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Topic: FPGAs

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	Field-programmable gate array - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		FPGAs are generally slower than their application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) counterparts, and draw more power.
		Many modern FPGAs have the ability to be reprogrammed at "run time," and this is leading to the idea of reconfigurable computing or reconfigurable systems — CPUs that reconfigure themselves to suit the task at hand.
		FPGA Research Groups - a list of Universities and Research Groups that are engaged in FPGA development.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/FPGA (1014 words)

	FPGAs:
		An FPGA is a logic chip comprising cells of logic blocks connected with software-configurable interconnections; it is basically a blank slate in which a programmer can build a chip on the fly to implement a finite state machine.
		FPGAs have several disadvantages compared to fixed chips, however; the programmability comes with the overhead of extra hardware to perform the programming, slower speed resulting from the extra resistance caused by the programming hardware, and additional cost and size because of the extra hardware.
		FPGAs should soon contain even more processor-like capabilites and dedicated memory, further increasing their value in high-throughput computer systems by freeing the processors from ungainly computing tasks with hardware that can adapt itself to the input data as it processes.
	www.cs.umd.edu /class/fall2001/cmsc411/proj01/fpgas (1013 words)

	List of FPGA-based Computing Machines (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		The FPGA is treated as a reconfigurable peripheral of the 8031.
		FPGAs in the device array are easily upgraded, and a programmable clock generator is provided so clock speeds can scale up to 100 MHz as FPGA technology progresses.
		A second PQ240 FPGA is used to execute the robust clocking scheme and for data routing and switching and processing.
	www.io.com /~guccione/HW_list.html (9194 words)

	Solving Timing Closure in High-End FPGAs \| COTS Journal
		FPGA design sizes have reached unprecedented levels with million gate parts becoming increasingly common.
		FPGAs lead the rest of the industry in employing the most cutting-edge fabrication technology.
		As seen in Figure 2, the partitions have been allocated area on the FPGA fabric and the timing constraints have been apportioned into constraints along the paths that span the partitions.
	www.cotsjournalonline.com /home/article.php?id=100162 (760 words)

	FPGA - a Whatis.com definition - see also: field-programmable gate array (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		FPGAs are similar in principle to, but have vastly wider potential application than, programmable read-only memory (PROM) chips.
		FPGAs are used by engineers in the design of specialized ICs that can later be produced hard-wired in large quantities for distribution to computer manufacturers and end users.
		The University of Toronto is involved in FPGA research.
	whatis.techtarget.com /definition/0,,sid9_gci530571,00.html (170 words)

	FPGAs and Multicomputers: A Formidable Blend \| RTC Magazine
		When FPGAs are added to the mix, the general problem is compounded by the relative difficulty in developing for an FPGA, to say nothing of the integration of the FPGA-based application into the larger system.
		Implementing an algorithm on an FPGA is roughly 10 to 30 times more difficult—in terms of hours of effort—than programming on a general-purpose device such as a RISC processor.
		And, after the required algorithm is running on an FPGA, there is still the task of creating the interfaces so the FPGA can communicate with the rest of the computing system—I/O, memory, and other processors.
	www.rtcmagazine.com /home/article.php?id=100200 (830 words)

	Digital Signal Processing with FPGAs
		FPGAs are an array of programmable logic cells interconnected by a matrix of wires and programmable switches..
		An FPGA has a large number (64 to over 20,000) of these cells available to use as building blocks in complex digital circuits.
		Success of an FPGA DSP design is heavily dependent on the experience of the designer, not only in implementing designs in FPGAs, but also in tailoring algorithms for hardware efficiency.
	www.andraka.com /dsp.htm (537 words)

