World's Smallest FPGA for Miniature Systems - Electrical Engineering News and Products

The iCE40 LP384 FPGA, is the smallest member of its expanding iCE40 family of ultra-low density FPGAs. Enabling designers to rapidly add new features and differentiate cost-sensitive, space-constrained, low-power products, the new small footprint FPGA is ideal for applications such as portable medical monitors, smartphones, digital cameras, eReaders, and compact embedded systems.

The tiny, low power, low cost iCE40 LP384 FPGA has a capacity of 384 LUTs; consumes 25-Microwatts static core power; comes in packages as small as 2.5 mm x 2.5 mm with a migration path to 2.0 mm x 2.0 mm and costs less than 50 cents per unit in multi-million unit quantities.

The exponential growth of handheld applications is creating new challenges for hardware designers. Many new applications today connect end users with data collected from a growing number of sensors that measure natural phenomena such as temperature, moisture, light, and positioning. At the same time, the growing use of video is driving the deployment of new low power, display technology that not only enhances the visual experience, but does so without breaking stringent power budgets.

Moreover, small automated control units are now being used to maximize energy efficiency and security in buildings and homes by responding to light, infrared, noise, and by adjusting fans, blinds, and temperature controls. Designers of these types of equipment must find ways to shrink the size of their systems while differentiating their products from competitive market offerings.

The iCE40 LP384 Solution

The iCE40 LP384 FPGA includes the programmable logic, flexible IO, and on-chip memory necessary to process data at speeds greater than ASSPs or companion microprocessors while simultaneously reducing power consumption for an equivalent cost.