4 Strategic Considerations of FPGA Adoption in Advanced Systems

As a Field Application Engineer at Braemac, I work with a variety of Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technologies. From my experience, FPGA manufacturers offer unique features and benefits that cater to different application needs. Now more than ever, developers are selecting FPGAs over traditional methods when projects require high-speed, parallel processing with low latency and deterministic behaviour.

FPGAs offer hardware-level customization, making them ideal for real-time applications such as signal processing, secure systems, and rapid prototyping. Their reprogrammability allows for enhanced design flexibility and post-deployment updates.

FPGA vs MCU vs ASIC vs DSP

In comparison to alternatives, FPGAs deliver distinct features. For example, Microcontrollers (MCUs) are convenient for sequential processing tasks and control applications, FPGAs offer greater flexibility for hardware customizations. Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) offer high performance but are generally less cost efficient than FPGAs. Moreover, Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) do not offer the level of customization that FPGAs do.

How to Select the Most Optimal FPGA for Your Design

The benefits of integrating FPGAs in next-gen designs are clear, however, when considering which solution to integrate in your advanced system, there are four strategic considerations to make:

1. Level of Innovation

With the global FPGA market estimated to reach $25.8 billion USD by 2029, it’s clear that adoption is accelerating across a wide range of industries. For developers, one key consideration when integrating FPGAs in next-gen designs is the overall innovation they offer. Altera, now part of Intel, offers a range of FPGAs that are known for their high performance, scalability, and energy efficiency.

Altera FPGA Key Features and Benefits

• High Performance: Altera FPGAs, including the Stratix and Arria series, are ideal for real-time applications as they deliver exceptional processing power with integrated high-speed transceivers, DSP blocks, and memory interfaces.

• Scalability: From cost-effective Cyclone solutions for low-to-mid-range requirements to the high-performance Stratix portfolio, Altera offers a flexible line to support projects of any scale.

• Low Latency: With customizable logic blocks (CLBs) and interconnects that allow for custom data paths , Altera FPGAs enable ultra-low latency, which is crucial for applications requiring immediate response times.

• Energy Efficiency: Advanced power management techniques like dynamic voltage, frequency scaling (DVFS), and power gating help minimize energy consumption without compromising on performance.

• Security: The latest Altera FPGAs feature secure Device Manager (SDM) that supports Root of Trust, attestation, cryptographic key management, tamper detection, and secure configuration. The latest version of SDM is integrated into Agilex™ 7 devices. It utilizes redundant processors to enhance security capabilities. 

Altera FPGA Technical Specifications

• Logic Elements (LEs): Altera FPGAs contain a large number of LEs, which are the basic building blocks for implementing digital logic. The number of LEs varies across different FPGA families, with high-end devices offering millions of LEs.

• Embedded Memory: Altera FPGAs feature embedded memory blocks, such as M20K and MLAB, which provide high-speed, on-chip storage for data and instructions. These memory blocks can be configured as RAM, ROM, or FIFO buffers.

• Digital Signal Processing (DSP) Blocks: DSP blocks are specialized units within the FPGA designed for high-speed arithmetic operations. They are essential for applications involving signal processing, such as filtering, modulation, and FFT computations.

• High-Speed Transceivers: Altera FPGAs are equipped with high-speed transceivers that support data rates up to 56 Gbps. These transceivers enable high-bandwidth communication for applications like high-speed networking and data centres. Ensures efficient communication between the processor and FPGA, improving overall system performance.

• I/O Flexibility: Altera FPGAs offer a wide range of I/O standards and protocols, including LVDS, PCIe, and Ethernet. This flexibility allows for seamless integration with various peripherals and external devices.

• Arm^® processor:  The integrated Arm^® processor in Altera FPGAs provides industry-leading performance, making it suitable for demanding applications. Designed for maximum power efficiency, which is crucial for embedded systems.

Future-Proofing Advanced Systems with Agilex™ FPGAs

The Agilex™ series, in particular, is designed to deliver industry-leading performance and power efficiency. The Agilex™ FPGA series is designed to deliver industry-leading performance and power efficiency. Here are some key details:

• Agilex™ 7 FPGAs offer up to 2X better fabric performance per watt compared to competing 7 nm FPGAs. They feature integrated Arm®-based processors, transceivers up to 116 Gbps, PCI Express (PCIe) 5.0, and Compute Express Link (CXL), making them ideal for data centre, networking, broadcast, defence, and industrial applications.