	Choosing a Real-Time Platform: FPGAs vs. Real-Time Operating Systems on EDN: Voice of the Electronics Engineer
		FPGAs (FIELD-PROGRAMMABLE GATE ARRAYS) are ICs that contain large numbers of unconnected gates whose function you determine by downloading to the FPGA a wiring list that determines how the gates interconnect.
		NI's LabVIEW FPGA lets you use LabVIEW's familiar graphical-programming environment to develop code for FPGAs and target that code to an FPGA on NI's reconfigurable PXI-7831R board (Figure 1).
		The main difference between traditional FPGAs and LabVIEW FPGA is that the PXI-7831R plug-in module is primarily for prototyping special applications, extending measurement and control systems' timing and synchronization capabilities, and where time-to-market is critical.
	www.edn.com /index.asp?layout=partnerContentDetail&articleid=CA407869 (996 words)

	Actel: Products & Services: Antifuse Devices: Axcelerator
		Built on Actel's innovative sea-of-modules architecture, Axcelerator FPGAs are designed to deliver 100% pure performance without the penalties of high-power, lack of design security, and susceptibility to firm errors associated with SRAM FPGAs.
		Since Axcelerator FPGAs are nonvolatile, they are live at power up so there's no in-rush current spike as with SRAM FPGAs, further simplifying system power supply design.
		Moving functions into the FPGA that are normally reserved for CPLDs reduces the overall user I/O requirement of the FPGA and can allow for a smaller, cheaper FPGA to be used.
	www.actel.com /products/axcelerator (534 words)

	DSP-FPGA.com \| FPGAs provide reconfigurable DSP solutions
		Designing with FPGAs for DSP applications has been considered to be difficult mainly due to lack of a C-based design flow that is well-integrated with system level tools such as MATLAB and Simulink.
		FPGAs now provide a cost-effective alternative for DSP implementation that can be adopted easily for a broad range of applications such as 3G Wireless, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), multimedia systems, radar and satellite systems, medical systems, image-processing applications and consumer electronics.
		FPGA devices provide a flexible platform to accelerate performance-critical functions in hardware because of the configurability of the device's logic resources.
	www.dspengineering.com /articles/mohammedali (1623 words)

	FPGA-configuration scheme is flexible - 1/22/2004 - EDN - CA373870 (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		FPGAs are popular in circuit design because of their flexibility and efficiency.
		When you use many FPGAs in a design, it is inadvisable to put a large amount of external memories near the FPGAs.
		However, when you want to change only one FPGA's functions and keep others unchanged, it is unwise to reprogram all FPGAs, because it takes a lot of time and can cause unexpected problems in the related circuits.
	www.edn.com /article/CA373870.html?stt=000&industryid=2813&nid=2017 (504 words)

	Reconfigurable Computing Primer - FPGAs, dynamic reconfiguration, configurable computing
		Because not all of the logic must be present in the FPGA at all times, the cost of supporting additional features is reduced to the cost of the memory required to store the logic design.
		This means that the FPGA must be reprogrammed in its entirety and that its previous internal state cannot be captured beforehand.
		This allows the internal state of the FPGA to be read and written just like memory and makes it possible to “swap” hardware designs in much the same way that pages of virtual memory are swapped into and out of physical memory.
	www.netrino.com /Articles/RCPrimer (2938 words)

	FPGAs Pave Road to Reconfigurable Computing \| COTS Journal
		An OFDM receiver was chosen as a benchmark because it is representative of the signal processing tasks found in many kinds of communications applications including DSL, cable modems and fixed wireless systems.
		As with most technology selection choices, the decision of whether to use an FPGA for signal processing tasks in a communications infrastructure application requires a sophisticated, multidimensional evaluation that looks beyond raw performance.
		In addition, the time required to develop an optimized implementation of even a relatively modest DSP function for an FPGA can be dramatically longer than that required to write an optimized version for a DSP.
	www.cotsjournalonline.com /home/article.php?id=100043 (786 words)

