Lattice launches its ‘most integrated’ FPGA
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Lattice Semiconductor has expanded the iCE40 range of FPGAs with the addition of the Ultra family, said to deliver a range of functionality that allows designers to implement features that differentiate their products.
According to the company, iCE40 Ultra FPGAs deliver five times more functionality than competing solutions while requiring 30% less board space. Power consumption is also said to 75% less than in previous devices.
The iCE40 Ultra family integrates LED drivers, multipliers and accumulators, serial interfaces and a range of hardened IP to provide 'ASSP like integration'.
Joy Wrigley, senior product line manager for ultra low density products, said the Ultra family is the 'most integrated' of iCE40 devices. "It's like merging an ASSP with programmable fabric," she claimed.
Asked what makes it different to other devices, she pointed to the 'DSP like' functionality. "We are being asked to support more and more lightweight 'DSP like' calculations. However, while our customers don't want dedicated DSP blocks, they need to manipulate data into information."
This is accomplished through four blocks, comprising 16x16 MACs and 32bit accumulators. Other hardened blocks in the Ultra range include a programmable PLL and a 48MHz oscillator. Alongside hardened blocks are up to 3520 LUTs.
The iCE40 Ultra is available in a 36ball wafer level chip scale package measuring 2.1 x 2.1mm and in a 20ball WLCSP measuring 2.1 x 1.7mm.
