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In the previous article, I introduced that manufacturers dealing with in-vehicle products are recommended to have “introduction of FPGA” as one of the materials for consideration.
Due to trends in automotive products, we anticipate that conventional semiconductors such as SoCs and CPUs will find it difficult to meet OEM requirements.
On the other hand, the more the trend accelerates, the more cases there are to benefit from the introduction of FPGAs.
From the explanation in the above article, I hope you have understood the potential benefits of introducing FPGA.
However, even if there are merits, there may be some people who are wondering whether the introduction of PGA is really realistic.
Many of our customers have negative perceptions of FPGAs, such as "extremely expensive," "unsuitable for mass production," and "too high power consumption."
However, in recent years, the drawbacks of FPGAs and the hurdles to their introduction have actually improved considerably. In-vehicle products are also fully realistic.
In this article, we will “explain the current situation” in response to the “old perception of FPGA” that we often hear from our customers.
Please use it as a reference for deciding whether it is realistic to consider introduction.
The downsides of FPGAs are becoming a thing of the past
1. overpriced semiconductors
The cost of FPGAs is probably the first thing that comes to mind as a disadvantage.
SoCs and CPU Conventional semiconductors such as 1 While it costs several hundred yen per piece, FPGA I have the impression that some customers think that it will cost more than tens of thousands of yen.
However, in recent years, it has been applied to products in all fields, mainly smartphones and home appliances. FPGA has spread, and the amount on the market has increased, so the unit price is lower than in the past
It's going down a lot.
The price difference is narrowing compared to conventional semiconductors, so even if the unit price itself is a little higher, FPGA flexibility” to reduce total design and development costs
There is a good chance that it can be suppressed. For example, until now, different semiconductors have been used for each car model, requiring board development and revision for each.
Suppose it was
FPGA is the same regardless of the model FPGA can be used, board development and revision can be done in one step. As a result, the “total cost” is
It is quite possible that there are cases in which it is possible to suppress it more than when using conventional semiconductors.
in this way" FPGA “There are fewer and fewer cases where implementation is so expensive that it is impractical.
2. Evaluation semiconductors that are not suitable for mass production
FPGA, which has the advantage of being able to rewrite circuit data, is suitable for pre-verification of desired functions.
for example, OEM In order to select the optimum parts that can realize the requirements from the customer, it is possible to repeatedly try "what kind of semiconductor circuit can realize it".
especially in the automotive industry FPGA There is a strong impression that the product is for evaluation purposes, and many customers think that it is not suitable for mass production.
You can take advantage of the flexibility and repeat verification, but the unit price and power consumption are high, so you may think that it is difficult to use for mass production.
Indeed, as mentioned FPGA was originally a very expensive semiconductor. The flexibility feature would not have been necessary for mass production.
also in general FPGA It was not used for mass-produced semiconductors, but was only used for high-cost, low-volume production of industrial equipment and communication equipment.
However, in recent years FPGA prices have dropped significantly. Also, from the trend "FPGA There is also a demand for the feature of "rewritable".
For example, customization and model changes are becoming more frequent due to market changes and differentiation from other companies.
It is necessary to respond to them with a sense of urgency. ASICs cannot be rewritten, it cannot respond to changes in the market.
in line with specifications ASICs It is conceivable that there will be an increasing number of cases where there is not enough time to design from scratch over several years.
In this day and age, FPGAs are of course suitable for evaluation, but with the trend of demanding “development and design with a sense of speed,” the feature of being rewritable is also suitable for mass production.
The number of cases where the benefits are great will continue to increase.
3. Semiconductors with too high power consumption
I feel that many customers have the perception that FPGA consumes too much power.
Especially in recent years, there is a tendency to demand the use of semiconductors with low power consumption from the perspective of SDGs and carbon neutrality.
For customers who think that FPGA consumes a lot of power, I think it is becoming more and more difficult to consider it.
Certainly, due to its flexibility, FPGA consumes more power than conventional semiconductors such as SoC and CPU.
but, FPGA With the evolution of the process and technological innovation, it is also used in mass-produced products such as battery-powered smartphones and wristwatches. FPGA at the time when the
It's becoming
Although the power consumption is still higher than that of conventional semiconductors, there is ample possibility of achieving a level of low power consumption worthy of considering its introduction.
