Large, low-cost FPGA touted as ASIC, ASSP alternative

Ismini Scouras

eeProductCenter (08/08/2005 9:23 PM ET)

San Jose, Calif—Altera Corp. is offering what it claims is the largest, low-cost field programmable gate array (FPGA) with densities of more than 68K logic elements, up to 1.1-Mbits of embedded RAM and 150 dedicated 18 X 18 multipliers to support high-performance DSP applications.

The Cyclone II EP2C70 device is based on a 1.2-V, 90-nm SRAM process. It features phased-locked loops for system clock management and high-speed external memory interface support for SRAM and DRAM devices.

The device supports differential and single-ended I/O standards, including LVDS at data rates up to 805-Mbits/s for the receiver and 640-Mbits/s for the transmitter, and 64-bit, 66-MHz PCI and PCI-X for interfacing with processors and ASSP and ASIC devices.

Its features make it a compelling alternative to ASIC and ASSP devices, according to the company.

“The EP2C70 device is the uncontested density leader in the low-cost FPGA market and it is now available from distributors around the world,” said Steve Mensor, Altera’s senior director of product marketing for low-cost FPGAs, in a statement. “When it comes to FPGAs in the low-cost market segment, delivering product in volume from the start is paramount for customer success.”

Its ability to offer 68K logic elements, 1.1-Mbits of embedded memory and 150 dedicated 18 X 18 multipliers is said to yield over 40% more dedicated DSP resources than competing devices. Using the dedicated DSP resources, designers can implement video and image processing applications such as MPEG4 encoding and decoding, video filtering and wireless infrastructure applications.

The EP2C70 device is available in two packages. The EP2C70F672C8 is packaged in a 672-FBGA and costs $235 each. The EP2C70F896C8 is packaged in an 896-FPGA and costs $255 each.

The EP2C70 is one of four members of the Cyclone II family available today. The remaining two devices, the EP2C5 and EP2C50, will be available this month.

For more information, click here: www.altera.com/literature/hb/cyc2/cyc2_cii5v1_01.pdf.

Altera Corp., 1-408-544-7000, www.altera.com