What is FPGA?

A hardware chip that can carry out logical processes is known by the name FPGA which is a part of Embedded IC, or Field-Programmable Gate Array. They are made up of circuits that are dispersed across a chip and either an integrated network or collections of programmable logic gates. The fundamental components of FPGAs are individual programmable logic blocks, or CLBs. By means of programmable interconnects, these CLBs are linked. In contrast to other types of semiconductor chips (such as ASICs), which are often rigid in their design and execution, as implied by the name of the semiconductor technology, the advantages of FPGA are recognized for their capacity to be programmed when applied in the field.

One of the most important products that are based on FPGAs and play a key role in the development of many technical developments is FPGA chips. We'll describe the most common FPGA applications in this essay and provide examples of its use in various contexts. There are various FPGA chip types, and some are preferred in particular situations and applications.

Six primary applications for FPGAs

• High-speed interface design
• Artificial Intelligence
• Digital Signal Processing
• IC Design
• Communication System
• Video Image Processing

High-speed interface design

In actuality, I think we should have expected that FPGA would be helpful in the design of high-speed interfaces after reading about its capabilities in the fields of communication and digital signal processing. Its high-speed processing power and hundreds of thousands of IOs establish its unique advantages in the field of high-speed interface design. To process data, for instance, I might have to interface with the computer, transport processed data to the computer for display, or do all three. The PC offers additional interfaces for connecting to other devices, such as ISA, PCI, PCI Express, PS/2, USB, and more.

When I require several interfaces, I need more than one of these interface chips, which will unquestionably make our hardware peripherals complex, the volume increases significantly, and it becomes quite uncomfortable. However, if I use an FPGA, the advantage is immediately apparent. This is the standard procedure, which involves using the appropriate interface and interface chip, such as the PCI interface chip. Since the various interface logic can be integrated inside the FPGA, there is no longer a need for as many interface chips. This will make our interface data processing more useful together with the use of DDR memory.

Artificial Intelligence

Indeed, the 21st century has unknowingly passed into the year 2022. During these two decades, artificial intelligence has developed rapidly, and the smooth development of 5G also makes artificial intelligence like a tiger, making it predicable that the future will be the world of artificial intelligence. If you like to follow the news in the technology sector, you will be filled with 5G communication and artificial intelligence recently. For instance, autonomous driving necessitates the use of a range of sensors, which can use FPGAs for integrated driving and fusion processing of these sensors. Autonomous driving necessitates the collection of various traffic signals, such as driving routes, traffic lights, obstacles, and driving speed.

FPGAs can be used to finish the front-end information processing of artificial intelligence systems because there are some intelligent robots that require the collection and processing of sound or visual signals.

Digital Signal Processing

FPGA's parallel processing architecture, which enables it to perform digital signal processing, is its main advantage. Because of this parallel approach, FPGAs are perfectly suited for repetitive digital signal processing tasks like FIR and other digital filters. For high-speed parallel digital signal processing applications, FPGA performance significantly outperforms the serial execution architecture of general-purpose DSP processors, and the voltage and drive capability of its interfaces are programmable rather than constrained by the instruction set like traditional DSPs.

It is difficult to integrate signals like LVDS with a rate level of Gbps because the instruction set's clock cycle restriction precludes it from handling excessively rapid signals. As a result, the field of digital signal processing regularly uses FPGAs.

IC Design

To assure success, a version of the IC must go through enough simulation testing and FPGA verification. FPGA verification mainly entails porting the IC code to the FPGA, using FPGA synthesis tools for synthesis, layout wiring to eventually generate bit files, and then downloading to the FPGA verification board for verification. Simulation verification entails running simulation software on a server for testing, similar to ModelSim/VCS software. We can also divide the FPGA code into smaller pieces for complex IC. The FPGA-created circuit is strikingly close to the genuine IC chip. Our IC designers can now check their IC designs much more easily thanks to this. FPGAs are used for a variety of other purposes, including high-speed data collection in the electric power sector, high-speed, large-data volume analog acquisition and transmission in the medical sector, radar, satellite, and guiding systems in the military, among others.

Communication System

One may say that the use of FPGAs in the sphere of communication is omnipotent. Due to the features of FPGAs' internal structure, distributed algorithmic structures are simple to implement, which is particularly advantageous for the development of high-speed digital signal processing in wireless communication. Because many functional modules in wireless communication systems typically call for a high volume of filtering operations, and these filtering operations frequently call for a high volume of multiplication and accumulation operations.

These multiplication and accumulation processes can also be carried out effectively by constructing distributed arithmetic structures utilizing FPGAs. The following three types of RF (radio frequency cards), interface and connectivity functions, and baseband processing are all integrated into Xilinx FPGAs specifically for the communications industry:

• Resources for baseband processing Baseband processing mostly entails channel coding and decoding (using algorithms like LDPC, Turbo, convolutional codes, and RS codes) as well as implementing synchronization techniques (such WCDMA system cell search).
• Resources for interfaces and connection The installation of high-speed communication interfaces (PCI Express, Ethernet MAC, high-speed AD/DA interfaces) to the outside of the wireless base station and the equivalent internal backplane protocols (OBSAI, CPRI, EMIF, LinkPort) are the major components of interface and connectivity functions.
• RF application resources The primary RF applications include modulation/demodulation, up/down conversion (single channel, multi-channel DDC/DUC for WiMAX, WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, and CDMA2000 systems), peak shaving (PC-CFR), pre-distortion (Predistortion), and up/down distortion. In conclusion, if you are familiar with FPGA, you might surely make a big difference in the communications sector.

Video Image Processing

Similar to how high definition (HD) eventually replaced high definition (SD), people's expectations for image stability, clarity, brightness, and color are continuously increasing as technology progresses. People are increasingly aiming for Blu-ray grade visuals.

The straightforward use of ASSP or DSP can no longer manage such a large volume of data processing due to the increasing complexity of the picture compression technique and the increasing amount of data that must be processed in real time. When this occurs, the advantages of FPGAs become apparent as they can process data more successfully. FPGAs are consequently becoming more and more widespread in the market for image processing even after taking into account cost.

Other FPGA Applications

• Security: AMD offers solutions that satisfy the changing needs of security applications, from access control to surveillance and safety systems.
• Solutions for servers, storage appliances, storage area networks (SAN), and network attached storage (NAS) are included in the category of storage and high performance computing.
• Aerospace & Defense: radiation-resistant FPGAs and software for waveform generation, image processing, and partial SDR reconfiguration.
• Pro AV & Broadcast: You can adjust to changing requirements more rapidly and have longer product life cycles with Broadcast Targeted Design Platforms and solutions for top-tier professional broadcast systems.
• Consumer electronics: Convergent handsets, digital flat-panel displays, information appliances, home networking, and household set-top boxes are some examples of next-generation, fully featured consumer applications that are economical to execute.
• Wired Communications: Complete solutions for technologies including reprogrammable networking linecard packet processing, serial backplanes, framer/MAC, and others.
• Wireless Communications: RF, baseband, connection, transport, and networking solutions for wireless equipment, encompassing WCDMA, HSDPA, WiMAX, and other technologies.
• Medical: For a range of computational, display, and I/O interface requirements for diagnostic, monitoring, and therapeutic applications, the Virtex FPGA and SpartanTM FPGA families can be used.