• Agilex™ 9 FPGAs include the Direct RF Series, which integrates industry-leading wideband data converters with sample rates up to 64Gsps. These FPGAs are optimized for applications such as defence, radar, high-end test, and wireless solutions. 

• Agilex™ 5 FPGAs serve midrange FPGA applications with performance-optimized D-Series and power-optimized E-Series. They feature the industry's first Enhanced DSP with AI Tensor Block and asymmetric applications processor system consisting of dual Arm Cortex-A76 cores and dual Cortex-A55 cores 

• Agilex™ 3 FPGAs bring the 2nd generation HyperFlex™ FPGA architecture to smaller, cost-optimized designs. They offer high-speed transceivers, LPDDR4 memory support, and dual Arm Cortex-A55 cores. 

Agilex™ Key Applications

• Telecommunications: Enhancing network performance and reliability.

• Automotive: Advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and infotainment.

• Industrial Automation: Real-time control and monitoring.

• Medical Devices: Imaging systems and diagnostic equipment.

• Defence: Radar systems and secure communications.

• Mining: Real-time data processing and equipment monitoring.

2. Power, Performance, and Area Efficiency

When it comes to FPGA solutions, engineers prioritize power, performance, and area (PPA) efficiency as they directly influence system viability. Efinix FPGAs are known for their Quantum® compute fabric, which delivers power, performance, and area advantages over traditional FPGA technologies. The Titanium, Topaz, and Trion families offer a range of options for various applications.

Efinix FPGA Key Features

• Quantum^® Compute Fabric: Provides high performance with low power consumption.

• Versatility: The Titanium series offers up to 1 million logic elements, making it suitable for high-capacity applications.

• Integration: Features such as hardened RISC-V blocks, SerDes transceivers, and LPDDR4 DRAM controllers.

Efinix FPGA Technical Specifications

• Logic Elements (LEs): Titanium FPGAs offer up to 1 million LEs, providing extensive resources for complex designs.

• DSP Blocks: High-performance DSP blocks for efficient signal processing.

• High-Speed Transceivers: Support for SerDes transceivers and LPDDR4 DRAM controllers.

• RISC-V Integration: Hardened RISC-V blocks for embedded processing.

Efinix FPGA Key Applications

• Industrial: Automation and control systems.

• Automotive: In-vehicle networking and control.

• Medical: Portable medical devices and diagnostics.

• Broadcast: High-performance DSP blocks for signal processing.

Titanium

Titanium FPGAs are fabricated on a 16 nm process and deliver high performance with the lowest possible power and a small physical size. They feature hardened MIPI D-PHY and LPDDR4/4x DRAM controllers, making them suitable for IoT, thermal cameras, industrial cameras, robotics, and smart devices. Titanium FPGAs also offer SEU protection and bitstream security, ensuring maximum uptime and secure designs.  

Topaz

The Topaz line is a refined second-generation upgrade to the Titanium line, offering lower power draw and cost without compromising performance Topaz FPGAs are designed for mass-market applications, providing high performance and low power consumption.

Trion T55/T85/T120

These devices are I/O rich, low-power FPGAs with a disruptive core architecture. They include multiple TX/RX CSI-2 hard cores capable of simultaneous 4 Gbps x 1.5 Gbps and DDR3 DRAM cores at 1066 Mbps. The Trion family is ideal for applications that need to interface with the latest MIPI CSI-2 v1.3 camera sensors and handle image processing functions, merging/overlay, or image analysis in a single device. 

3. Robust Security and Reliability

Fortified security and overall reliability are crucial considerations for FPGAs in advanced systems, especially in mission critical applications. Microsemi, now part of Microchip Technology Inc., offers FPGAs that are known for their security, reliability, and low power consumption.

FPGA and SoC Solutions

Microsemi FPGA Key Features

• Security: Best-in-class security features, including anti-tamper and cyber protection. 

• Low Power: Up to 50% lower power consumption compared to equivalent SRAM FPGAs. 

• Reliability: Zero configuration upsets and high reliability for mission-critical applications.  

