Prototyping the Future of Semiconductors!

Prototyping the Future of Semiconductors!
by Daniel Nenni on 09-28-2015 at 12:00 pm

With major semiconductor mergers and acquisitions running rampant in 2015 (more than double the M&A activity in 2014), the question is where will we go from here? There are many different ways to slice this but for this blog let’s talk about the thousands of semiconductor professionals that will be changing jobs as a result … Read More


A Brief History of FPGA Prototyping

A Brief History of FPGA Prototyping
by Paul McLellan on 09-25-2015 at 7:00 am

Verifying chip designs has always suffered from a two-pronged problem. The first problem is that actually building silicon is too expensive and too slow to use as a verification tool (when it happens, it is not a good thing and is called a “re-spin”). The second problem is that simulation is, and has always been, too slow.

When Xilinx… Read More


FPGA Prototyping: From Homebrew to Integrated Solutions

FPGA Prototyping: From Homebrew to Integrated Solutions
by Paul McLellan on 09-16-2015 at 7:01 am

Years ago, when FPGA prototyping started, there were no solutions that you could go out and buy and everything was created as a one-off: buy some FPGAs or an FPGA-based board, and put it all together. It was a lot of effort, nobody really knew in advance how long it would take, there was very limited visibility for debug and the whole … Read More


Conquering the Next IoT Challenges with FPGA-Based Prototyping

Conquering the Next IoT Challenges with FPGA-Based Prototyping
by Daniel Nenni on 07-12-2015 at 12:00 pm

The need for ever-connected devices is skyrocketing. As I fiddle with my myriad of electronic devices that seem to power my life, I usually end up wishing that all of them could be interconnected and controlled through the Internet. The truth is, only a handful of my devices are able to fulfill that wish, but the need is there and developers… Read More


This is how FPGA Prototyping Works

This is how FPGA Prototyping Works
by Majeed Ahmad on 07-02-2015 at 1:00 pm

FPGA prototyping has come a long way since the late 1980s when chipmakers began using FPGA devices for building system prototypes of ASIC designs. The utility of a working FPGA prototype allows hardware designers to develop and test their systems, and it provides software developers early access to a fully functioning hardware… Read More


Realize the Genius of Your Design!

Realize the Genius of Your Design!
by Daniel Nenni on 05-21-2015 at 1:00 pm

I think we can all agree that no matter what you are designing, FPGA prototyping can help. The challenge is getting the most out of the leading edge FPGA prototyping solutions and that requires a detailed understanding of how this technology works and what FPGA prototyping solutions match your design and verification requirements.… Read More


S2C’s Virtex UltraScale Prototyping Provides Designers Much Needed Flexibility

S2C’s Virtex UltraScale Prototyping Provides Designers Much Needed Flexibility
by Majeed Ahmad on 05-18-2015 at 12:00 pm

The advent of large system-on-chip (SoC) designs has brought FPGA prototyping hardware into the limelight and the launch of S2C Inc.’s Single VU440 Prodigy Logic Module just shows how far off-the-shelf prototyping has come in a bid to complement hardware verification and software development. Hardware verification… Read More


A Vision for FPGA Prototyping Realized

A Vision for FPGA Prototyping Realized
by Daniel Nenni on 04-27-2015 at 7:00 am

FPGA prototyping is beginning its move to the forefront of design and verification. More and more companies are turning to this technology not only for in-circuit testing and earlier software development but also for refining, validating, and implementing chip architecture. The increases in design size and complexity as well… Read More


Prototyping Over 100 Million ASIC Gates Capacity

Prototyping Over 100 Million ASIC Gates Capacity
by Daniel Payne on 05-10-2013 at 12:42 pm

Most SoCs today are being prototyped in FPGA hardware before committing to costly IC fabrication. You could just design and build your own FPGA prototyping system, or instead choose something off the shelf and then concentrate on your core competence of SoC design.

Thanks to the FPGA vendors like Xilinx we now have FGPA prototyping… Read More


ASIC Prototyping: Dini Group and Tektronix

ASIC Prototyping: Dini Group and Tektronix
by Daniel Payne on 11-25-2012 at 7:00 pm

Collaboration in EDA is nothing new, however you may not be aware of how the Dini Group and Tektronix have worked together on an FPGA prototyping platform to address issues like debugging with full visibility across an entire multi-FPGA design. At SemiWiki we’ve blogged a couple of times so far about the new debug approach… Read More