The Future of Embedded FPGAs – eFPGA: The Proof is in the Tape Out

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circuitcellar.com, Jan. 25, 2022 – 

Embedded FPGA (eFPGA) is the next big market for semiconductor IP. It can be used on almost every kind of digital chip and has a significant software value add as well–much like the market for embedded processors. When it comes to chip design, eFPGA provides competitive advantages that can add up to millions of dollars in savings and flexibility that wasn't possible until now. Because eFPGA enables designers to make changes after RTL is frozen, chip designers have the flexibility to make changes at any point in the chip's life span, even in the customers' systems. This eliminates many expensive chip spins and enables chip designers to start addressing many customers and applications with the same chips. It also extends the life of chips and systems because designers are now able to update their chips as protocols and standards change.

According to Gartner, the market share of semiconductors with eFPGA is expected to approach $10 billion in 2023 with greater than 50% compounded annual growth. However, like any high growth market, achieving such rapid market adoption is not just about having amazingly innovative technology. It also needs to be very easy to implement or integrate into existing projects and design teams. That's where eFPGA shines. In fact, citing one of our recent customer tape-outs, the whole process took only two and a half months from IP delivery on a FinFET process–and the silicon worked the first time!

CUSTOMER ADOPTION

One of the reasons that eFPGA is taking off so quickly is because it's applicable to such a wide range of markets and applications. In the defense market, DARPA [1] is using it for their chip development and recently expanded the availability of eFPGA to its research teams. Networking companies are using it so that their accelerators can now reside in the eFPGA on the same chip as the data processing unit (DPU), which reduces BOM costs, system power and improves performance. Wireless communications companies are leveraging eFPGA to make their base stations more flexible in order to allow for customization and real-time updating of protocols and algorithms. Aerospace companies such as Boeing [2] are even using it to enable their aerospace systems to be smaller, lighter and consume less power. The list of applications goes on and on–and also includes applications in storage, AI and MCU-IoT. All of these use cases–and more I've not mentioned–are all benefiting from the flexibility, power savings and reduced cost that eFPGA provides.

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