Xilinx XC7A100 offers the highest performance-per-watt fabric and supports a wide range of components. This article highlights the device’s product table, its advantages and the features of the board.
Market Opportunities
The Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) market and indeed, the circuit board market is ripe for opportunities. Innovative boards that can solve some of the existing challenges tend to have an upper hand when it comes to selecting the FPGA device/board to work with.
One of such market opportunities is the need to balance the cost, performance and power usage of FPGAs. The Xilinx XC7A100, a Xilinx Artix- device, solves that challenge with its innovative soft processor – the MicroBlaze.
The MicroBlaze soft processor is a highly-configurable Central Processing Unit (CPU), based on the 32-bit RISC Processor. It facilitates the time-to-market of the targeted applications by offering faster deployment of the manufactured devices.
It also provides a wide range of presets for the Real-Time Processor, Microcontroller (MCU), and the Application Processor applications/use cases.
Features
These are some of the features of the Xilinx XC7A100 Artix-7 FPGA.
1. System Migration and Integration
Integrating and migrating the designs of the Xilinx XC7A100 system is simpler now that the board is enabled with the system migration and integration capabilities.
An example of the integration feature is the use of the advanced Analog Mixed Signal (AMS) technology. The technology (analog) uses the combination of 17-channel analog-to-digital converters, independent dual-bit converters and 1MSPS to provide the next level of integration for the Xilinx XC7A100 FPGA.
2. Streamlined Access for the System Configuration
The device can be configured with ease because it enables a streamlined access via the integrated memory interface.
3. Compact Footprint
Most Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) that take up more space end up costing more. This is because of the expanded design of the board, which typically requires more components to fill it up.
The reverse is the case when the board has a smaller or compact footprint. The compact, small form-factor packaging of the Xilinx XC7A100 helps to facilitate the configuration and saves costs in the long-run.
4. Quick Start
Gets heads-up on how to set about the task of designing the Xilinx XC7A100. The board comes with a set of guides, including but not limited to reference designs to help you start the prototyping as fast as possible.
It also provides development kits with Intellectual Property (IP). This helps you to test the designs before the final deployment for real-world use.
The Intellectual Property (IP) protects the circuit board design from theft.
What You Need to Know About the Built-in Blocks
It is common knowledge that Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) have built-in blocks used to make the targeted applications.
In the case of the Xilinx XC7A100, these built-in blocks are configured with the integrated wizards, which enable the rapid development of the built-in blocks.
Xilinx XC7A100 also has the integrated Intellectual Property (IP) blocks, which are used to reduce the risks associated with FPGA development, as well as reducing the time-to-market.
Product Table of the Xilinx XC7A100 FPGA
| Technical Specifications | Description |
| Number of Logic Cells | 101,440 |
| Number of I/O Pins | 300 |
| Number of Supported DSP Slices | 240 |
| GTP 6.6 Gb/s Transceivers | 8 |
| Memory Specifications (in kilobytes) | 4,860 (kb) |
Conclusion
Xilinx XC7A100 is an Artix-7 FPGA that offers rapid development, optimized applications and drag and drop peripherals. When configured by a professional digital designer, the board can be your one-stop device for varieties of high-end application configurations.
