FPGA Applications

FPGAs have moved far beyond simple glue logic and prototyping. Today they accelerate data centers, process video in real-time, implement software-defined radio, run custom AI inference engines, and serve as the platform for rapid hardware prototyping. This topic surveys the diverse applications that make FPGAs one of the most versatile tools in digital design.

Objectives

• Identify application domains where FPGAs excel over CPUs/GPUs/ASICs
• Understand FPGA advantages: parallelism, reconfigurability, low latency
• Describe FPGA use in prototyping, DSP, networking, and AI
• Evaluate when to choose an FPGA vs alternatives
• Recognize current FPGA platforms and development boards

Key Takeaways

• FPGAs excel at parallel, low-latency, reconfigurable processing
• Prototyping: verify ASIC designs and iterate quickly
• Signal processing: SDR, video, audio with hardware DSP
• Data centers: network acceleration, AI inference, low-latency trading
• Choose FPGA when: parallelism needed, requirements may change, latency critical

Applications

• Aerospace & Defense: Radar processing, secure communications, and reconfigurable payloads.
• Medical Imaging: Real-time ultrasound and MRI image reconstruction.
• Automotive: ADAS sensor fusion and LiDAR processing.
• Scientific Instruments: Particle physics triggers, telescope data processing.

Practice Problems

Problem 1: Why might an FPGA outperform a CPU for a 1024-tap FIR filter?

Problem 2: A company needs to process network packets at 100 Gbps with custom filtering. CPU, GPU, FPGA, or ASIC?

Problem 3: What makes FPGAs popular for high-frequency trading?

Problem 4: A student wants to learn digital design. What FPGA board would you recommend and why?