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Siemens EDA ![]() Juergen Jaeger
Juergen Jaeger is the director of prototyping product strategy for Simens EDA. Prior to joining Siemens, Juergen was the director of product management at Cadence Design Systems, responsible for all FPGA-based prototyping activities. Prior to that he worked at Synopsys via the acquisition of … More » FPGA-based prototyping – to build, or to buy, that is the question!December 20th, 2024 by Juergen Jaeger
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:
While every engineer’s first inclination is “I can do it better, faster, cheaper”, let’s discuss just those three claims:
So, in the end, the case for commercial, off-the-shelf boards, like Siemens’ Veloce proFPGA CS, is strong:
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. Category: Siemens |