technologies Joins ST Partner Program

In a move towards enhancing energy efficiency and autonomy in microcontroller units (MCUs), Dracula Technologies announces that its LAYER Organic Photovoltaic (OPV) technology is fully compatible with STMicroelectronics’ latest ultra-low power microcontrollers.

LAYER allows manufacturers and end users to create a battery-free future by using ambient indoor light to generate sustainable micro-power devices. The new advanced ultra-low-power STM32U0 microcontrollers for industrial, medical, smart-metering, and consumer applications are a new generation of energy-conscious and cost-effective MCUs that reduces energy consumption by up to 50% compared to previous MCU generations.

Formalizing this cooperation, Dracula Technologies is now a member of the ST Partner Program.

“STMicroelectronics’ integration of Dracula Technologies’ OPV in an STM32U0 demo shown at Embedded World 2024 marks a new era of energy-efficient microcontroller units,” said Thierry Bousquet, STM32 Ultra-Low Power product line marketing manager.  “Our aim in creating the low-power MCU STM32U0 was to enable applications that demand ultra-low power consumption, particularly crucial for numerous self-powered (autonomous) sensors, relying on energy harvesting instead of traditional batteries.”

“One of the STM32U0 demos that garnered a lot of attention is an illuminometer built using Dracula Technologies’ OPV module,” added Bousquet. “It runs on a small photovoltaic panel receiving only 5 lux instead of the traditional coin battery. We chose Dracula Technologies for its exceptional energy-harvesting capabilities, particularly in indoor low-light environments, enabling devices to operate under challenging conditions.”