Microsemi FPGA Technical Specifications

• Logic Elements (LEs): PolarFire FPGAs offer up to 500K LEs, providing extensive resources for complex designs. 

• Embedded Memory: Up to 33 MB of RAM for high-speed data storage. 

• DSP Blocks: Advanced DSP resources for compute-intensive applications. 

• High-Speed Transceivers: Support data rates from 250 Mbps to 12.7 Gbps. 

Microsemi FPGA Key Applications

• Aerospace and Defense: Secure communications and radar systems.

• Industrial: High-reliability control systems.

• Medical: Secure and reliable medical devices.

• Communications: Low-power networking solutions.

PolarFire

These mid-range FPGAs are designed for low power consumption and cost optimization. They feature transceivers ranging from 250 Mbps to 12.7 Gbps, with 100K to 500K logic elements (LEs) and up to 33 MB of RAM. 

SmartFusion2

This product integrates flash-based FPGA fabric, a 166 MHz ARM Cortex-M3 processor, advanced security processing accelerators, DSP blocks, SRAM, eNVM, and high-performance communication interfaces on a single chip. 

IGLOO2 FPGA

Known for their low power consumption, these FPGAs offer PCIe Gen 2 support in devices as low as 10K LEs. They are ideal for applications requiring robust security and reliability. 

ProASIC3

These FPGAs offer performance, density, and features beyond those of the ProASIC PLUS family. They utilize nonvolatile Flash technology, providing secure, low-power, single-chip solutions that are instant-on. 

Fusion Mixed-Signal FPGAs

These FPGAs integrate analog and digital functions on one chip, supporting ARM Cortex-M1, 8051, and CoreABC soft microcontroller cores. 

4. Compact Design with Minimal Power Usage and Reduced Density

When selecting an optimal FPGA solution for your project, cost and density factors directly influence the scalability, efficiency, and future readiness of designs. The ForgeFPGA™ family from Renesas is designed for cost-sensitive applications that require small amounts of programmable logic. ForgeFPGAs are ideal for interfacing, system control, and monitoring. Their SLG47910V revolutionizes the low-density FPGA space through ultra-low power consumption, small package size, and free development software.

ForgeFPGA™ Key Features

• Low Power: Half the power consumption of other FPGAs on the market.

• Cost-Effective: Lower device cost and high level of integration.

• Ease of Use: Free, easy-to-use development software with no license fees.

ForgeFPGA™ Technical Specifications

• Logic Elements (LEs): ForgeFPGA devices offer up to 1K LUTs, providing sufficient resources for small-scale logic designs.

• Embedded Memory: Non-volatile memory for configuration and data storage.

• I/O Flexibility: Support for various I/O standards and protocols.

ForgeFPGA™ Key Applications

• Consumer Electronics: Cost-sensitive applications.

• Industrial Automation: System control and monitoring.

• IoT: Low-power, small-scale logic solutions.

• Automotive: Interface and control systems.

Consult Braemac for Advanced System Design Success

At Braemac, we partner with best-in-class suppliers to ensure our customers are equipped with a robust portfolio of cutting-edge FPGA solutions. Every FPGA provides its own set of key advantages, as well as trade-offs. As FPGAs continue to play a pivotal role in next-gen innovation, integrating the optimal component in your design is more critical than ever.

Braemac offers a comprehensive set of value-added services to help developers confidently adopt the most ideally suited solutions for their projects. Leveraging deep expertise and over 40 years of industry experience, our team of design professionals are expertly positioned to optimize your advanced system with the most suitable FPGA solution available.

Whether you’re at the beginning of your product development cycle or refining an existing design, we can ensure that your project is both innovative and future ready. Contact

info@Braemac.com for more information.

About Dineshkumar Sugumar

Dineshkumar Sugumar is a seasoned Field Applications Engineer at Braemac. He holds a master’s degree in Embedded Systems from the University of Leeds. England. With over 13 years of industry experience, Dineshkumar began his career as an Embedded Design Engineer before transitioning to an Applications Engineer role. At Braemac, he specializes in providing technical support for FPGA products, including Altera, Efinix, Microchip, and other innovative FPGA product lines.

Subscribe Today!

Looking for more ways to stay ahead with expert insights, product updates, and engineering trends?