Embedded FPGA (eFPGA) technology continues to gain momentum as system-on-chip (SoC) designers look to incorporate reconfigurability into their communications and data center chips. Then there are the Internet of Things (IoT), industrial, consumer, and aerospace/defense industries, which leverage eFPGA technology to enable a single SoC to serve multiple applications, each with slightly different requirements.
eFPGA technology allows developers to significantly extend the lifespan of chips by increasing the flexibility of their SoC designs. In addition, it can pay off high development costs over a longer period of time.
Flex Logix CEO Geoff Tate is now comfortable claiming that eFPGA technology has grown far beyond the novel IP seen only in verification and test chips five years ago. "Over the past five years to December 2021, we have seen a compound annual growth rate of 71% in the number of licenses, the majority of which are used to produce chips."
Flex Logix claims to have licensed its EFLX eFPGA IP to 32 SoC developers, including Air Force Research Laboratory, Boeing, DARPA, Datang Telecom/MorningCore Technology, Renesas/Dialog, Sandia National Labs, SiFive and Socionext. The company's eFPGA IP is available for 7 nm, 12 nm, 16 nm, 22 nm, 28 nm, and 40 nm process nodes, with plans to release more advanced nodes in the future.
Figure 1 The modular composition of EFLX allows designers to distribute the eFPGA fabric across the chip
Flex Logix's EFLX technology enables chip developers to implement eFPGAs ranging from a few thousand look-up tables (LUTs) to hundreds of thousands of LUTs at a density per square millimeter similar to that of leading FPGA vendors in the same generation process. Additionally, its modular design enables developers to distribute arrays throughout the chip, with full logic or heavy-duty DSPs, and integrate RAM into multiple types of arrays.
More IP contracts are in the works
Another eFPGA IP vendor announced to be licensed is Menta. A French eFPGA IP provider has signed a strategic partnership with Trusted Semiconductor Solutions, which produces radiation-hardened ICs on export control technology nodes. Defense customers can work directly with Trusted Semiconductor to specify their programmability needs based on Menta's IP and then tune them based on the target foundry technology.
QuickLogic was another eFPGA IP vendor that showed it won a contract. In June 2020, the San Jose, California-based semiconductor company launched the QuickLogic Open Reconfigurable Computing (QORC) program, which equips hardware and software developers with tools supported by both the user community and QuickLogic.
Next, in September 2021, QuickLogic introduced the Australis eFPGA IP Generator, which enables chip developers to define and implement custom eFPGA IP in a simple and highly automated manner. Its standard cell design methodology allows SoC designers to generate custom eFPGA IP that can be delivered in two to three months.
Figure 2 Australis is the culmination of three decades of experience in FPGA technology
Ustralis can produce eFPGA IP for different processes in different foundries. QuickLogic claims to support the 22nm node on three of the world's most popular fab processes. The company also hinted at announcing more eFPGA contract wins in 2022.
