Editor’s Note: This content is contributed by Maria Zaitchenko, Product Marketing Manager, AMD Cost-Optimized Portfolio Competitive Marketing.
Working with low-density FPGAs shouldn’t be a struggle—if you choose the right solution.
At AMD, we know FPGAs better than anyone. That's because we invented them. After 40 years of innovation, we're still obsessed with the technology and innovating in this space. We are always honored to collaborate with our customers on their designs across a wide spectrum of use cases and for designs both big and small.
At first glance, it may appear that there are many FPGA options catering to the market. A closer look will reveal that not all solutions are created equally, and indeed, some will not provide the levels of hardware or software capabilities needed for your design while remaining cost optimized.
Scalability across densities is also important to consider. Place-and-route algorithms take a long time to mature and deliver consistent design closure. This is even more true when compiling larger designs—closing timing for a 500K logic cell design requires a much more sophisticated and mature tool vs. a 50K logic cell design. Choosing a new and relatively immature FPGA development tool means a lot of manual work to close timing for your designs. And even then, achieving timing closure would typically come at the expense of using more logic and register resources—potentially creating power challenges and budgetary issues.
The AMD Vivado™ Design Suite is a single streamlined development tool for AMD FPGAs and adaptive SoCs. A completely integrated tool suite from a single vendor provides many advantages, including a shortened learning curve and a unified channel for design support. For over a decade, the Vivado Design Suite has been the FPGA place-and-route solution at AMD (and formerly at Xilinx) and continues to offer leadership design tools. In most cases, the Vivado tools can optimally compile and close timing in an automated, push-button way—achieving 100% timing closure at a 150 MHz FMAX target, while less mature tools on the market can struggle to meet timing.1 Particularly for cost-optimized designs, the Vivado tool offers a more streamlined solution. This can save engineering resources and shorten time to market with fewer design iterations.1
Another consideration related to time management is the cost of context switching. Why choose a solution that requires you to download possibly six different pieces of software, create licenses for all of them (because who doesn’t love managing more passwords), learn each tool, and then figure out how to interweave your single design in the context of each one? That seems frustrating. However, imagine if you could download one executable file for one tool that enables you to work on your entire design from start to finish, from RTL (or HLS, if you prefer) through compile and synthesis, place and route, and timing closure—and add all the IP you need (most for no additional cost). All in one place? Then look no further. AMD offers an extensive, free IP catalog of more than 500 functions and IP for a wide range of applications. Vivado is an end-to-end FPGA design suite built for developers and how they work. Push-button timing enables you to get your design right the first time, and the unified flow improves productivity. Combined with a fully fleshed out feature set and IP catalog, Vivado design tools helps minimize your design timelines and get to revenue faster.
Taking a more quantitative data-backed approach, we have run timing closure benchmarks, and done a thorough feature-level analysis of how AMD Vivado design tools stack up against alternative EDA tools on the market. For the full deep dive, check out WP559 to see how Vivado Design Suite is a scale above the rest for cost-optimized designs. Choose AMD Vivado Design Suite for a proven path to design success.
1 Based on place-and-route testing by AMD engineering in September 2024, using 26 open-core designs compiled with Vivado 2024.1 and Lattice Radiant Software 2024.1 in default mode, with the Artix UltraScale+ AU10P device vs. Lattice Mach LFMXO5 device @ 150 MHz FMAX target; and Kintex UltraScale+ KU5P device vs. Lattice Avant E70 device @ 200 MHz FMAX target. P&R performance will vary based on device, design, configuration, and other factors. (VIV-011)