FPGA Basics

When selecting an AMD/Xilinx FPGA you must specify three attributes beyond logic capacity and memory size: Speed Grade, Temperature Range, and Reliability Grade. Understanding all three helps you choose the right device — and avoid paying for more than you need. AMD UltraScale+ Device Ordering Information (Product Selection Guide) Speed Grade Speed Grade is a post-fabrication classification (binning) that reflects the worst-case switching performance of a specific chip coming off the wafer. Even chips from the same wafer lot will have small transistor-level variations — some will reliably meet tighter timing margins than others. Chips that can do so are assigned a higher (faster) speed grade. ...

Let’s explore the AMD (Xilinx) FPGA product families for reference https://www.amd.com/en/products/adaptive-socs-and-fpgas/fpga.html Looking at the Portfolio on the AMD FPGA (Xilinx) website, you’ll notice it is divided into three categories. These categories are UltraScale+, UltraScale, and 7 Series at the top. This categorization of product families is based on semiconductor process technology. UltraScale+ is manufactured on the 16nm FinFET process. UltraScale is manufactured on the 20nm process. 7 Series is manufactured on the 28nm process. ...

Major FPGA Manufacturers 1.AMD (Acquired Xilinx in 2022) Key Products: Spartan, Aritix, Kintex, Virtex, ZynQ, Versal Xilinx was a long-time leader in the FPGA market and was acquired by AMD in 2022. Provides high-performance FPGA and adaptive SoC (System-on-Chip) product lines. Produces products used in various fields such as data centers, communications, and automotive. **Intel (Acquired **Altera in 2015) Key Products: Cyclone, Arria, Stratix, Agilex Altera was acquired by Intel and integrated into the Intel FPGA business unit. ...

FPGA Applications Based on the FPGA advantages discussed earlier, the main application areas are industrial, automotive, medical, defense, aerospace, network equipment, video applications, and pre-ASIC prototyping. These are relatively small-volume productions. However, they require high-performance functions and can satisfy various interfaces. You can get more information about application areas on the sites below. https://www.xilinx.com/applications.html

*https://www.amd.com/ko/products/adaptive-socs-and-fpgas/fpga.html * So, what are the reasons for using FPGAs? Let’s explore through the advantages of FPGAs. First is the development time and cost. As discussed earlier, while ASICs take 6 months to several years to develop, FPGA development takes weeks to months. Therefore, FPGAs allow for faster market release. The NRE (Non-recurring Engineering) costs of ASICs are very high. They range from millions to tens of millions of dollars. Therefore, FPGA-based hardware solutions are cost-effective in comparison. However, ASICs may need to be considered when mass production is required (approximately 100,000 units or more). ...

If an FPGA can be compared to a breadboard, then an ASIC is like a PCB. PCB(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printed_circuit_board#/media/File:SEG_DVD_430_-_Printed_circuit_board-4276.jpg) The photo above is a PCB. To be precise, it has components mounted on top of it. It is commonly used in various home appliances such as smartphones and TVs. To create a PCB, you need to draw a Schematic (circuit diagram). Then, create a PCB layout design. Finally, have it manufactured by a PCB manufacturer. If there is an error after manufacturing is complete, you must fix it. Do you need to change a PCB line (trace) or component? What steps should you take? To have a normal product, you need to modify the Schematic and PCB layout and manufacture it again. Of course, you can cut the line in the middle and connect it with an external wire. However, this will greatly reduce the stability of the product sold. ...

FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array To take the Bread Board as an example… Bread Board (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breadboard#/media/File:Ultrasound-PreAmp-Breadboard.jpg) The photo above shows a breadboard. Breadboards are used to temporarily test prototypes. They usually have strips on both sides to extend power lines. The interior is divided into abcde and fghij sections where components or wires can be connected. This allows you to implement desired functions and test them with frequent changes. You can think of the components plugged into the breadboard as modules designed in HDL. The wires connecting them can be viewed as wire declarations in HDL. The placement of the components is similar to the Placement process in FPGA Implementation. Connecting the wires is akin to the Routing process. ...