Renesas unveils ultra-low-power ForgeFPGA Family with software

Renesas Electronics Corporation, a supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, recently announced that it’s entering the field-programmable gate array (FPGA) market with a new line of low-cost, low-power devices. The ForgeFPGA Family will address the underserved market need for relatively small amounts of programmable logic that can be quickly and efficiently designed into cost-sensitive applications.

The new devices provide notable cost savings compared to other alternatives, including non-FPGA designs. By providing a high level of integration, they reduce overall board and system costs.

Their projected price in volume, of well under US$ 0.50, opens up applications that previously were unable to use FPGAs due to cost constraints including high-volume consumer and IoT applications.

The ForgeFPGA Family will serve applications that require less than 5,000 gates of logic, with initial device sizes of 1 and 2K Look Up Tables (LUTs). Standby power of less than 20 microamps is projected for the first devices, about half the power of competing devices. Users will be able to download the development software at no cost and with no license fees.

The software offers two development modes to accommodate both new and experienced FPGA developers: a macrocell mode that uses a schematic capture-based development flow, and an HDL mode that provides a familiar Verilog environment for FPGA veterans.

“Having scooped up programmable device maker Silego with its acquisition of Dialog earlier this year, Renesas seems determined to repeat Silego’s previous success with its ultra-low-end GreenPAK line of programmable mixed-signal devices and super-simple design tools,” said Steve Leibson, principal analyst, TIRIAS Research. “But this time in a low-end FPGA line that will appeal to many companies who just need a bit of programmable logic — a thousand gates or so — to get the job done in myriad products including billions of embedded sensors and IoT devices.”

The ForgeFPGA Family development team is the same group that introduced the successful GreenPAK programmable mixed-signal devices at Silego Technology, which came into the Renesas portfolio as part of the recently completed Dialog Semiconductor acquisition. The new FPGAs will use the same business model and infrastructure as the GreenPAK line: free, easy-to-use software with no license fees, and available worldwide applications support. This model has proved highly successful, with billions of GreenPAK devices already shipped amid continued growth.

“We are eager to extend our leadership in the small, low-cost, programmable market into FPGAs,” said Davin Lee, VP of the Mixed-Signal Division in Renesas’ IoT and Infrastructure Business Unit. “We know from experience and from direct conversations that these devices will appeal to companies large and small in numerous markets around the world.”

Features

Low power as low as 20 microamps standby
Low price in volume of well under US$ 0.50
Free, downloadable software with no license fees that includes both schematic capture and HDL modes
Proven ability to deliver very high volumes