Documentation

Download the latest versions of Achronix application notes, datasheets, product briefs, user guides and white papers.

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Title Description Version Released Date Document File
Reduce Speech Transcription Costs by up to 90% with CAI (WP030)

Conversational artificial intelligence (CAI) uses deep learning (DL), a subset of machine learning (ML), to automate speech recognition, natural language processing and text to speech using machines. Achronix and Myrtle.ai are teaming up to deliver an ASR platform consisting of a 200W, x16 PCIe Gen4-based accelerator card and the associated software which together can sustain up to 4000 RTS concurrently, processing up to 1 million five-minute transcriptions per 24-hour period — reducing costs by as much as 90% versus cloud-based APIs.

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Mine Cryptocurrencies Sooner, Faster, and Cheaper with Achronix Speedcore Embedded FPGAs (WP014)

New cryptocurrencies such as Monero introduce ASIC-resistance and memory-hardness to prevent ASICs from being built that give some operators a competitive mining advantage over others who do not have access to the same technology. This white paper discusses the relevant background and presents a solution based on Achronix Speedcore™ embedded FPGAs (eFPGAs), enabling users to regain a highly profitable advantage over competing solutions.

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How to Meet Power Performance and Cost for Autonomous Vehicle Systems using Speedcore eFPGAs (WP015)

In the advanced, fully autonomous, self-driving vehicles of the future, the existence of dozens and even hundreds of distributed CPUs and numerous other processing elements is assured. Peripheral sensor-fusion and other processing tasks can be served by ASICs, SoCs, or traditional FPGAs. But the introduction of embedded FPGA blocks such as Achronix's Speedcore eFPGA IP provides numerous system-design advantages in terms of shorter latency, more security, greater bandwidth, and better reliability that are simply not possible when using CPUs, GPUs, or even standalone FPGAs.

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How to Design SmartNICs Using FPGAs to Increase Server Compute Capacity (WP017)

Intelligent server adapters, or SmartNICs, boost server performance in cloud and private data centers by offloading network processing workloads and tasks from server CPUs. Offloading network processing to a SmartNIC is not a new concept — for example, there are NICs that offload some network-processing functions such as checksum computation and segmentation. However, the rapid explosion in data-center network traffic driven by software-defined networking (SDN), Open vSwitch (OVS), and network functions virtualization (NFV) demands a new class of NIC with even greater offload capabilities: the SmartNIC.

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FPGAs for Advanced Video Processing Solutions (WP022)

While the performance of an ASIC is typically high enough for broadcast-quality video processing, it supports only the feature set conceived of at design time and is not field upgradable. A CPU is the most flexible and easiest to design; however, clock frequencies have plateaued, and the era of dramatic improvements in performance are over. FPGAs represent a good balance between performance and flexibility for this class of applications.

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Title Description Version Released Date Document File
Repeatability in ACE (AN012)

One of the desired requirements of any FPGA design tool is the ability to reproduce the exact same results every time the tool is run under the same conditions — a requirement refereed to as repeatability. The ACE placer and router are deterministic, delivering 100% repeatability.

 1.2 Repeatability_in_ACE_AN012.pdf
Pipelining the CPU Interface (AN016)

A Speedcore instance hosted in an SoC supports three different configuration modes: CPU, serial flash and JTAG. In CPU mode, an external CPU acts as the master and controls the programming operations for the Speedcore eFPGA, and offers a high-speed method for loading configuration data.

 1.0 Pipelining_the_CPU_Interface_AN016.pdf
PCIe Enumeration of Speedster7t FPGAs (AN027)

This Application Note provides the steps to attain enumeration from a non-enumerated device with a PCIe interface and from an already enumerated device.

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Migrating to Achronix FPGA Technology (AN023)

Many users transitioning to Achronix FPGA technology are familiar with existing FPGA solutions from other vendors. Although Achronix technology and tools are similar to existing FPGA technology and tools, there are some differences. Understanding these differences is necessary to achieving the very best performance and quality of results (QoR).

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Migrating to Achronix eFPGA Technology (AN014)

Many users transitioning to Achronix eFPGA technology will be familiar with existing FPGA solutions from other vendors. Although Achronix technology and tools are similar to existing FPGA technology and tools, there are some differences. Understanding these differences are needed to achieve the very best performance and quality of results (QoR).

 1.1 Migrating_to_Achronix_eFPGA_Technology_AN014.pdf
Title Description Version Released Date Document File
Maximize Hardware Assurance Using Embedded FPGAs (PB035)

Implementing a secure IP solution when developing a custom ASIC involves overcoming many risks along the development, manufacturing and supply chain flow. Hardware assurance continues to become more critical for military and defense applications as worldwide threats increase. By using an eFPGA IP solution to store mission critical IP, supply chain security is greatly simplified compared to the traditional ASIC design flow.

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Bluespec RISC-V Soft Processors for Achronix FPGAs (PB038)

Bluespec, Inc., offers a portfolio of RISC-V processors provided as soft-IP for use in Achronix Speedster®7t FPGAs.

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Achronix Tool Suite (PB002)

The Achronix Tool Suite works in conjunction with industry-standard synthesis tools, allowing FPGA designers (for both standalone and embedded) to easily map their designs into Achronix FPGA technology. Achronix provides ACE together with an Achronix-optimized version of Synplify Pro from Synopsys, the industry standard for producing high-performance and cost-effective FPGA designs.

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Achronix Company Backgrounder (PB029)

Achronix Semiconductor Corporation is a privately held, fabless semiconductor corporation based in Santa Clara, California and offers high-performance FPGA solutions. Achronix’s history is one of pushing the boundaries in the high-performance FPGA market.

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Accelerated Network Infrastructure Code Product Brief (PB037)

The Achronix Accelerated Networking Infrastructure Code (ANIC) is a modular suite of SmartNIC IP blocks optimized for Speedster®7t FPGAs and the VectorPath® Accelerator Card, offering high-performance networking for application acceleration.

 1.0 Download
Title Description Version Released Date Document File
Speedster7t Pin Connectivity User Guide (UG084)

This user guide lists each of the I/O pin groups available in the Speedster7t 7t1500 device, their functionality and recommended connection guidelines.

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Speedster7t Machine Learning Processor User Guide (UG088)

The machine learning processor block (MLP) is an array of up to 32 multipliers, followed by an adder tree, an accumulator, and a rounding/saturation/normalize block.The MLP also includes two memory blocks, a BRAM72k and LRAM2k, that can be used individually or in conjunction with the array of multipliers. The number of multipliers available varies with the bit width of each operand and the total width of input data. When the MLP is used in conjunction with a BRAM72k, the amount of data inputs to the MLP block increases along with the number of multipliers available. 

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Speedster7t GPIO User Guide (UG112)

This document describes the Speedster7t FPGA GPIO pins, their various features, how to configure them, any design considerations to be taken into account, and the tools required to implement them.

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Speedster7t GDDR6 User Guide (UG091)

The Speedster7t FPGA family provides multiple GDDR6 subsystems enabling full utilization of the high-bandwidth efficiency of these interfaces for critical applications. This guide provides the details for implementing the GDDR6 IP in custom designs.

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Speedster7t Ethernet User Guide (UG097)

Speedster7t devices include high-speed Ethernet interfaces, which can support a wide variety of Ethernet packet protocols and speeds of up to 400 Gbps per channel. These Ethernet interfaces are paired with latest generation SerDes which individually support 100 Gbps data rates. With eight of these SerDes per Ethernet interface, each interface can support 2× 400 Gbps Ethernet IP channels.

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