Sitara processors – Industrial communication
TI's Sitara Arm® processors feature a unique peripheral, the Programmable-Real time Unit Industrial Communications Subsystem (PRU-ICSS), which eliminates the need for an external ASIC or FPGA by enabling the integration of real-time industrial Ethernet and Fieldbus protocols.
Ethernet, Fieldbus, encoder and redundancy protocols are available for the PRU-ICSS, including certified solutions for EtherCAT, Profibus, Profinet and others. The PRU-ICSS supports multiple protocols on the same hardware using firmware supplied by TI through the industrial software packages and stacks from industry partners.
Multiprotocol communications
Enable multiple industrial protocols on one platform through TI’s PRU-ICSS
Scalability
PRU-ICSS is integrated across the Sitara portfolio from single to multicore Arm® Cortex®-A processors
Reduce space and cost
The integrated PRU-ICSS can be used to replace an external communications ASIC or FPGA to free up space and reduce cost

What is PRU-ICSS?
PRU-ICSS (Programmable Real-Time Unit Industrial Communication Subsystem) is a subsystem containing Programmable Real-Time (PRU) cores which run Ethernet and Fieldbus protocols. PRU cores are mainly used for industrial communication, but can also be used for general purpose applications.
PRU-ICSS features
- Support for multiple protocols on one platform:
- PROFIBUS, PROFINET (RT/IRT), SERCOS-III, Ethernet/IP (with DLR), POWERLINK, EtherCAT, CC-Link IE Field Basic and others
- Master and Slave protocols
- Redundancy protocols such as HSR & PRP
- Encoder protocols such as BiSS C, EnDAT 2.2, Tamagawa and HIPERFACE DSL
- Standard 10/100Mb Ethernet
- Fully tested, certified, and supported solutions
- Protocol-specific software available from TI’s industrial software package
- General-purpose software available from Processor SDK
See devices supporting the PRU-ICSS.
PRU-ICSS diagram
Software
Software package | Applicable devices |
---|---|
PRU-ICSS Industrial Software | AM335x, AM437x, AM57x, 66AK2Gx, AMIC110 |