Automotive-Optimized FPGAs Tackle In-Cabin Applications

Nov. 15, 2004

The XA family of FPGAs and complex programmable-logic devices (CPLDs) meets the automotive industry's strict requirements. This line of programmable devices from Xilinx targets GPS, infotainment, communication, driver assistance, and comfort applications where configuration changes can alter the feature sets, eliminating the need to create multiple ASIC solutions for different car models.

The XA devices meet the Automotive Electronics Council AEC-Q100 qualification flow. They also fully support the automotive industry's Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) provision and comply with the ISO-TS16949 specification.

The FPGAs in the family are available in densities ranging from 50k to 1M system gates, and they will be available in a variety of packages. The CPLD devices range in density from 32 to 256 macrocells and offer from 33 to 184 I/O pins. They're available in both Q-Grade (40°C to 125°C) and I-Grade (40°C to 100°C) versions.

To support the XA devices, Xilinx offers intellectual property optimized for the automotive market, including communications and connectivity cores, such as controller-area network (CAN) and local interconnect network (LIN). Xilinx AllianceCORE partners provide some cores. Several reference designs also are available.

All XA devices are sampling now. The XA series Spartan-3 FPGAs start at under $4.50 for 50,000 system gates, while the CoolRunner-II CPLDs start at under $1.25 for 32 Macrocells. Prices are for production volumes of 25,000 units/year starting in the first half of 2005. Volume production quantities of AEC-Q100 automotive-qualified XA devices will be available beginning in the first quarter of 2005.

Xilinxwww.xilinx.com/automotive

About the Author

Dave Bursky | Technologist

Dave Bursky, the founder of New Ideas in Communications, a publication website featuring the blog column Chipnastics – the Art and Science of Chip Design. He is also president of PRN Engineering, a technical writing and market consulting company. Prior to these organizations, he spent about a dozen years as a contributing editor to Chip Design magazine. Concurrent with Chip Design, he was also the technical editorial manager at Maxim Integrated Products, and prior to Maxim, Dave spent over 35 years working as an engineer for the U.S. Army Electronics Command and an editor with Electronic Design Magazine.