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What Is Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA
What Is Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA
The Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA family was unveiled in 2006, providing new levels of
capability through 65nm process technology along with novel architectural
enhancements. Virtex-5 cemented Xilinx’s technology leadership for years following
its introduction.
This article will dive into the key innovations of Virtex-5 to understand what made it
a milestone in FPGA history and a popular choice for high-performance applications.
Comparison to predecessor and successor families is also provided for context.
With up to 8 billion transistors and gate counts up to 2 million, Virtex-5 was the most
capable FPGA when introduced.
The 65nm node gave Xilinx a multi-year competitive advantage in achievable FPGA
gate density. Smaller feature sizes also facilitated including abundant hard IP blocks.
Embedded Processors
A major innovation in Virtex-5 was the introduction of PowerPC 440 embedded cores
directly within the FPGA fabric. Key features:
Embedding PowerPC 440 cores eliminated the need for external processors in many
applications. This simplified system development by enabling single-chip solutions
encompassing both hardware and software programmability.
High speed serial connectivity enabled designers to harness the bandwidth needed for
high throughput applications.
Efficient clocking schemes are critical for large FPGAs like Virtex-5. Key clocking
capabilities include:
Robust clock management was critical to utilize Virtex-5’s high logic capacity for
complex synchronous systems.
To accelerate digital signal processing tasks, Virtex-5 upgraded the DSP slice
architecture. DSP48E enhancements included:
25 x 18 bit multipliers
48-bit adder/accumulator/register units
Cascading for wide precision math
Pipelining and overflow handling
Bitwise logical capabilities
DSP48E slices provided both high performance and flexibility for math-intensive
algorithms mapped into the FPGA fabric.
Xilinx Artix 7
Through its 65nm manufacturing, abundant hard IP blocks, high speed IOs and
advanced power management, Virtex-5 represented the state-of-the-art in FPGA
technology for its time. It extended Xilinx’s market dominance in high-end FPGAs
through a combination of architectural enhancements layered atop leading-edge
process technology.
We can see Virtex-5 demonstrated advances across all resource types while
incorporating fully embedded processors. This combination cemented Virtex-5’s
standing as the premium high-capability FPGA at the 65nm node.
Virtex-5
65nm process
PowerPC 440 cores
Up to 1,040 high speed transceivers
DSP48E slices
Higher cost per gate
Virtex-6
While Virtex-6 pushed FPGA technology further, Virtex-5 continued to maintain its
place in applications not requiring maximum capacity or bandwidth but needing
significant DSP resources. The two families nicely coexisted throughout their
lifespans.
Thanks to its high performance fabric, abundant DSP slices and hard IP for functions
like processing and high speed IO, Virtex-5 excelled in diverse applications including:
Virtex-5 sales eventually topped $5 billion as Xilinx dominated the high-end FPGA
space throughout its successful multi-year lifespan.
Here are some frequently asked questions about the Virtex-5 FPGA family:
A: The XC5VSX240T containing over 2 million logic cells was the highest capacity
Virtex-5 FPGA.
A: No, the lower cost LX sub-family did not incorporate PowerPC cores. All other
Virtex-5 families had embedded processors.
A: Virtex-5 had between 4.5Mb and 51Mb of block RAM depending on device size,
among the highest in any FPGA at the time.
A: Virtex-5 operated at 1.0 – 1.2V core voltage enabling significant power savings
versus predecessor 90nm FPGAs.
Conclusion
Virtex-5 provided a 2X generational jump versus Virtex-4 across all resource types
while incorporating novel elements like embedded PowerPC processors. This
combination of advances resulted in Virtex-5’s broad adoption across applications
needing high density, bandwidth and DSP performance.
Xilinx’s technical leadership and execution with Virtex-5 maintained its dominance in
high-end FPGAs for years and further propelled the company’s rapid growth in the
2000’s. The innovations in Virtex-5 illustrate how Xilinx consistently pushed
programmable logic boundaries with each successive product generation.
Related Posts:
https://www.raypcb.com/xilinx-virtex-5/