Applications of Field Programmable Gate Array - An Overview

Field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) represent the currently the most popular and also the newest media for designing application specific integrated digital circuits. They contain an array of a large number of programmable sequential and combinational logic elements (called gates, logic blocks or look up tables). The array of such logic blocks, literally a sea of them, is distributed across a digital chip through interconnections that are programmable. This array is surrounded by a programmable input/output blocks.

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Unlike Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), where an IC is built dedicatedly for a particular application, FPGAs can be programmed at the user’s end to suit the desired application. Although one time programmable versions of FPGAs are available in the market, the most common ones in use currently are the ones based on SRAM that can be reprogrammed as and when necessary.

FPGAs grant programmers the liberty to change the designs at a later phase in the design cycle – even after the entire product has been completely manufactured and deployed to the end-user. In many advanced devices, it is also possible to complete field updates remotely, reducing the costs required for re-designing or updating an electronic system manually.

FPGAs are truly parallel in nature. So, different processes do not compete for the same resource. As a result, the performance of one part of a FPGA does not get hampered even when more processing is added. By incorporating millions of logic blocks in a single IC chip, a single FPGA can replace thousands of discrete digital logic components.

FPGAs have undergone a stunning development in the fields of size and performance owing to a number of factors such as the increasing adoption of finer chips with geometries as small as 28nm, use of faster communication links, high levels of integration, enhanced logics, innovative designs and specialized cores.

Improvements in FPGAs has led to a significant rise in their use in various embedded computing systems in application areas governed by space, weight and power, such as aerospace and military. FPGAs are rising to prominence while providing solutions to such demanding applications owing to their ability to handle complex and massive parallel processing. Their operating speeds are also massive – they can perform tens of thousands of calculations per clock time.

Applications of FPGA:

Due to their programmable nature, FPGAs are the ideal devices for many applications from a variety of markets including, but not limited to:

Aerospace and defense: For applications such as radiation tolerance, image processing, partial reconfiguration of SDRs and waveform generation

Automotive: For driver assistance systems, in-vehicle infotainment, convenience and comfort

Broadcasting: for devices used to adapt to changing requirements of faster broadcasting and solutions for professional, high-end broadcast systems

Consumer electronics: for next-generation consumer applications such as digital flat panel displays, information devices, set top boxes and cost effective consumer electronics solution

Medical: For monitoring, diagnostics and therapy related applications

Wireless Communication: for transport, connectivity and networking solutions for wireless devices

The global Scenario:

The global market of FPGA devices is huge. If market analysts are to be believed, this market had an estimated worth of nearly USD 5.08 billion in 2012. According to Transparency Market Research, a US based market intelligence firm, this market could observe growth at a CAGR of 8.5% in the next five years and reach a market value worth USD 8.95 billion by 2019.

The growth of this industry in the coming years could be contributed to the growing popularity of tablet computers, smart phones and palmtops. The rise in use of electronic devices in automotives and hybrid vehicles also pose good growth opportunities for this industry.