A Field-Programmable Gate Array(FPGA) likely has a quicker time-to-market because they are not pre-designed to perform certain tasks. You can buy a ready-made FPGA and then configure it to the design you need.
An FPGA is a device that contains a matrix of reconfigurable gate array logic circuitry. When an FPGA is configured, the internal circuitry is connected in a way that creates a hardware implementation of the software application. Unlike processors, FPGAs use dedicated hardware for processing logic and do not have an operating system. FPGAs are truly parallel in nature so different processing operations do not have to compete for the same resources. As a result, the performance of one part of the application is not affected when additional processing is added. Also, multiple control loops can run on a single FPGA device at different rates. FPGA-based control systems can enforce critical interlock logic and can be designed to prevent I/O forcing by an operator. However, unlike hard-wired printed circuit board (PCB) designs which have fixed hardware resources, FPGA-based systems can literally rewire their internal circuitry to allow reconfiguration after the control system is deployed to the field. FPGA devices deliver the performance and reliability of dedicated hardware circuitry.
The most significant area for the future lies in the creation of new development tools for FPGAs. As programmable devices become larger, more complex, and include one or more processors, a huge need will open up for tools that take advantage of these features and optimize the designs. Hardware designers can use hardware description languages like Verilog to design their chips at a high level. They then run synthesis and layout tools that optimize the design.
As FPGAs come to incorporate processors, the development tools take software into account to optimize at a higher level of abstraction. Hardware/software codesign tools will be a necessity, rather than a luxury. Before long, platform FPGAs containing fixed or configurable processors and custom hardware will dominate the field of hardware design. By then, hardware/software codesign will be the norm.
Performance of FPGAs as a compute platform exceed conventional processors in all three performance vectors; i/o bandwidth, memory bandwidth and computation. Implementing an effective programming model is the main issue the industry is working hard to solve.
The latest trend in FPGAs is the inclusion of specialized hardware in the form of hard cores. Vendors realize that if large numbers of their customers need a particular function, it’s cost effective to include fixed cells inside the FPGA.
Platform FPGAs, those containing either soft- or hard-core processors, will dominate embedded system designs 15 years from now. For many designs, the advantages of using a single, programmable device that may include multiple processors, interfaces, and glue logic will make it the preferred choice over using today’s discrete devices on a printed circuit board.
Platform FPGAs are being developed to have a mix of soft- and hard-core processors. Soft cores will be the choice for the least complex designs and for new designs that don’t have legacy code to support. Hard-core processors will be the choice for complex designs and for designs that need to run legacy code. High-end designs will use multiple processors, perhaps some soft, others hard.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the industry of FPGAs is rapidly growing with technology being optimized and modified daily by a great number of designers. This is due to the programmability and configurability of the FPGA architecture i.e. it is built to be developed not just used.
In the future it is quite possible to see all processors, computers and electronic devices being run or at least developed with the use of these amazing devices with FPGAs not being developed as a compute platform and size scaling increasingly reducing every year.
It is also important to note that both the hardware and software development stages of FPGAs have become equally important with the two now depending on one another more than ever for quicker advances and better design.
– Vinay Kumar P