Xilinx announces design support suite software

Xilinx has announced design support for Virtex-6 HXT FPGAs with the 11.3 release of the ISE Design Suite software.

Optimised for 40G/100G wired telecommunications and data communications, Virtex-6 HXT FPGAs deliver serial-interface technology to designers of ultra-high bandwidth systems with line rates in excess of 11Gbps.

In addition to design support for Virtex-6 HXT FPGAs, the ISE 11.3 release expands protocol support for Spartan-6 and Virtex-6 LXT FPGAs and Virtex-6 SXT FPGAs.

XGEMAC, XAUI and RXAUI, Tri-mode Ethernet MAC, Ethernet AVB, SPI4.2 and SPI-3 link are included in almost 40 protocols supported by Xilinx serial technology.

Designers have their choice of connectivity-optimised devices with embedded low-power transceiver options for meeting their SoC (system-on-a-chip) power, reliability, and protocol requirements for a range of markets and applications.

For mainstream applications, Spartan-6 FPGAs with up to eight GTP 3.125Gbps transceivers satisfy the cost, ease of use and low-power needs of high-volume electronics, such as automotive infotainment systems and high-resolution consumer displays.

For high-end applications, Virtex-6 LXT and SXT FPGAs with up to 36 GTX 6.5Gbps transceivers and performance margins that exceed the demands of high-speed protocols are suitable for multi-protocol systems, switches and routers, and professional video equipment.

For ultra high-end applications, Virtex-6 HXT FPGAs with up to 72 serial I/O channels (48 GTX and 24 11Gbps GTH) transceivers save over 80 per cent in transceiver power compared to solutions with external physical layer (PHY) for 40G/100G applications.

These include transponders/muxponders, traffic managers and packet processors for wired communications; high-performance data encryption engines; advanced medical imaging; and digital video production, editing, and broadcast equipment.

Xilinx Targeted Design Platforms enable designers to quickly start SoC development, evaluate Xilinx technology and rapidly adapt targeted reference designs to the specific feature requirements of their systems.

As part of the Xilinx Base Targeted Design Platform, the Spartan-6 FPGA SP605 and Virtex-6 FPGA ML605 Evaluation Kits provide everything needed to evaluate the serial capabilities in Virtex-6 LXT and Spartan-6 LXT FPGA devices.

As part of this platform, the devices provide the silicon foundation for the Xilinx deployment of ultra-high-speed connectivity development kits and market-specific development kits targeting broadcast video and wired connectivity, packet processing and traffic-management applications.

Serial system development targeting the FPGAs can begin immediately with ISE Design Suite 11.3.

Intellectual property cores from Xilinx Alliance members Sarance and Avalon are available for Virtex-6 HXT devices to accelerate design of 100G solutions.

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