FPGAs boost memory power, DSP functions

30th November 2017

Mick Elliott

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Datasheet

The iCE40UP3K and iCE40UP5K iCE40 UltraPlus FPGAs from Lattice Semiconductor are available at Mouser Electronics. The newest additions to Lattice’s iCE40 product family, the UltraPlus FPGA and sensor manager devices deliver eight times more memory, twice the number of digital signal processors (DSPs), and improved programmable input and outputs (I/Os) compared to previous generations of iCE40 products.

The FPGAs are both based on an advanced 40nm ultra-low-power process and boast up to 1024kbits of single-port RAM and a standby current as low as 100µA. The devices provide 21 total I/Os that can function as either general-purpose I/Os (GPIOs) or as SPI/I²C interface ports, with two programmable I/Os that can be used to interface to the higher-performance MIPI I3C bus for sensor-based applications.

The devices essentially differ in density, embedded block RAM (EBR), and DSPs: The iCE40UP3K FPGA features a density of 2800 Look Up Tables (LUTs), 20 EBR, and four DSP blocks. The more powerful iCE40UP5K FPGA offers 5280 LUTs, 30 EBR, and eight DSP blocks.

The iCE40 UltraPlus FPGAs are supported by two development tools, also available from Mouser. The iCE40 UltraPlus Mobile Development Platform includes four iCE40UP5K devices, Bluetooth module, LCD display, camera image sensor, microphones, and a suite of environmental sensors to help engineers evaluate the FPGAs for mobile applications.

The iCE40 UltraPlus Breakout Board is an easy-to-use platform that demonstrates the high-current LED drive capabilities of the FPGAs. The breakout board includes a single iCE40UP5K device and a pre-loaded demo to control the onboard RGB LED.

Among the industry’s most programmable mobile heterogeneous computing (MHC) solutions, the iCE40 Ultra Plus FPGA devices can interface with virtually all mobile sensors and application processors, enabling functions like voice recognition, gesture detection, facial recognition, and multi-layer graphics acceleration. These highly programmable devices are ideal for feature-rich devices, such as smartphones, wearables, drones, Internet of Things (IoT) edge devices, and human-machine interfaces.