Altera expands low-cost Cyclone FPGA series

Altera Corp. today introduced the Cyclone IV FPGAs, thereby expanding the success of the low-cost Cyclone series. The Cyclone IV GX is said to be the lowest cost, lowest power FPGAs with transceivers, and the Cyclone IV E has helped it extend the lead in combining low cost, low power, and high functionality. Simultaneously, Altera also extended its transceiver portfolio leadership.

The Cyclone IV FPGA family offers two variants. Cyclone IV GX devices have up to 150K logic elements (LEs), up to 6.5-Mbits of RAM, up to 360 multipliers, and up to eight integrated 3.125-Gbps transceivers supporting mainstream protocols including Gigabit Ethernet (GbE), SDI, CPRI, V-by-One and Cyclone IV GX has hard IP for PCI Express (PCIe).

According to Jennifer Lo, Senior Marketing Manager, Altera, the company is pushing bandwidth limits in cost-sensitive markets and products -- specifically, smartphones, wireless communications, industrial Ethernet, broadcast and 3D displays.

There is said to be a huge demand from Latin America, Asia, etc., specifically in wireless. Altera is providing a low cost, low power solution. Next, the trend is also moving from 2D to 3D displays. In broadcast it is moving to high bandwidth, in order to support HD video.

Product goals to address market requirements
Commenting on the product features, the Cyclone IV FPGA family supports mainstream transceiver protocols and has the core functionality to address targeted applications.

The new FPGA family also facilitates probably the lowest system cost -- in terms of lowest device cost, reduced board and BOM cost, and fastest time to volume production. Also, it meets most strict power budgets with increased functionality.

Focusing on Altera's transceiver portfolio leadership, the company is said to be the only supplier shipping FPGAs with 11.3Gbps transceivers.

The Altera Cyclone IV GX has 3.125Gbps transceivers. The Arria II GX, shipping now, features 3.75 Gbps transceivers, while the HardCopy IV GX and Stratix IV GX feature 8.5Gbps transceivers. The Stratix IV GT features 11.3Gbps transceivers. Lo added that the company needs to make sure that the products supports all latest transceiver protocols.

Cyclone IIV FPGAs
Altera's Cyclone IV FPGAs are currently said to be the lowest cost, lowest power, integrated transceivers.

Lowest system cost
* Smallest density FPGA with transceivers
* Integrated hard IP
-- PCIe x1, x2, x4
-- Transceivers built from ground up for low cost
* Requires only two power supplies
* Wirebond packages

Lowest power
* 60nm low-power process
* PCIe to GbE bridge for <1.5W

High functionality
* Up to 150K logic elements (LEs)
* Up to 6.5-Mbit RAM and 360 multipliers for DSP-intensive applications
* Up to eight integrated 3.125-Gbps transceivers

As an example, when used in consumer video displays, the new family will meet high video-quality requirements fast and cost effectively. When used in a broadcast video capture card, it helps save over 30 percent system cost.

ASSP replacement
Cyclone IV FPGAs provide a cost that rivals ASSPs. It also offers unmatched flexibility to support multiple protocols. Besides, being obsolescence proof, it reduces cost as well. It cal also replace simple bridge ASSPs -- for example, PCI to PCIe, PCIe to GbE, etc. The FPGA family can also replace industrial Ethernet ASICs/ASSPs.

The Cyclone IV FPGAs can be used across all market segments -- wireless, wireline, consumer, industrial, broadcast, and test and medical -- to address cost-sensitive applications. It aims to help designers meet their cost-sensitive product targets for increased bandwidth.