1Introduction

IntroductionIntroduction

2Introduction

Why Programmable Logic ?Why Programmable Logic ?

Custom logic without NRE— needed for product differentiation

Fast time to market— shorter design life in a competitive world

In-system programmability— simpler manufacturing logistics— easy field upgrade— feature swapping

3Introduction

Users ExpectUsers Expect

Logic capacity— 50,000 to a million gates

Clock speed— 100 MHz and above

Cost— reasonable premium over ASICs

Design effort and time— powerful synthesis, fast compile times

Power consumption— must stay within limits

4Introduction

Recent DevelopmentsRecent Developments

Deep submicron arrivedunexpectedly early— 0.5µ-0.35µ-0.25µ-0.18µ-?

Deep submicron technologyprovides “for free”— speed, density, low cost

But it requires voltage migration— 5 V - 3.3 V - 2.5 V - 1.8 V - 1.5 V - ?

5Introduction

Design AlternativesDesign Alternatives

Microprocessors— Ideal, if fast enough

Gates, MSI, PALs— Outdated, inefficient inflexible

Dedicated Standard Chip Sets— Cheap, but no product differentiation

ASICs— Only for rock-stable, high-volume designs

Programmable Logic— For flexibility and performance

6Introduction

ASICs Are Becoming ASICs Are Becoming Less AttractiveLess Attractive

Non-recurring engineering cost increases— more masking steps, more expensive masks

Minimum order quantity rises— larger wafers, smaller die

Silicon capability exceeds user requirements

Suppliers are leaving this overly competitive market

7Introduction

1/91 1/92 1/93 1/94 1/95 1/96 1/97 1/98 1/99

Year

CapacitySpeedPrice

FPGAs Are Gaining AcceptanceFPGAs Are Gaining Acceptance

> 20x Bigger

> 5x Faster

> 50x Cheaper1

10

100

8Introduction

FPGAs Are Good EnoughFPGAs Are Good Enough

Adequate capacity, performance, price— 200,000 gates, 85 MHz in 1998— 1,000,000 gates, 200 MHz in 1999

Standard product advantages— steep learning curve, cost decline— performance gain, speed binning

IC manufacturing is best at mass-production— custom devices have an inherent disadvantage

9Introduction

FPGAs are FPGAs are Good EnoughGood Enough Better Better

Deep submicron ASIC design is difficult— second-order effects burden the traditional logic

abstraction— system designer needs help from EE

Verification is very time consuming

Hardware/software integration is delayed— until a working chip is delivered.

10Introduction

FPGAs Are BetterFPGAs Are Better

User can focus on logic, not circuits Xilinx solves all circuit problems

— clock delay and skew— interconnect delay— crosstalk— I/O standards

FPGAs are 100% tested by generic test methods Easy verification, incremental design Early hardware/software integration

11Introduction

FPGAs Are FPGAs Are BetterBetter Vastly Superior Vastly Superior Avoid the ASIC re-spin cost

— design error or market change Avoid the ASIC inventory risk

— over- or under-inventory— obsolescence

Reprogrammability— last-minute design modifications— last-step system customization— field hardware upgrades— reconfiguration per application— reconfiguration per task

ASICs will never offer these features

12Introduction

The Programmable FrontierThe Programmable FrontierThen: 1998 250k gates

100 MHz

$5

Now: 1999 1 Million gates

170 MHz FIFO 420 MHz frequency counter

$295 for SpartanXL— 1¢ per Logic Cell

$120 for XC9500XL— 3¢ per Macrocell

Four times bigger and twice as fast at half the price… In ONE year!

13Introduction

CPLDs Complement FPGAsCPLDs Complement FPGAs

CPLD strengths— Wide address decoding— Synchronous state machines— Short combinatorial pin-to-pin delays

Ideal for glue logic— Low-cost— Single-chip— Non-volatile— In-System Programmable

Quick and easy to use

14Introduction

The Compelling Conclusion:The Compelling Conclusion:Programmable is the Way to Go!Programmable is the Way to Go!

FPGAs provide performance and flexibility— The performance of custom-hardware— The ease of design and inherent flexibility of a

microprocessor solution FPGAs avoid the risks of ASICs

— The design risk— The time-to-market risk— The inventory risk

CPLDs provide a fast, low-cost alternative— Good for simple designs

15Introduction

Use the web to improve hardware design productivityand

enable Internet-reconfigurable applications for YOUR customers

Silicon XpressoSilicon Xpresso Interactive web-based design tools and support

— WebFITTER— software release 1.5i— support.xilinx.com— Internet Team-based Design (ITD)

Internet Reconfigurable Logic— Tools for the end product

– Java API for Boundary Scan– JBits

— Remote debugging and field upgrades— Internet Appliances

16Introduction

Xilinx Solutions in This SeminarXilinx Solutions in This Seminar

Simple, Low-cost Solutions

100+MHz System Solutions

Design Productivity Solutions

17Introduction

You need not be rich or a geniusto use our programmable logic

Simple, Low-cost SolutionsSimple, Low-cost Solutions

Xilinx offers low-cost CPLD and FPGA devices and a low-cost Foundation software package

The devices are fast and have systems-oriented features

The software is powerful and easy to use.

18Introduction

You can achievereliable and predictable performance

– automatically

100+MHz System Solutions100+MHz System Solutions

The Virtex family provides efficient solutions for:— Electrical and thermal issues— I/O, logic, and memory design

Alliance software provides powerful tools for a variety of design styles

19Introduction

You can create large FPGA designswithout having to “re-invent the wheel”

Design Productivity SolutionsDesign Productivity Solutions

Designs are getting larger and more complex— Design times are getting shorter— Fast time-to-market is crucial

Xilinx offers design methodologies and well-documented, proven logic cores that increase productivity and reduce risk

20Introduction

Three new Xilinx familiesThree new Xilinx families

SpartanXL— 3.3-V low-cost FPGA— 5,000 to 40,000 gates

XC9500XL— 3.3-V In-System Programmable CPLD— up to 200 MHz

Virtex— next-generation FPGA with system features— up to a million gates

This seminar highlights the applications of these three families

21Introduction

Families Not In This SeminarFamilies Not In This Seminar

XC3000A, XC3100A— for existing designs

XC4000E, ’EX, ’XL, ’XLA, ’XV— the industry’s most successful FPGAs

XC5200— for existing designs

XC1700— Serial configuration PROMs for all families

22Introduction

Xilinx Solutions in This SeminarXilinx Solutions in This Seminar

Simple, Low-cost Solutions

100+MHz System Solutions

Design Productivity Solutions