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RP2040

Type: chip · Vendor: raspberrypi

Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller: dual-core Arm Cortex-M0+ up to 133 MHz, 264 kB SRAM, 4-channel ADC (12-bit), USB 1.1 device/host, two PIO blocks; no built-in flash — the board provides external QSPI flash.

RP2040 is Raspberry Pi’s original microcontroller: two Arm Cortex-M0+ cores, 264 kB of on-chip SRAM, programmable I/O (PIO) state machines and a USB 1.1 controller, in a 7 x 7 mm QFN-56 package. It has no built-in flash — code runs from external QSPI flash that the board solders on. In MCUID’s hardware chain this page describes the chip; memory size, headers and connectors are board facts.

Start from a board: Raspberry Pi Pico. Official docs: RP2040 chip overview.

  • Processing — symmetric dual-core Cortex-M0+ at up to 133 MHz.
  • Memory — 264 kB SRAM on-chip; flash is external by design.
  • I/O — fixed UART/SPI/I2C/PWM blocks plus PIO, and USB 1.1 host/device.

Capabilities — what the chip provides

Each row is one capability: the official wording, what it means in development, and the source.

CapabilityWhat it is · what it means for developmentSource
Dual-core Arm Cortex-M0+ @ up to 133 MHz“Symmetric dual-core Arm Cortex-M0+ processor runs at up to 133 MHz” (official wording).
Two identical low-power cores with symmetric multiprocessing.		RP chip docs
264 kB on-chip SRAM, six banks“264 kB of on-chip SRAM in six independent banks” (official wording).
Fast internal memory accessible by CPUs and peripherals simultaneously.		RP chip docs
No built-in flash; external QSPI“RP2040 has no built-in flash memory … run code directly from external flash memory over a fast QSPI interface” (official wording).
The board decides the flash chip and size — e.g. the Pico solders 2 MB on-board. Flash capacity is a board/module fact, not a chip fact.		RP chip docs
4-channel ADC, 12-bit, 500 kS/s + temperature sensor“4-channel ADC with internal temperature sensor, 500 kS/s, and 12-bit conversion” (official wording).
The internal temperature sensor is low-resolution and user-calibrated; without calibration and a known VREF it is not accurate.		RP chip docs
Two PIO blocks, eight state machines“two PIO blocks, each with four state machines (eight in total)” (official wording).
Programmable I/O runs custom peripheral protocols in hardware — a separate mechanism from the fixed UART/SPI/I2C blocks.		RP chip docs
2 UART / 2 SPI / 2 I2C / 16 PWM / USB 1.1 host+device“Two UARTs … Two SPI controllers … Two I2C controllers … 16 PWM channels … A USB 1.1 controller and PHY, with host and device support” (official wording).
Which of these reach a header is board wiring; which pins each peripheral can sit on is the IO-bank mux (see the bus guide).		RP chip docs

Before you rely on a capability — scope and limits

  • No built-in flash. Program storage lives on a flash chip the board provides (the Pico solders 2 MB on-board); flash capacity is a board fact, never a chip fact.
  • PIO is not the fixed peripherals. The two PIO blocks run custom protocols in hardware; they are separate from the two hardware UART/SPI/I2C blocks, whose mux pins are fixed (see the bus guide).
  • Temperature sensor caveats. The internal sensor is low-resolution and user-calibrated; accuracy depends on knowing VREF. Treat readings as indicative without calibration.
  • USB 1.1, not USB 2. Host and device modes are supported; speed is USB 1.1.
  • Which pins reach a header is board wiring. On the Pico some GPIOs are consumed by board functions (GP23/24/25/29) — see the board page.

Boards built on the RP2040

Pinouts, revisions and connectors live on the board pages.

Boards using this chip

Start developing

  • MicroPython — the Pico getting-started guide covers both language paths and the BOOTSEL drag-and-drop first flash.
  • C/C++ SDK — the same guide links the official SDK path; pin defaults come from the SDK board header (a software convention — see pin numbers).
  • Picking between Pico generations? Read Pico vs Pico 2 — this chip powers the original Pico.

Common questions this site answers

Sources and evidence

  • Chip capabilities — the table cites the RP2040 chip overview, features section, retrieved 2026-11-09.
  • Board facts — the Pico page carries its own datasheet-sourced records (flash, header mapping, internal-function GPIOs).

Also known as: rp2040, RP2040.