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Application Specific Programmable Platform Using eASICoreCompany: eASIC Corp. Several Programmable Logic vendors are offering products aimed at addressing the ASPP (Application Specific Programmable Platform) market. Many of these products feature embedded hard-IP blocks like microprocessor and associated peripherals, DSP functions, high-speed serial interfaces, embedded blocks of memory and a combination of IP blocks like PCI, USB and Ethernet MAC. All these devices also contain general purpose FPGA fabric so that they are field programmable. It is difficult to come up with an embedded IP block combination that would be attractive to a wide spectrum of customers. A particular IP combination may be ideal for a given customer but it may not be a good fit for another customer. It is costly to support multiple products each with a different set of hard-IP combination, and it is also costly and inefficient to build the required IP combination from general purpose FPGA fabric. What is needed is a true platform that can be easily customized to embed customer-specific or industry segment-specific IP blocks while offering the advantages and flexibility of general purpose FPGA fabric. Application Specific Programmable Platform devices combining FPGA fabric with eASICore technology offer the best combination of high density, high performance, low cost, low power, design security and tremendous design flexibility offering fast time-to-market and fast time-to-volume production advantages. It allows the FPGA vendors to customize the platform with very little cost and thereby support customer requirements very effectively. It allows customers to rapidly deploy these platforms in to their end -products since the devices are tailored as per their requirements. In summary, such a platform allows FPGA vendors to offer customized “Designer” platforms rather than generic capabilities and it allows customers to differentiate their product offerings. This arrangement leads to long-term sustainable business relationship between FPGA vendors and FPGA customers. | |
Reprinted from SOCcentral.com, your first stop for ASIC, FPGA, EDA, and IP news and design information. | |