FPGAs with serial transceivers

The Virtex-5 LX330T device combines low-power serial transceivers - consuming less than 100mW per channel at 3.2Gbit/s - with a built-in PCI Express endpoint and tri-mode Ethernet MAC blocks.

Xilinx has brought out the Virtex-5 LX330T device, thought to be the industry's largest FPGA with high-speed serial transceivers.

The Virtex-5 LX330T device delivers both high performance and low power using an advanced power-saving 65nm process technology and ultra-fast ExpressFabric technology.

The Virtex-5 LX330T device extends the density leadership previously held by the Virtex-5 LX330 device announced last year, combining low-power serial transceivers - consuming less than 100mW per channel at 3.2Gbit/s - and a built-in PCI Express endpoint and tri-mode Ethernet MAC blocks.

The ratio of IO, memory, and logic density allows the Virtex-5 LX330T device to address ASIC prototyping and development, wired and wireless communications, and test and measurement application requirements.

"Customers are looking for single-chip solutions to increase performance, reduce design complexity, and reduce time to market", says Steve Douglass, vice president of Development Engineering of the Advanced Products Division at Xilinx.

"These designs, often ASIC prototyping and emulation, as well as applications such as routers, backplane switches, and traffic management solutions, require a migration from parallel to serial to increase IO bandwidth".

"The Virtex-5 LX330T device addresses all these requirements while integrating PCI Express sub-system and Gigabit Ethernet MAC blocks to provide a comprehensive solution with the greatest ease of use".

The LXT platform is comprised of six devices offering up to 330,000 logic cells, 900 user I/Os, 11.6Mbit block RAM, 3.4Mbit of distributed RAM, 24 high-speed transceivers, plus built-in PCI Express and tri-mode Ethernet intellectual property (IP) blocks.

Xilinx also provides ISE v9.1i design tools including ChipScope Pro and the award-winning PlanAhead tool, protocol packs and development boards that enable customers to start designing and prototyping in the Virtex-5 LXT platform today.

Xilinx has been delivering the benefits of 65nm Virtex-5 FPGAs since May 2006, and is now delivering 12 devices across three platforms (LX, LXT, and SXT).

Engineering samples of the Xilinx Virtex-5 LX330T device are shipping now and may be purchased through Xilinx distributors.

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