Using an Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) in an embedded application can help designers continue to push the envelope of design and development, especially when traditional chipset architectures are so inefficient for specialized computing.
The technological landscape is constantly changing, and designers need a reconfigurable platform that helps them keep up with new challenges. Experts in this area contend that FPGAs in embedded systems offer important advantages for use in applications like vision systems, sensor fusion, edge computing, embedded AI, and more.
Many feel that the specialization available in FPGAs is highly desirable in applications like military embedded computing, edge computing systems in industries like banking and finance, telecom, aerospace, and any other area where IP protection is critical.
More advanced systems that must dedicate power to intensive computing tasks, including things like on-device AI and blockchain, can greatly benefit from the specialization available in FPGAs.
FPGAs are useful because they can be included in embedded systems in multiple form factors and architectures such as everything on a single board. This is the standard approach to developing a new product with an FPGA. If you’ve already demonstrated a prototype and tested your application, using a custom board gives you much more control over system architecture. You could even design the board to require a smaller FPGA.
FPGAs can also start with an SoM where third-party SoMs are available or you can design a custom SoM. You’ll then need to design a base board that matches the pinout and provides connections to other components not found on the SoM. It’s also common to use a custom interposer board to interface two different embedded products.
Want to learn more? Tonex offers Essential FPGA Design for Embedded Systems, a 2-day course that teaches you the foundation for field-programmable gate array (FPGA) applied to embedded systems and advanced sensors.
Participants will learn about the fundamentals FPGA design focusing on Embedded Systems. You will learn what an FPGA is, how to use the technology, methodology to select the best FPGA architecture, software tools for FPGA development, and practical FPGA digital design best practices.
For more information, questions, comments, contact us.