Unleashing Performance and Efficiency with Arria 10's Hard Floating Point DSP

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Background of Altera's Generation 10 FPGAs
3. Benefits of Hard Floating-Point DSP Blocks in Aria 10 and Stratis 10 Devices
4. Performance and Power Efficiency of Aria 10
5. Pin Migration to Stratix 10 for Increased Floating-Point Processing
6. Flexible Data Path Design with Generation 10 DSP Blocks
7. Support for Fixed and Floating Point Data Types with Variable Precision
8. Utilizing Altera's Floating Point DSP Mode
9. Processing Capability of Aria 10 Devices
10. Design Exploration and Trade-offs with DSP Builder
11. Seamless Design Migration with Legacy Soft IP
12. Realizing the Benefits of Targeting Hard Floating-Point Resources
13. DSP Builder for Rapid Prototyping and Resource Utilization Tracking
14. Design Exploration and Resource Reports for Different Devices
15. Chip Planner for Visualizing Floor Plans and Resource Utilization
16. Summary of Altera's Hard Floating-Point DSP Blocks
17. Conclusion

Introduction

In this article, we will explore the advantages and capabilities of Altera's Generation 10 Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), specifically focusing on the new hard floating-point DSP (Digital Signal Processing) blocks in Aria 10 and Stratis 10 devices. These advanced FPGAs offer unprecedented levels of density, performance, and power efficiency, making them an excellent choice for high-performance power-constrained systems. We will delve into the features and benefits of these devices, including pin migration to Stratix 10, flexible data path design, support for variable precision, and the use of Altera's floating-point DSP mode. Let's dive in!

Background of Altera's Generation 10 FPGAs

Altera's Generation 10 FPGAs mark a significant milestone in the field of programmable logic devices. With the launch of Aria 10, Altera introduced the first FPGA with hard floating-point DSP resources, revolutionizing the landscape of FPGA-based signal processing. Following Aria 10, the Stratis 10 device was introduced, further raising the bar for density, performance, and power efficiency. These devices leverage Intel's cutting-edge 14-nanometer tri-gate technology process, offering double power efficiency and significant increases in density compared to previous generations.

Benefits of Hard Floating-Point DSP Blocks in Aria 10 and Stratis 10 Devices

The key advantage of Aria 10 and Stratis 10 devices lies in their hard floating-point DSP blocks. With 1.5 teraflops of IEEE 754 compliant single-precision floating-point performance, these devices rival traditional GPU processing while maintaining an impressive power efficiency of 50 gigaflops per watt. This makes Aria 10 an excellent choice for high-performance power-constrained systems that cannot afford the high power demands of many GPU solutions. Furthermore, Aria 10 devices support pin migration to Stratix 10, opening up possibilities for even higher floating-point processing capabilities, reaching up to 10 teraflops.

Performance and Power Efficiency of Aria 10

Aria 10's impressive performance and power efficiency make it well-positioned to compete with mid-range DSP processors and general-purpose GPUs. With its 1.5 teraflops of single-precision floating-point performance, Aria 10 provides system designers with a full spectrum of processing capabilities, from hundreds of gigaflops to the aforementioned teraflops. This versatility allows designers to optimize their designs based on the specific requirements of their applications, striking the right balance between performance and power consumption.

Pin Migration to Stratix 10 for Increased Floating-Point Processing

One of the unique features of Aria 10 devices is the ability to migrate pins to Stratix 10, enabling unparalleled floating-point processing in an FPGA. Stratix 10 devices boast hardened IEEE 754 compliant single-precision floating-point DSP blocks, providing up to 80% logic savings compared to soft floating-point designs. This reduction in logic utilization results in faster timing closure, faster design implementation, and ultimately leads to improved time-to-market for system designers.

Flexible Data Path Design with Generation 10 DSP Blocks

A key aspect of FPGA design is the ability to have a flexible data path that allows for precise control over the desired precision where it is needed. Generation 10 DSP blocks, in conjunction with advanced development flows like DSP Builder, provide support for both fixed and floating point data types with variable precision. This enables designers to make trade-offs between precision and FPGA resource utilization, tailor-fitting their designs to the specific requirements of their applications.

Support for Fixed and Floating Point Data Types with Variable Precision

Generation 10 DSP blocks offer support for both fixed and floating point data types, giving designers the flexibility to choose the most appropriate data representation for their algorithms. With variable precision selectable by the user, designers can strike a balance between the desired level of accuracy and the available FPGA resources. This level of customization ensures optimal performance without unnecessary resource consumption.

Utilizing Altera's Floating Point DSP Mode

Altera's floating-point DSP mode provides a comprehensive solution for implementing complex arithmetic functions on Generation 10 FPGAs. Leveraging a full IEEE 754 compliant multiplier, adder, and accumulator function, designers can utilize the floating-point DSP mode in various connectivity configurations. This mode enables seamless integration of floating-point processing into FPGA-based systems, providing a powerful and efficient hardware solution.

