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White Paper

Using FPGA I/O optimization to design PCBs more cost effectively

Using FPGA I/O Optimization to Design PCBs More Cost Effectively
The power, flexibility and immediate availability of FPGA devices has generated a tsunami of FPGA adoption for the implementation of system PCB designs. This white paper demonstrates the causal relationship between PCB Signal to FPGA pin assignment and the product’s profit margin. It also defines the opportunities to generate significant competitive advantages without significant time or cost penalties.

Detailing impacts to profit margin

  • Accelerating system constraint convergence

  • Accelerating system physical design and minimizing manufacturing costs

  • Profit margin is the last domino in the impact decision chain

Understanding the barriers to PCB optimization

  • Design complexity

  • Risk analysis and aversion

  • Design team organization and silos

  • Traditional design processes

  • Historic design support infrastructure

  • Time to market constraints

  • Availability of tools

How PCB optimization technology helps

Capitalizing on the emergence of FPGA adoption and leveraging the power of FPGA interface flexibility has allowed early adopters of PCB optimization technology to experience fantastic results:

  • Eliminating a minimum of one man-week per 500 FPGA pins on the system PCB design.

  • Reducing trace length by 25% to 50% and enjoying a corresponding performance increase

  • Eliminating up to 150 PCB vias for every 500 FPGA pins

  • Reductions in interface design times as much as 60%

  • Transforming un-routable PCBs into routable PCB using the same PCB layer stackup

  • Total design cycle reduction by as much as 50%

The power and flexibility of FPGA devices continues to evolve as well as the expertise and experience of using that flexibility and power to optimize PCB designs. The survival question to ask yourself is: Are you on the PCB optimization path?

Learn more about FPGA/PCB Co-Design.

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