The Icicle development kit for PolarFire SoC FPGA brings together numerous Mi-V suppliers to help customers accelerate the design phase and commercial adoption across various sectors.
Designers looking to implement a RISC-V-based programmable FPGA SoC can now begin development and evaluate the wide range of products in the RISC-V ecosystem, including real-time operating systems (RTOS), debuggers, compilers, systems-on-modules (SOMs), and security solutions. The Mi-V RISC-V vendor ecosystem is constantly expanding and features a comprehensive suite of design tools and resources developed by Microchip and other companies to fully support RISC-V designs.
“Microchip is facilitating an unprecedented transformation of processor-based design as the market embraces RISC-V silicon and software,” said Bruce Weyer, vice president of Microchip’s FPGA business unit. “We are removing barriers by offering a low-cost evaluation platform that will provide embedded systems engineers, software designers, and hardware developers with a means to implement designs that leverage the advantages of the open RISC-V ISA architecture, along with the diverse form factors, thermal characteristics, and low power consumption that make Microchip’s PolarFire SoC FPGAs best-in-class.”.
“It’s exciting to have a low-power RISC-V board for under $500,” said David Patterson, vice chairman of the board of directors of RISC-V International and a 2017 Turing Award winner. “Microchip’s Icicle Kit, with its embedded FPGA SoC, will accelerate advancements in the RISC-V software ecosystem and provide a boost to applications that need a low-power, midrange FPGA SoC.”.
Microchip's Icicle kit for PolarFire SoCs and the Mi-V ecosystem equips PolarFire SoC FPGAs with:
• RISC-V processors from SiFive and macro for embedded design from UltraSoC
• Development tools from Adacore, Green Hills Software, Mentor Graphics, and Wind River
• Real-time operating systems such as Nucleus and VxWorks that complement Microchip's Linux® and bare-metal solutions
• Middleware solutions from DornerWorks, Hex Five, Veridify Security, and wolfSSL
• SOM and design services from firms such as Antmicro, ARIES Embedded, Digital Core Technologies, Emdalo Technologies, Sundance DSP, and Trenz Electronic
For more information about Mi-V providers, visit the Microchip Mi-V Provider Ecosystem.
The Icicle kit is based on a PolarFire SoC with 250K logic elements and incorporates a PCIe® connector, mikroBUS™ socket, dual RJ45 connectors, a Micro-USB connector, a CAN bus connector, a Raspberry Pi® power strip, and interfaces for a JTAG port and SD card, providing developers with a complete development platform. The board is supported by Microchip's fully designed, validated, and tested devices for power management and clock generation, an Ethernet PHY (VSC8662XIC), a USB controller (USB3340-EZK-TR), and current sensors (PAC1934T-I/JQ).
PolarFire FPGA SoCs reduce overall power consumption by up to 50% compared to competing devices. Using FPGA SoCs also gives developers greater opportunities for customization and differentiation thanks to the inherent upgradeability of these devices and their ability to integrate functions onto a single chip. The PolarFire FPGA SoC family is available in a variety of packages and sizes to meet application requirements for performance and power consumption, allowing customers to implement their solutions in packages as small as 11 × 11 mm. Microchip's Icicle kit for PolarFire FPGA SoCs is ideal for intelligent applications in embedded image processing, IoT, industrial automation, defense, automotive, and communications.
Availability:
The Microchip Icicle kit for PolarFire FPGA SoCs (MPFS-ICICLE-KIT-ES) is now available starting at $489.00. PolarFire FPGAs are in production, and the first FPGA SoC samples are available. For more information or to purchase a kit, contact a Microchip sales representative or an authorized distributor.
