FPGA Insights interviewed K. Santh, working with Maven Silicon as an FPGA Engineer, to explore his expertise and gain valuable insights into FPGA design.
What’s your Name, job title & area of research/work?
My name is K. Santh, and I work as an FPGA Engineer at Maven Silicon.
My area of work mainly revolves around digital design, FPGA prototyping, and verification.
Can you provide an overview of your experience with FPGA design projects mentioning a few that you’ve worked on, starting with a brief introduction?
My journey began with learning the fundamentals of RTL design and verification using Verilog/System Verilog and VHDL, and gradually moved toward implementing complex digital systems on FPGA boards.
Some of the key projects I’ve worked on include:
UART Design and Verification- Designed a Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter (UART) module from scratch, wrote testbenches, and validated functionality on an FPGA board.
DSP-based FIR Filter Implementation- Implemented a digital FIR filter on an FPGA using Verilog, focusing on performance optimization and resource utilization.
AXI Protocol-based Memory Controller- Worked on developing and verifying an AXI-based memory controller to ensure high-speed data transfer.
FPGA Prototyping of RISC-V Core- Contributed to integrating and testing a RISC-V processor on an FPGA, including debugging timing issues and validating functionality through simulation and hardware testing
Can you explain the benefits of using FPGAs over other types of processors?
They let you build hardware that’s tailored to your application. Unlike CPUs that execute instructions sequentially, or GPUs that follow a fixed architecture, they can be reconfigured to run tasks in parallel, which gives a huge performance boost for certain workloads.
Another big advantage is flexibility. You can update or completely change the design even after deployment, which isn’t possible with ASICs.
They’re also great for low-latency and real-time applications, since the logic is implemented directly in hardware. Plus, with careful design, they can be more power-efficient, as you only use the resources you really need.
So, in simple terms, they give you the best of both worlds: hardware-level speed and software-like flexibility.
What are the most significant trends observed in the FPGA industry over the past year? How will these trends shape the industry’s future?
Over the past year, the industry has seen major trends like AI/ML acceleration, edge computing growth, 5G adoption, and it use in cloud services. There’s also a focus on low-power designs, better toolchains, and stronger security.
These trends point to a future where they become more central in AI, telecom, automotive, and aerospace, combining hardware-level speed with flexibility for real-time and evolving applications.
How do you see FPGA development evolving to meet the demands of modern applications and complex workloads?
I see it moving toward higher abstraction, better integration, and domain-specific optimization. Tools like High-Level Synthesis (HLS) and AI-focused frameworks are making FPGA design more accessible, reducing development time.
On the hardware side, they are evolving with more logic density, built-in HBM, faster transceivers, and lower power to handle complex workloads.
They’re also being tightly integrated with CPUs and GPUs in heterogeneous systems to balance flexibility and performance.
Overall, they will continue to be a key choice for AI, 5G, automotive, aerospace, and edge computing, where real-time performance, adaptability, and efficiency are critical.
What are the key drivers behind the increasing adoption of FPGAs in various applications and industries?
They are becoming popular because they offer high performance through parallel processing, while still being flexible and reconfigurable to adapt to changing standards like 5G or AI workloads.
They also provide low latency and energy efficiency, which makes them ideal for real-time and edge applications.
On top of that, they work well alongside CPUs and GPUs in modern systems, giving the best mix of speed, efficiency, and adaptability.
Sectors that stand to benefit the most from FPGA integration, and why?
Sectors like telecom, AI/data centers, automotive, aerospace, and industrial IoT benefit the most.
They need real-time processing, high-speed performance, and flexibility, which it provide.
Whether it’s 5G networks, autonomous driving, AI acceleration, or edge computing, FPGAs help these industries meet demanding performance and efficiency requirements.
The role of FPGAs in accelerating AI applications and advancements is expected in the near future.
They’re great for AI because they let you customize hardware to run neural networks efficiently, giving low-latency and power-efficient performance.
This makes them ideal for real-time AI at the edge, like in autonomous vehicles or smart devices.
Looking ahead, they will handle bigger AI models, integrate more smoothly with CPUs and GPUs, and have easier-to-use tools, helping AI applications reach the market faster.
Ensuring the security and integrity of FPGA designs, especially in sensitive applications like finance and defense.
When it comes to sensitive applications like finance or defense, keeping FPGA designs secure is really important.
We do this by encrypting the bitstream so no one can copy or tamper with the design, and using secure boot to make sure only verified firmware runs.
Protecting IP cores, monitoring the design during operation, and following industry security standards all help ensure that the it stays safe, reliable, and trustworthy even in critical environments.
Advice for students and professionals interested in pursuing a career in FPGA development to stay updated with the latest trends and technologies.
My advice is to stay curious and hands-on.
Start by mastering Verilog, VHDL, and SystemVerilog, and get comfortable with tools like Xilinx Vivado, Intel Quartus, or ModelSim.
Follow industry trends through tech blogs, webinars, and FPGA vendor updates, and experiment with small projects or open-source IP cores to build practical experience.
Also, keep an eye on emerging areas like AI acceleration, edge computing, and high-speed communication, because these are shaping the future of FPGAs.
Networking with professionals on LinkedIn, forums, or conferences can also open doors and help you stay updated with the latest technologies.
