FPGAs Are ASIC Alternatives

Three single-chip FPGAs, the newest members of firm's MX family of devices featuring ASIC-like price/performance, include 36,000- and 24,000-gate devices offering 33-MHz programmable PCI-compliant I/Os, and a 2,000-gate device as alternatives to ASICs. MX devices are single-chip FPGAs designed for users that require the low cost and high performance of an ASIC and the flexibility and faster design time benefits of PLDs. The broad range of devices in the MX family helps to lower the material cost of systems, it's claimed, in applications such as automotive and transportation systems, computers, end-user test equipment and portable communication devices. The 36,000-gate A42MX36 offers 2560 bytes of dual-port SRAM and operates in pure 5.0V, 3.3V, or mixed-voltage modes. With a clock-to-out of 6.3 ns, it features 2124 logic modules, up to 1822 flip-flops and 202 I/Os.