Using an FPGA-powered reference design in automotive entertainment electronics.(special report)

Automotive entertainment electronics are driving a rapid evolution of features and capabilities that challenge designers with performance, cost, and flexibility tradeoffs. Unlike any other area of automotive electronics, multimedia graphics applications are highly visible with rapidly changing requirements and, in many cases, no set standards. Automotive designers need a solution that offers the utmost in flexibility and performance while also controlling costs. Programmable logic, specifically field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), offers such a solution.

Historically, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) represented the option-of-choice in semiconductors for automotive graphics applications because they offered manufacturers a cost-effective silicon solution. However, rising ASIC development costs, lower volume projects, faster time-to-market requirements, and increased complexity from features requirements may signal the end of the ASIC-dominated era in the automotive market segment. The top-tier automotive suppliers are looking for a cost-effective design platform that is both powerful and flexible to meet needs of their increasingly complex automotive digital systems.

Applications specific standard products (ASSPs) are an alternative to ASICS in both automotive and consumer markets. …

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