3 ms·

Perhaps this is why FPGAs are still relegated to mostly prototyping tools, or niche use cases where such low level reprogrammability is needed. For mainstream

Perhaps this is why FPGAs are still relegated to mostly prototyping tools, or niche use cases where such low level reprogrammability is needed. For mainstream use and high perf/low power you're maybe still better off doing custom synthesis.

YZF 5y ago
I'm not quite sure I'm parsing this right but I thought FPGAs were pretty widely used. If you're not using an FPGA then you either need some other general purpose hardware or you need an ASIC. An ASIC is a multi-million-dollar investment. There are many applications that need "hardware performance" but don't justify manufacturing an ASIC. As the parent says, you're likely to be targeting a specific FPGA for your application.
- duskwuff 5y ago
  > If you're not using an FPGA then you either need some other general purpose hardware or you need an ASIC. An ASIC is a multi-million-dollar investment. And if you are using an ASIC, most of the design is usually carried out in an HDL, just like an FPGA design. The end result may be different, but the process is similar.
- FPGAhacker 5y ago
  > I'm not quite sure I'm parsing this right but I thought FPGAs were pretty widely used. They are very widely used. Some iPhones used an FPGA. iPhone 7 had a small lattice FPGA. https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPhone+7+Teardown/67382 https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPhone+7+Teardown/67382
  - octoberfranklin 5y ago
    "FPGA" is a big space, like "processor". There are big server CPUs, and tiny microcontrollers. The FPGA in that iPhone is the FPGA version of a microcontroller. Those are very popular, as glue logic, and for kludging in emergency fixes after production has already begun. They are also not terribly difficult to program; you hardly even need an HDL, much like you often don't really need a compiler to program a microcontroller. All the "high level synthesis" pfaff is aimed at the big gigantic $20,000-per-chip FPGAs. Those have mostly been a big fat failure, except for a few big military and cryptocurrency-mining sales. They are wonderful for prototyping ASICs, but that application doesn't sell enough chips to be economically meaningful.

YZF 5y ago

I'm not quite sure I'm parsing this right but I thought FPGAs were pretty widely used. If you're not using an FPGA then you either need some other general purpose hardware or you need an ASIC. An ASIC is a multi-million-dollar investment. There are many applications that need "hardware performance" but don't justify manufacturing an ASIC. As the parent says, you're likely to be targeting a specific FPGA for your application.

duskwuff 5y ago
> If you're not using an FPGA then you either need some other general purpose hardware or you need an ASIC. An ASIC is a multi-million-dollar investment. And if you are using an ASIC, most of the design is usually carried out in an HDL, just like an FPGA design. The end result may be different, but the process is similar.
FPGAhacker 5y ago
> I'm not quite sure I'm parsing this right but I thought FPGAs were pretty widely used. They are very widely used. Some iPhones used an FPGA. iPhone 7 had a small lattice FPGA. https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPhone+7+Teardown/67382 https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPhone+7+Teardown/67382
- octoberfranklin 5y ago
  "FPGA" is a big space, like "processor". There are big server CPUs, and tiny microcontrollers. The FPGA in that iPhone is the FPGA version of a microcontroller. Those are very popular, as glue logic, and for kludging in emergency fixes after production has already begun. They are also not terribly difficult to program; you hardly even need an HDL, much like you often don't really need a compiler to program a microcontroller. All the "high level synthesis" pfaff is aimed at the big gigantic $20,000-per-chip FPGAs. Those have mostly been a big fat failure, except for a few big military and cryptocurrency-mining sales. They are wonderful for prototyping ASICs, but that application doesn't sell enough chips to be economically meaningful.