In fact, even Macnica FPGA By effectively taking advantage of the flexibility of
There's a case.
Four. Above all, design and development hurdles are extremely high
In the explanation so far, I believe you understand that in recent years, the disadvantages of FPGAs have been improved, and that their advantages have actually become greater.
However, when it comes to actually implementing it, design and development may seem like a major hurdle.
surely, FPGA In the design and development of FPGA The need to use a dedicated language also makes the hurdles high.
In most cases, your company probably does not have staff with experience in design and development, so you start from a state where you don't know the development flow or the development period.
Become.
Therefore, in recent years, partner companies have set up systems that can handle everything from design and development to verification, making it easier for manufacturers with no development or design experience to implement the system.
Macnica also sells "Requests in PowerPoint". 1 All you have to do is summarize it in a few sheets, and we will propose the optimal design and development and even conduct verification.
For customers, "just do normal hardware design" FPGA can be introduced.
Also, in terms of costs, the outsourced development costs for FPGAs are significantly lower than the initial investment for ASICs.
Even compared to outsourcing costs for SoC, there is a good chance that it will be kept low.
In fact, there have been cases where the price has become so low that customers have said, "It's much cheaper than the outsourcing cost of SoC."
Furthermore, FPGAs have the advantage of being highly flexible, allowing you to keep the total cost low by reusing the same board, and making various improvements.
FPGA Don't worry, Macnica will also suggest ways to consider the cost benefits of using .
FPGA Even for manufacturers that do not have staff knowledgeable about the technology, the hurdles for design and development have become much lower. FPGA This is the current situation.
Advancing use in ADAS, infotainment, etc.
The disadvantages and introduction hurdles of FPGAs are being improved, and the trend is also great, so the introduction of in-vehicle products is already on the rise.
To give you an idea of how FPGAs are actually used, we would like to introduce three examples that we proposed at Macnica.
・Example of ADAS (advanced driver assistance system) [1]
We proposed a method to combine information output from multiple camera sensors into one by FPGA and send it to SoC.
・Example of infotainment [2]
We proposed a method of branching the data output from the SoC with an FPGA and outputting video signals to three displays.
・Example of infotainment [3]
We proposed a method of receiving the data output from the SoC in the FPGA, performing local dimming processing and image processing in parallel on the FPGA, and outputting the video signal to the display.
We are considering how to reduce the total cost and power consumption by taking advantage of the high degree of flexibility.
By all means, after understanding the current state of FPGA, please consider “introducing FPGA” as one of the options when considering it.
Introduction of FPGA "Nexus" series, which is easy to benefit from in-vehicle products
Finally, we would like to introduce the Nexus Series, an FPGA that Macnica recommends for automotive products.
There are several FPGAs that offer advantages in automotive products, but this is one of the most outstanding semiconductors.
Feature 1. AEC-Q100 / ISO 26262 certified
Compatible with automotive grade FPGA as a device “AEC-Q100 has been authenticated”.
again, FPGA The tool software used when designing the ISO26262” Since we can provide products that have been certified by
can be used.
Feature 2.Low power consumption
The Nexus series uses “FD-SOI,” which enables low power consumption.
It features high performance and small logic, lower power consumption than other FPGAs, and a small package.
There is also an article introducing "this Nexus series", so please refer to the following as well.
Summary
In this article, we reported on the current situation in response to the following four perceptions of FPGAs, which are frequently asked by customers.
1. overpriced semiconductors
2. Evaluation semiconductors that are not suitable for mass production
3. Semiconductors with too high power consumption
4. Above all, design and development hurdles are extremely high
The unit price of “FPGA” is much lower than before. Therefore, there are cases where it is advantageous not only for evaluation but also for mass production.
We can take advantage of flexibility and respond to trends with a sense of speed, so we will be in more and more situations in the future.
Also, power consumption tends to be lower than before.
As for design and development, we currently have a system in place to handle everything from design and development to verification at partner companies.
In this way, the disadvantages and introduction hurdles of FPGA are being improved. By all means, after grasping the current state of FPGA, please bring the introduction of FPGA as one of the materials for consideration.
If you have any questions regarding this article, please contact us below.