	FPGAs include on-chip user flash memory., Actel Corp.
		This "value-based" segment represents the fastest growing component of the FPGA market and is estimated to be $500M this year.
		Unlike SRAM-based FPGAs, on-board security mechanisms prevent access to all the programming information, and reprogramming can be securely performed in-system, using the industry-standard 128-bit AES algorithm to support future design iterations and field upgrades with peace of mind that valuable IP will not be compromised or copied.
		Feb 3, 2005 - FPGAs consume as little as 0.18 W at 25°C. Jan 26, 2005 - FPGA utilizes 90 nm process technology.
	news.thomasnet.com /fullstory/459647 (1352 words)

	ASICs Vs FPGAs
		The design process is similar, but where it diverge is when, for FPGA, you have fixed FPGA cells for which the synthesizer and the place&route will map logic too, where in ASIC, you decide what to put, and where, inside the chip (well, the CAD program decides it).
		FPGA are getting a lot faster and a lot more dense by the days.
		In an FPGA, if a bug is found, a fix can be implemented and tested in the FPGA the very same day.
	www.edaboard.com /ftopic97166.html (1759 words)

	FPGA
		FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) solutions from Lattice deliver unique features, high performance, and excellent value for FPGA designs.
		This family has a high pin to logic ratio that is ideal for glue logic, bus bridging, and bus interfacing, power-up control and control logic.
		LatticeXP (eXpanded Programmability) FPGA devices combine the LatticeEC FPGA fabric with low-cost 130nm Flash FPGA technology in a single chip: instant-on (< 1mS configuration), non-volatile memory (on-chip Flash, no external boot prom), high security (no external configuration bitstream), and infinitely reconfigurable (SRAM FPGA fabric).
	www.latticesemi.com /products/fpga/index.cfm (225 words)

	Industry Study Reaffirms Reliability of Actel FPGAs Against Radiation-Induced Failures (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		Conversely, the testing revealed volatile SRAM-based FPGAs, from vendors Altera and Xilinx, suffered a considerable number of alpha-induced configuration upsets, shedding further light on the risks posed by SRAM-based FPGAs for high-reliability applications in the commercial, military and aerospace industries.
		The results of this independent study are published as an update to the report, "Radiation Results of the SER Test of Actel, Xilinx, and Altera FPGA Instances," which is available for free at http://www.actel.com/products/rescenter/ser/info.aspx.
		In both cases, Actel FPGAs outperformed SRAM-based FPGAs and were able to entirely withstand the negative effects of radiation, clearly demonstrating the superiority of antifuse- and flash-based FPGA technologies over SRAM for high-reliability applications.
	www.prnewswire.com /cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-14-2005/0003193733&EDATE= (576 words)

	Frontier: A Fast Placement System For FPGAs (ResearchIndex) (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		Abstract: In this paper we describe Frontier, an FPGA placement system that uses design macro-blocks in conjuction with a series of placement algorithms to achieve highly-routable and high-performance layouts quickly.
		In the first stage of design placement, a macro-based floorplanner is used to quickly identify an initial layout based on inter-macro connectivity.
		Next, an FPGA routability metric, previously described in [14], is used to evaluate the quality of the initial placement.
	citeseer.ist.psu.edu /305056.html (404 words)

	Frequency-Domain Sonar Processing in FPGAs and DSPs (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		In this paper we evaluate FPGA technology for use in frequency-domain sonar beamforming.
		First, the CORDIC algorithm maps well onto FPGAs; in our case, this allows complex arithmetic to be done in either rectangular or polar forms and, thus, greatly reduces the hardware requirements for the algorithm.
		Second, the ability of FPGAs to support multiple memory ports eliminates memory bottlenecks and allows multiple processing elements to be placed into each FPGA, increasing performance via parallelism.
	csdl2.computer.org /persagen/DLAbsToc.jsp?resourcePath=/dl/proceedings/&toc=comp/proceedings/fccm/1998/8900/00/8900toc.xml&DOI=10.1109/FPGA.1998.707928 (236 words)

