What is FPGA and its applications

Currently, embedded systems development field, in addition to the microcontroller, DSP, ARM, FPGA has become a popular direction. In particular, image processing , signal acquisition , communications field, etc. is widely used. Now, with the depth study of the development and application, FPGA in AI acceleration direction gradually demonstrate irreplaceable advantages.

A, FPGA basic concepts

What exactly is FPGA? Simply put, I think it is a piece of engineers can repeatedly, flexible programming of logic devices .
You should have heard of ASIC, that is, application specific integrated circuits. As the name suggests, it is to achieve a specific function and design. Once designed, the latter can not be improved. The FPGA can be repeatedly revised its function to be achieved through programming.
There also has a programmable characteristics ARM, DSP and the like, but both internal instructions are serially executed in. More programmed FPGA, the compiler will create the hardware for the hardware design language corresponding hardware circuit, each statement of separate parallel hardware. Thus, FPGA's biggest advantage is its parallel computing characteristic.

Two, FPGA basic structure

The basic structure of the FPGA mainly:

• Look-up table (LUT): logic for implementing various basic functions
• Flip-flop (FF): LUT for storing the output of register resources
• Input and output ports : FPGA chip and the external network interface resources
• Line : it is used to connect each module within the FPGA
• DSP48 block : Modified connected to a multiplier, then connected to a multiplier-accumulator

In addition, the FPGA also incorporates additional resources: (1) the FPGA chip memory, (2) PLL clock generator, (3) multiply-accumulate module, (4) the memory controller chip, (5) high-speed serial line transceiver.

Three, FPGA Applications

1. Timing Control

The timing control by software interrupts, as more fixed FPGA timing, and better real-time.

2. The signal acquisition (process)

Such as high speed ADC, the image sensor data acquisition.

3. prototyping, system-on-chip

Communications, image (video) real-time processing , an ASIC prototyping, high-performance computing (AI acceleration), and other fields.