Applications
Applications of FPGAs include digital signal processing, software-defined radio, ASIC prototyping, medical imaging, computer vision, speech recognition, cryptography, bioinformatics, computer hardware emulation, radio astronomy, metal detection and a growing range of other areas.
FPGAs originally began as competitors to CPLDs and competed in a similar space, that of glue logic for PCBs. As their size, capabilities, and speed increased, they began to take over larger and larger functions to the state where some are now marketed as full systems on chips (SoC). Particularly with the introduction of dedicated multipliers into FPGA architectures in the late 1990s, applications which had traditionally been the sole reserve of DSPs began to incorporate FPGAs instead.
Traditionally, FPGAs have been reserved for specific vertical applications where the volume of production is small. For these low-volume applications, the premium that companies pay in hardware costs per unit for a programmable chip is more affordable than the development resources spent on creating an ASIC for a low-volume application. Today, new cost and performance dynamics have broadened the range of viable applications.
Common FPGA Applications
- Aerospace and Defense
- Avionics/DO-254
- MILCOM
- Missiles & Munitions
- Secure Solutions
- Space
- ASIC Prototyping
- Audio
- Connectivity Solutions
- Portable Electronics
- Radio
- Digital Signal Processing (DSP)
- Automotive
- High Resolution Video
- Image Processing
- Vehicle Networking and Connectivity
- Automotive Infotainment
- Broadcast
- Real-Time Video Engine
- EdgeQAM
- Encoders
- Displays
- Switches and Routers
- Consumer Electronics
- Digital Displays
- Digital Cameras
- Multi-function Printers
- Portable Electronics
- Set-top Boxes
- Data Center
- Servers
- Security
- Routers
- Switches
- Gateways
- Load Balancing
- High Performance Computing
- Servers
- Super Computers
- SIGINT Systems
- High-end RADARS
- High-end Beam Forming Systems
- Data Mining Systems
- Industrial
- Industrial Imaging
- Industrial Networking
- Motor Control
- Medical
- Ultrasound
- CT Scanner
- MRI
- X-ray
- PET
- Surgical Systems
- Security
- Industrial Imaging
- Secure Solutions
- Image Processing
- Video & Image Processing
- High Resolution Video
- Video Over IP Gateway
- Digital Displays
- Industrial Imaging
- Wired Communications
- Optical Transport Networks
- Network Processing
- Connectivity Interfaces
- Wireless Communications
- Baseband
- Connectivity Interfaces
- Mobile Backhaul
- Radio
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