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The configuration possibilities offered by FPGAs created a new paradigm in digital circuit design, since the same device (i.e., the same hardware) can be adapted to provide different functions by just reconfiguring it. In other words, a device may implement different functions in the course of its opera- tion, allowing it to be adapted to different operating conditions in response to modifications in the required functionality, changes in the environment, or even faults that might take place, therefore allowing its usability to be extended.
When hardware reconfiguration capabilities are required for a given application, the use of FPGAs offers many advantages and opportunities. Although reconfigurable systems are not limited to just FPGA-based ones, these are the most significant at commercial level. Other possibilities exist, based on custom devices with specific reconfiguration features, mainly ori- ented toward reconfigurable computing systems. However, these devices are intended to overcome some limitations of FPGAs in very specific areas, for instance, ultrafast reconfiguration time (i.e., reconfiguring a complete device in just one clock cycle). Coarse-grained reconfigurable architectures are an example of this, where different functions are implemented in the same sili- con die so that the resulting system may be adapted to changing conditions. These solutions have limited flexibility because the functions are decided at design time and can neither be changed nor modified once the device is manufactured. On the other hand, the configurability of most FPGAs*— of truly reconfigurable devices in general—allows the functions to be per- formed by the system to be adapted at any moment during its lifetime, even during infield operation.
Therefore, this chapter focuses on the use of reconfigurable FPGAs, the advantages of using their reconfiguration capabilities concurrently with normal operation (i.e., at run time), the different reconfiguration alterna- tives, and the existing commercial and industrial approaches, as well as the authors’ view about what the future role of FPGAs in reconfigurable systems may be, through two examples, one on reconfigurable hardware acceleration and another on evolvable hardware.
Manufacturer:Xilinx
Product Categories: CPLDs
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Manufacturer:Xilinx
Product Categories: FPGAs
Lifecycle:Active Active
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Manufacturer:Xilinx
Product Categories: FPGAs
Lifecycle:Active Active
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Manufacturer:Xilinx
Product Categories: Memory - Configuration Proms for FPGA's
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Manufacturer:Xilinx
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