eFPGAs offer the Mil/Aero market an order of magnitude of efficiency over traditional FPGAs and SoCs approaches.

Menta SAS recent participation to GOMACTech 2023 confirmed the trend: #eFPGAs offer the breakthrough required in performance, power dissipated and cost by new systems that had historically been using the more traditional FPGA approach. As military and aerospace systems become increasingly complex and demanding, the need for optimized high-performance and flexible solutions is more critical than ever. One technology that has shown promise in meeting these requirements is the embedded field-programmable gate array (#eFPGA). In this article, we'll explore the benefits of using an #eFPGA in military and aerospace systems-on-chip (#SoC).

First, let's define what an eFPGA is. An eFPGA is a reconfigurable hardware block that can be integrated into an SoC to provide programmable logic functions. It's a type of FPGA that's designed to be embedded into an SoC rather than being used as a standalone device. This means that eFPGAs offer the benefits of FPGAs - such as flexibility and reprogrammability – and can be used in SoCs, hence allowing for higher bandwidth, lower latency, lower power and lower cost than stand alone FPGAs can offer.

So, what are the benefits of using an eFPGA in military and aerospace SoCs? Here are a few key advantages:

1.????Customization: An eFPGA provides a high degree of customization, allowing Silicon Vendors to offer their ASSP a unique way to be customized and tailored to specific requirements. This is particularly useful in military and aerospace applications, where there are unique and specialized requirements that cannot be met by off-the-shelf non-programmable solutions. With an eFPGA, system designers can create custom logic functions that are optimized for their specific application.

2.????Reconfigurability: Another benefit of using an eFPGA is reconfigurability. Military and aerospace systems often have long lifetimes and require updates or upgrades over time. With an eFPGA, designers can reprogram the device to implement new logic functions or improve performance without having to redesign the entire SoC. This can save time and reduce costs compared to developing a new ASIC or SoC.

3.????Performance: eFPGAs can offer high performance compared to traditional SoC solutions, only allowing customization via software. By integrating programmable logic functions into the SoC, eFPGAs can provide high-speed signal processing, acceleration of algorithmic computations, and high-bandwidth interconnects. This can enable military and aerospace systems to process data more quickly and efficiently than in a CPU or GPU, which can be critical in mission-critical scenarios.

4.????Size and power: eFPGAs allow for smaller and lower power systems than traditional FPGAs. This makes them more suitable for use in embedded systems where size and power consumption are critical factors. In addition, as eFPGAs are part of the SoC, they allow for reducing the need for additional components and reducing the overall size and power consumption of the system.

5.????Security: Finally, eFPGAs can offer security benefits compared to traditional SoC solutions. By integrating programmable logic functions into the SoC, eFPGAs can provide hardware-level security functions that can be customized for the specific application. This can include encryption and decryption functions, secure boot, post quantum crypto (PQC) and hardware-level authentication.

In conclusion, eFPGAs offer a range of benefits for military and aerospace SoCs. They provide a high degree of customization, reconfigurability, and performance, while also offering advantages in size, power, and security. As military and aerospace systems become more complex and demanding, eFPGAs are likely to become an increasingly important technology for meeting these requirements.