Altera has launched a new family of parts called SoC FPGAs, comprising a dual core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore processor and either the Cyclone V or Arria V 28nm FPGA fabric. Alongside a Cortex-A9 processor running at up to 800MHz, the SoC FPGAs also features error correcting code (ECC) protected memory controllers and a range of commonly used peripherals. Altera believes the processor system will deliver up to 4000 DMIPS while consuming less than 1.8W. Six models are planned; two Arria V and four Cyclone V.
The ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore processor system and FPGA are interconnected by high throughput data paths, providing over 125-Gbps peak bandwidth with integrated data coherency. The processor system and FPGA fabric are powered independently and can be configured and booted in any order. Once in operation, the FPGA portion can be powered down as needed to conserve system power.
According to the company users can leverage Altera's SoC FPGA development flow to create customized ARM-based systems that reduce embedded system board size, power and cost, Designers also will have access to the ARM developer community.
SoC FPGA silicon will be available the second half of 2012 followed by reference designs and development boards. Altera's SoC FPGA pricing starts at less than $15 in high volumes.