Almost as long as FPGAs have been around, they have been used to prototype ASICs, SoCs, and IPs. While initially, the only option for users was to build their own prototyping board, that quickly changed with many commercial prototyping boards becoming available from vendors large and small. Ever since, the large question for users has been, should I develop and build or buy my boards?

Now, consider the pros and cons of this “build vs. buy” debate. But before that, probably the first question to ask yourself is what do you want the FPGA-based prototype to do? Having that answer allows you to consider the right priorities and trade-offs inherent in the decision to build or not to build a board.  Let’s assume you buy rather than build, which commercial solution should you purchase? Key questions to ask yourself here are:

• What is the primary use mode, HW (RTL) verification or SW validation?
• How many FPGAs per board/system are needed to handle my design (e.g. single vs. multi-FPGA)?
• How many boards will I need?
• What physical at-speed interfaces do I need?
• What is the minimum performance the FPGA board must run at?
• What is my budget?

While every engineer’s first inclination is “I can do it better, faster, cheaper”, let’s discuss just those three claims:

• Better? Maybe, but …
  Do you have the expertise and tools to design a board with an FPGA with several thousand pins?
  Have you considered scalability and reuse for future projects?

• Faster? Certainly not …
  We are talking about a total development time of 6 – 9 months!
  What about potential board re-spins?

• Cheaper? Most likely not …
  Have you accounted for the development costs, not just the final bill-of-material?
  What about manufacturing yield and repair/rework costs?

So, in the end, the case for commercial, off-the-shelf boards, like Siemens’ Veloce proFPGA CS, is strong:

• Lowest cost, no upfront (development) costs. You pay for what you buy and use
• Immediate availability, no months–long development cycles
• High-quality, thoroughly tested, certified, and supported systems
• Expert support
• No schedule risk

And let’s not forget, the hardware itself.  The FPGA board, is just one part of what is needed to take full advantage of the benefits an FPGA-based prototype system can provide. What is also required is the complementary implementation and debug software, from RTL-compile over multi-FPGA partitioning to debug instrumentation and runtime control. Only the combination can unleash the full potential of what FPGA-based prototyping promises.

FPGA-based prototyping is essential for any SoC and digital chip design and verification.

Choosing the right prototyping solution is critical for success, as is considering all options, including hardware and software aspects, when deciding on a solution that is right for your requirements!

To learn more, download the Veloce proFPGA CS factsheet or contact us at 1-800-547-3000.