WARSAW, Poland — We are proud to announce that we are entering the final stages of a strategic collaboration with NXP® Semiconductors to redefine the architecture of next-generation energy meters. By porting our industry-leading communication stacks to NXP’s MCX N microcontroller, we are introducing a unified platform that replaces traditional, hardware-heavy PLC modems with a high-performance, software-defined solution.
„At NXP, we focus on delivering complete system solutions that solve real customer challenges, and we are committed to helping our customers in the industrial sector accelerate their time-to-market,” said Alex Dopplinger, Senior Director, Power and Energy, NXP Semiconductors. „By integrating Phoenix Systems’ world-class software with our MCX N series, we’re providing meter manufacturers with a powerful, flexible, and unified platform that simplifies the leap from design to deployment.”
Moving Beyond Hardware-Bound Modems
For years, meter manufacturers have been tethered to a dual-chip design: a dedicated hardware modem for PLC (Power Line Communication) connectivity and a separate MCU for the meter’s application logic. This setup increases costs, complicates PCB design, and limits flexibility.
We are changing the status quo. Our collaboration leverages the dual-core power of NXP’s MCX N MCU to run our PRIME 1.4 and G3-PLC stacks (full FCC spectrum) natively on the same chip that handles the metering logic.
„Our mission has always been to bring software agility to the power grid,” said Paweł Pisarczyk, the CEO at Phoenix Systems. „By running our stacks on NXP’s MCX N series, we are giving meter manufacturers a 'one-chip’ solution that is more reliable and significantly more cost-effective for their DSO customers.”
The Power of Software-Defined PLC
By utilizing the CoolFlux BSP32 coprocessor and the dual Arm® Cortex®-M33 cores of the MCX N, our software-defined approach offers manufacturers several key advantages:
- Unified Architecture: No more managing separate firmware for a modem and an application processor. Everything runs on a single, synchronized platform.
- Protocol Flexibility: Manufacturers can switch between G3-PLC and PRIME 1.4 standards through software updates, allowing a single hardware design to serve multiple global markets.
- Enhanced Reliability: Eliminating the external communication interface between a modem and an MCU removes a common point of failure in harsh electrical environments.
- Rapid Application Development: Phoenix-RTOS features a POSIX-compliant interface, which allows manufacturers to easily migrate their existing applications to this new design, significantly reducing time-to-market.
Timeline to Launch
We are currently in the final phases of rigorous solution testing, ensuring full compliance and interoperability with international smart-grid standards. We expect this integrated solution to be commercially available for meter manufacturers in August 2026.
About Phoenix Systems
Phoenix Systems (part of ATENDE capital group) is a leading technology provider developing Phoenix-RTOS – an open-source operating system and high-performance communication stacks for Edge-IoT devices for Smart Grid, UAS and New Space sectors. Their solutions power millions of smart devices globally, ensuring secure and reliable data flow in critical infrastructure.