	EETimes.com - Sony's Makimoto says FPGAs 'a must' in consumer electronics
		Replacement of gate array devices with FPGAs is indeed increasing for applications that require small numbers of gates.
		The tipping point for FPGAs will be the balance between device factors such as volume, number of gates, clock frequency and total cost.
		In 1995, he said it was more advantageous to use an FPGA than ASICs for applications requiring a 50,000-gate device running at 50 MHz in 50,000-unit volumes.
	www.eetimes.com /story/OEG20030627S0044 (549 words)

	DSP-FPGA.com \| Articles \| FPGAs (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		High throughput and design flexibility have positioned FPGAs as a solid silicon solution over traditional DSP devices in high-performance DSP applications like mobile base stations, medical imaging, and document imaging.
		Next-generation platform FPGA devices based on 90nm have greatly expanded high-performance processing and system integration options and continue to lower ASIC design starts as designers define additional application solutions.
		In this article Louis shows how FPGAs can be used to provide a high-performance front end that can perform data-intensive preprocessing tasks (such as prefiltering, averaging, block-matching or pattern-matching) thus allowing the DSO to focus on the...
	www.dspengineering.com /articles/topics/FPGAs (683 words)

	BDTI On-Line Seminars: Evaluating FPGAs for Comms
		Evaluating FPGAs for Communications Infrastructure Applications is a 90-minute seminar that will inform you of the advantages and disadvantages of using FPGAs for signal processing applications.
		To discuss FPGAs as an alternative to DSPs for signal processing applications that are straining the capabilities of traditional DSP processors.
		To compare FPGAs and their associated development tools to products offered by DSP processor vendors, and assess the strengths and weaknesses of key products in both categories.
	www.bdti.com /products/classes/training_fpga4dsp.html (312 words)

	My-ESM - Low-priced FPGAs gaining ground
		The result is that FPGAs are shipping in higher volumes than at any time in the past.
		FPGAs are turning up more frequently in price-sensitive applications like DSL modems, desktop conference phones, night-vision security cameras, handheld instrumentation, and DVD-RW players--and not just in prototypes.
		In a soon-to-be-released report, Dataquest is forecasting that communications, the mainstay application for FPGAs, will de- cline from 57.4% of FPGA revenue in 2002 to 48.8% in 2007.
	www.my-esm.com /showArticle.jhtml?articleID=15201555 (1017 words)

	EDP Weekly's IT Monitor: Xilinx intros next-gen EasyPath FPGAs priced below structured ASICs (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		EasyPath FPGAs also derive cost benefits because they are based on the cost and performance-optimized architectures of the 90-nanometer Xilinx Spartan-3 and Virtex-4 FPGAs.
		Companies can transition their Xilinx FPGAs to the lowest device cost for volume production in as little as eight weeks with no conversion required and identical functionality.
		The reliability and quality metrics for EasyPath devices are identical to their FPGA counterparts with test coverage superior to Structured ASICs.
	www.findarticles.com /p/articles/mi_m0GZQ/is_41_45/ai_n8968679 (1077 words)

	TechOnLine - Fit More Logic in Altera's Stratix II FPGAs Than in Xilinx's Virtex-4 FPGAs (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		FPGAs come with different architectures and it can be confusing when comparing devices from different vendors.
		All participants who attend the webcast live and complete the post-presentation survey will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a RCA Lyra 20 Gbit Audio/Video Jukebox (US$400 value), built with Altera devices.
		The results produced by the group are used in a variety of contexts, from the research aspects of new device architectures to the CAD algorithms developed by both Altera and its EDA partners.
	developonline.com /community/tech_group/soc/webcast/38244 (526 words)

	PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC: Compiler turns FPGAs into supercomputers
		Compared with other FPGA designs, Mitrionics is targeting a very specific marketplace.
		The company is aiming at data-intensive "supercomputer" applications in such fields as gene sequencing, image analysis, industrial automation, ray tracing and bioinformatics.
		A perpetual license to run the Mitrion Virtual Processor on a single FPGA is $7,000.
	www.us.design-reuse.com /news/news11083.html (906 words)

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