UCODE Nxm

Configurable RAIN RFID Memory for Industrial IoT and DPP Applications

The NXP UCODE Nxm is a RAIN RFID IC designed for applications where item identification requires more than a conventional product or serial number. Combining high read sensitivity with 880 bits of shared, configurable EPC and user memory, the IC enables additional product, process and lifecycle information to travel directly with the tagged object.

This makes UCODE Nxm particularly relevant for industrial IoT, smart manufacturing, Digital Product Passports (DPP), supply chain management, healthcare, automotive production and aviation, where products and components increasingly need to carry structured information throughout their lifecycle.

Three Memory Configurations from One IC

UCODE Nxm provides 880 bits of memory shared between the EPC and user memory banks. Rather than requiring different chips for applications with different data requirements, the memory can be configured in three ways:

• 128-bit EPC + 752-bit user memory

• 256-bit EPC + 624-bit user memory

• 496-bit EPC + 384-bit user memory

This allows an automotive application, for example, to prioritize a larger EPC, while an industrial application can allocate more capacity to process or asset data. The same IC can therefore be used across different tag designs and use cases without introducing multiple semiconductor variants.

The additional memory can hold information such as component identifiers, production status, origin and ownership information, lot and expiry data, routing information or web addresses. In DPP and consumer applications, NXP also describes the use of on-tag URLs to connect a physical product with digital information.

Data Available Directly on the Tag

Storing extended information in the RFID IC can be valuable when continuous cloud connectivity cannot be guaranteed. Relevant data remains attached to the physical item and can be accessed locally by compatible RAIN RFID infrastructure.

In manufacturing, UCODE Nxm can support the recording of component IDs as a product moves from one workstation to another, creating an evolving production history. In logistics, tagged components can support automated proof of dispatch and receipt. Healthcare applications can store lot and expiry information, while aviation applications can use the extended memory for routing and destination data associated with baggage.

High Sensitivity for Smaller Tag Designs

NXP specifies a read sensitivity of -24 dBm and a write sensitivity of -22 dBm. Combined with the company's self-adjust functionality, this is intended to support longer read ranges and allow antenna designers to create smaller RFID labels and tags.

Reduced antenna dimensions can also lower material consumption. NXP gives the example of reducing a typical antenna from 50 × 30 mm to 42 × 20 mm, which can reduce aluminum and PET resin use by up to 40% compared with earlier UCODE generations.

Memory Integrity and RFID Privacy

Extended on-tag data also increases the importance of integrity and privacy. UCODE Nxm therefore includes NXP's memory safeguard, which uses error correction code (ECC) across the memory array. Single-bit errors can be corrected, while multi-bit errors are flagged. A parity check additionally protects the manufacturer-programmed Tag Identifier (TID).

For privacy, the IC supports the standards-based Untraceable function. This includes a short-read-range mode designed to restrict unauthorized long-distance scanning and the ability to conceal sensitive memory fields when required.

Additional features include a 96-bit TID, 32-bit access and kill passwords, Permalock, password locking and 32-bit block write. NXP specifies 100,000 write cycles and 20 years of data retention, with an operating temperature range from -40 to +85 °C.

One RAIN RFID IC for Multiple Data-Driven Applications

With configurable high-capacity memory, strong RF sensitivity and integrated data-protection functions, UCODE Nxm extends RAIN RFID from pure identification toward item-level information storage. One IC can be configured for different memory requirements while keeping the physical tag connected to relevant product and process data throughout manufacturing, logistics, use and end-of-life workflows.

For industrial IoT and Digital Product Passport applications in particular, this provides a scalable way to combine automatic identification with additional data directly on the product.