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RP2350

RP2350 is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand RP2350 rather than just read about it. In short: RP2350 is a 32-bit dual-core microcontroller (containing selectable ARM Cortex-M33 and/or Hazard3 RISC-V cores) by Raspberry Pi Ltd. In August 2024, it was released as part of the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 board.

RP2350 — main illustration
RP2350 — illustration

Key takeaways

  • RP2350 belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect RP2350 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of RP2350 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

RP2350 is a 32-bit dual-core microcontroller (containing selectable ARM Cortex-M33 and/or Hazard3 RISC-V cores) by Raspberry Pi Ltd. In August 2024, it was released as part of the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 board.

Overview Announced on 8 August 2024, the RP2350 is the second microcontroller designed by Raspberry Pi Ltd, after the RP2040. The microcontroller is low cost, with the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 being introduced at US$5 and the RP2350 itself costing as little as US$0.80 in bulk. The microcontroller is software-compatible with the RP2040 and can be programmed in assembly, C, C++, Free Pascal, Rust, MicroPython, CircuitPython, and other languages. The RP2350 comes in four versions, which are identified by the number of cores (2), a numeral loosely correlated to the core type (3), log₂ of the number of 16 KB RAM blocks (5), log₂ of the number of 128 KB flash storage blocks (0 or 4), and a letter denoting package type (A or B):

RP2350A - 30 GPIO in a 7 × 7 mm QFN-60EP (0.4mm pitch) package (EP means exposed pad in center) RP2350B - 48 GPIO in a 10 × 10 mm QFN-80EP (0.4mm pitch) package (EP means exposed pad in center) RP2354A - same package as RP2350A (above) includes 2 MB QSPI NOR flash RP2354B - same package as RP2350B (above) includes 2 MB QSPI NOR flash Note: inside the "54" IC packages, a NOR flash die is stacked on top of the microcontroller die, then connected to its QSPI bus and first chip select. At announcement time, seventeen other manufacturers had products expected to be available within a month.

Features The RP2350 chip is a 5.3-by-5.3-millimetre (0.21 in × 0.21 in) silicon die in either a 7 mm × 7 mm (0.28 in × 0.28 in) QFN-60EP or a 10 mm × 10 mm (0.39 in × 0.39 in) QFN-80EP surface-mount device (SMD) package.

Key features: Two different CPU designs sharing the same computer bus and a 150 MHz clock: Dual ARM Cortex-M33F (ARMv8-M instruction set). Includes DSP instructions, single-precision (SP) floating-point instructions, and a simplified double-precision floating-point coprocessor provides add, subtract, multiply, divide, square root. Dual Hazard3 (RISC-V instruction set, RV32IMAC+), an open-source CPU designed by Luke Wren. Only one or two cores may be used at the same time. In a "normal" setup, the BootROM spins up core 0, which then performs a "core 1 reset" to spin up a core 1 of the same architecture. A core may be swapped for one of a different architecture by manipulating the ARCHSEL register and initiating a core reset. It is possible to access all four cores without power-cycling the rest of the board. 520 KB SRAM in ten concurrently accessible banks 8 KB of one-time-programmable (OTP) memory QSPI bus controller supports external flash and PSRAM with execute in place (XIP) Optional in-package 2 MB QSPI NOR flash connected to first chip select DMA controller, 16 channel, 4 IRQ AHB crossbar, fully-connected On-chip switched-mode power supply and programmable low-dropout regulator (LDO) to generate core voltage Two on-chip PLLs to generate 48 MHz USB and 150MHz core clocks RP2350A has 30 GPIO pins, of which four can optionally be used as analog inputs, RP2350B has 48 GPIO pins where eight can be used as analog inputs. Optional boot signing with protected OTP storage Hardware SHA-256 accelerator Hardware random number generator (TRNG) based on ARM's TRNG IP block Peripherals: One USB 1.1 (LS & FS) controller and PHY, host and device support, 1.5 Mbps (Low Speed) and 12 Mbps (Full Speed). Two UART controllers. Two SPI controllers. One QSPI (quad SPI) controller, supports 1 / 2 / 4-bit SPI transfers, 2 chip selects. Two I²C controllers. One HSTX (high-speed serial transmit) controller, output-only. This is meant for digital video output. Has access to 8 pins at 300 Mb/s per pin (double data rate) 12 PIO (programmable input–output) state machines. 8 (QFN-60) or 12 (QFN-80) units of dual-channel PWM. Each unit can drive two output signals or measure the frequency or duty cycle of an input signal. 4/8-channel 12-bit 500-kSPS SAR ADC, extra channel is connected to internal temperature sensor. QFN-60EP package has 4 channels, QFN-80EP package has 8 channels.

Family comparison The following is a simplified comparison of the RP2040 and RP2350 microcontroller families.

GPIO hardware issue The RP2350 chip was released with errata RP2350-E9, documenting a "Latching behaviour on Bank 0 GPIO pull-down resistors", which was later updated to "Increased leakage current on Bank 0 GPIO when pad input is enabled" due to multiple reports from users, such as developers of the Bus Pirate. The defect causes pins configured as inputs to source about 120 μA when the input voltage is between logical low and logical high, pulling them to about 2.2V. Luke Wren, one of the engineers working on RP2350 has stated that the supplier responsible for the pad circuitry has provided a faulty design. "We didn't modify the pad, we asked the vendor to modify their own pad. There was one particular structure on the RP2040 FT pad that limited its tolerance, but on inspection the modified layout we got back was a completely different circuit." The issue was resolved in the A3 and A4 stepping level versions of the chips, announced in July 2025.

Security The RP2350 chip integrates security features including Secure Boot (SB) and OTP memory. The Secure Boot feature relies on the security features of the Cortex-M33F chip such as the redundancy coprocessor (RCP: a separate circuit hardened against fault injection, stack smashing, and timing side-channels). As a result, enabling SB causes the RISC-V cores to be disabled. The SB code in boot ROM allows for checking blocks in the flash memory for cryptographic signatures using a public key stored in the OTP memory. It also includes anti-rollback protection. To assess the level of security of their implementation, Raspberry Pi Foundation launched a hacking contest during DEF CON 32 offering US$10,000 to anyone able to read the OTP memory of the RP2350 chip. After 30 days no vulnerabilities had been submitted, and the foundation doubled the prize and extended the deadline. In January 2025, the foundation announced four winners of the challenges. Various attacks were performed including Secure Boot bypass using laser fault injection or read out of the OTP value using a focused ion beam.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

RP2350: RP2350A on a Raspberry Pi Pico 2
RP2350A on a Raspberry Pi Pico 2
RP2350: RP2350A on a SparkFun Pro Micro - RP2350
RP2350A on a SparkFun Pro Micro - RP2350
RP2350: RP2350 GPIO expansion card
RP2350 GPIO expansion card

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with RP2350

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what RP2350 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to RP2350 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about RP2350 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of RP2350

In research
RP2350 appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses RP2350 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
RP2350 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics ARM-based microcontrollers, British inventions, Computer science education in the United Kingdom, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for RP2350 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study RP2350 in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what RP2350 means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain RP2350 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is RP2350 in simple terms?

RP2350 is a 32-bit dual-core microcontroller (containing selectable ARM Cortex-M33 and/or Hazard3 RISC-V cores) by Raspberry Pi Ltd. In August 2024, it was released as part of the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 board.

Why does RP2350 matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study RP2350?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on RP2350.

Tags

  • ARM-based microcontrollers
  • British inventions
  • Computer science education in the United Kingdom
  • Educational hardware
  • Products introduced in 2024
  • Raspberry Pi

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