Flexibility, Low Power Drive Mixed-signal Ics, Whether An Fpga Or Custom Asic

摘要

Industry experts still debate the field programmable gate array (FPGA) vs. custom application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) argument, but designers of both devices agree that flexibility and power efficiency drive current mixed-signal designs.rnThat argument will probably always exist, says Ken O'Neil, director of military marketing for FPGA designer Actel Corp. in San Jose, Calif. The only difference between now and 20 years ago is that FPGA gate count and power efficiency have tremendously increased, he adds.rnPower efficiency and flexibility are key attributes of the company's first mixed-signal line of FPGAs-called Fusion, O'Neil continues. The device combines mixed-signal analog, flash memory, and programmable logic fabric in a monolithic device. It meets small-size requests by putting functionality on one chip, O'Neil says.