Processing Capability of Aria 10 Devices

Aria 10 devices offer a wide range of processing capabilities, catering to the diverse needs of system designers. With performance ranging from hundreds of gigaflops to 1.5 teraflops, Aria 10 is well-suited for applications requiring high-performance computing. Whether it's real-time signal processing, image and video processing, or machine learning algorithms, Aria 10 can handle the most demanding workloads. Its power efficiency also makes it an attractive choice for applications where energy consumption is a concern.

Design Exploration and Trade-offs with DSP Builder

Design exploration is a crucial step in the FPGA design process, allowing designers to evaluate different design possibilities and make informed trade-offs. Altera's DSP Builder, a model-based algorithm design tool, empowers designers to rapidly prototype complex arithmetic functions, perform design exploration, and track FPGA resource utilization. With DSP Builder, designers can meticulously explore trade-offs between precision, resource utilization, and performance, ensuring the optimal design implementation.

Seamless Design Migration with Legacy Soft IP

Altera understands the importance of a smooth design migration process. With Aria 10 devices, designers can seamlessly migrate legacy designs into the generation 10 architecture. If your design utilizes single-precision datatypes, the legacy soft IP will be automatically Promoted to the IEEE 754 floating-point DSP blocks in generation 10 devices. This migration ensures that existing designs can take advantage of the enhanced performance, power efficiency, and resource utilization of Aria 10 and Stratis 10 devices without significant redesign effort.

Realizing the Benefits of Targeting Hard Floating-Point Resources

By targeting hard floating-point resources, designers can unlock the full potential of Aria 10 and Stratis 10 devices. The hardened IEEE 754 compliant single-precision DSP blocks in these devices offer up to 80% logic savings compared to soft floating-point designs. This reduction in logic utilization leads to improved timing closure, faster design implementation, and ultimately shorter time-to-market. Designers can fully leverage the capabilities of these devices without compromising on performance, power efficiency, or resource utilization.

DSP Builder for Rapid Prototyping and Resource Utilization Tracking

Altera's DSP Builder is an invaluable tool for designers working with Aria 10 and Stratis 10 devices. This model-based algorithm design tool allows designers to rapidly prototype complex arithmetic functions and assess resource utilization. With DSP Builder, designers can Visualize the FPGA resource requirements of their designs, enabling them to make informed decisions and optimize their designs for performance, power efficiency, and overall system cost.

Design Exploration and Resource Reports for Different Devices

The ability to explore different design options is critical for FPGA designers. Altera's DSP Builder enables designers to compare resource utilization across different devices, providing valuable insights into the trade-offs associated with each configuration. By executing simulations and generating resource reports, designers can quickly assess the resource requirements of their designs for various devices. This iterative design exploration process ensures that designers can make data-driven decisions, leading to optimal design implementations.

Chip Planner for Visualizing Floor Plans and Resource Utilization

To gain a deeper understanding of the floor plan and resource utilization of their designs, designers can utilize Altera's Chip Planner tool. Chip Planner allows designers to visualize the allocation of resources on the FPGA, including the placement of DSP blocks. By comparing the floor plans of designs built using soft floating-point and hard floating-point DSP blocks, designers can observe the significant reduction in logic utilization and the increased concentration of DSP blocks in the latter. This visual representation assists in optimizing the utilization of resources and improving overall design efficiency.

Summary of Altera's Hard Floating-Point DSP Blocks

Altera's Generation 10 FPGAs, particularly Aria 10 and Stratis 10 devices, offer designers access to powerful hard floating-point DSP blocks. These blocks provide unprecedented levels of performance, power efficiency, and resource utilization. By leveraging these hard floating-point DSP blocks, designers can achieve significant logic savings, fast timing closure, and faster design implementation. These benefits, combined with Altera's extensive portfolio of standard IP and advanced design workflows like DSP Builder and OpenCL, empower designers to realize their vision and bring their FPGA-based designs to market quickly and efficiently.

Conclusion

Altera's Generation 10 FPGAs with hard floating-point DSP blocks, exemplified by Aria 10 and Stratis 10 devices, offer system designers an unprecedented level of performance, power efficiency, and flexibility. These devices provide an optimal solution for high-performance power-constrained systems and offer the ability to migrate designs to higher-performance devices seamlessly. With innovative features like flexible data path design, support for variable precision, and advanced development tools like DSP Builder, Altera enables designers to unlock the full potential of FPGA-based signal processing. By optimizing resource utilization, designers can achieve faster time-to-market, improved performance, and reduced power consumption. The possibilities are endless with Altera's Generation 10 FPGAs!