Design
Issue I 2009
square4
.com
oasiasemiconductor
.eur
www
23
Drivers
ASIC development costs have skyrocketed in the segments has significantly grown, thanks to
recent times and are continuing to go up with consistent improvements in device technoloy.
the rapid adoption of smaller technology nodes. FPGAs have become highly complex, faster,
The costs easily run into US$ 40 Million plus, for cheaper and denser. Complete System-on-Chip
nodes 65 nm and smaller. The development time (SoC) solutions can be built using today’s FPGAs.
for such devices typically ranges between 12 to Additionally, they enable the designers to have
18 months, not considering the manufacturing access to advanced semiconductor technologies
issues. Rapidly evolving standards, the need to at an affordable cost.
differentiate similar products from multiple An interesting thing to take note of is the
vendors, shifting target markets, the need for Makimoto’s wave. Dr. Tsugio Makimoto who was
reuse and quicker time to profits have become with Sony Corporation and a veteran in the
important considerations for the product semiconductor industry, made an observation
companies. Compounding these aspects is the that the semiconductor industry swings between
fact that designs are carried out globally, rather standardization and customization approximately
than confined to a single location. The cost of every decade – like the swing of a pendulum.
“first silicon” is rising exponentially. It has gone Escalating costs of building chips and advancing
up six times from 0.35 micron to 90 nm technologies have led the movement towards
technology (Fig.1 -next page). In addition, the standardization and programmability. FPGAs are
product life cycles have shrunk rapidly and are an integral part of this journey! While devices are
approximately 1 year for large volume consumer ‘migrating’ towards standardization, applications
appliances. The demand peaks very steeply and are moving towards customization. FPGAs fit this
also fluctuates within this shorter duration! These scenario very aptly.
factors are increasingly driving designers The pace of adoption of FPGAs grew
towards less expensive options. significantly post the dotcom burst, in segments
Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) that never looked at these devices. An iSuppli
have emerged as a viable alternative. They have study puts FPGA growth in double digits
evolved considerably and meet such challenges exceeding 20%. Interestingly, there were 80000+
the designers face, innovatively. FRGAs FPGA design starts in 2005 and is expected to
acceptance in a wide range of vertical market grow to 110,000 by 2010. On the other hand,
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44