FPGA Insights interviewed Partha Sarathy M, FPGA/RTL Design Engineer at VDesign Technologies, to explore his expertise and gain valuable insights into FPGA design.
1) 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?
I’ve worked on a couple of projects based on if and rf frequency domains. Due to the sensitive nature of these projects, because it’s for defense applications, I can’t say the project names or my role in it. But the basic agenda is to provide a data link between multiple entities like a transmitter, receiver, etc.
2) Can you explain the benefits of using FPGAs over other types of processors?
We can do parallel processing.It can be used for high-speed processing
Mainly, We can reprogram the FPGA numerous times and change its function. I think it is one of the major benefits of using an FPGA.
Also, it consumes less power than other high-end processors.
3) What are the most significant trends observed in the FPGA industry over the past year? How will these trends shape the industry’s future?
Using FPGA gives us an option to customize hardware. It can easily gel with any hardware component. So, it has increased the adoption of electronics like TVs, Smartphones, and other digital appliances.
FPGAs are also used in space applications as well. We know that space agencies like NASA, and ISRO are relying heavily on FPGAs due to their unmatched ability to withstand extreme radiation, vibration, and temperatures ensuring mission-critical reliable performance in satellite communications and planetary research. So, with these kinds of abilities, FPGAs are going to be a reliable force for mankind as well as industries in the future.
4) How do you see FPGA development evolving to meet the demands of modern applications and complex workloads?
The primary objective of FPGA is to perform complex operations with high performance and flexibility. To do so they have logic blocks. The density of these logic blocks has increased much more compared to the previous ones. With the increase in logic size increases, the performance as well. The memory interfaces and DSP capabilities are also increased. Adding on with edge computing, 5G can increase its performance to the max.
5) Sectors that stand to benefit the most from FPGA integration, and why?
Almost every sector will benefit from the integration of FPGAs. I can mention a few like Aerospace, 5G and data center, medical, cybersecurity, gaming, etc. Because FPGA can provide Flexibility, security, and high performance, it’s also power efficient and has high real-time processing.
6) The role of FPGAs in accelerating AI applications and advancements expected in the near future.
By using FPGA, AI advancement will be tremendous. It can boost the real-time acceleration processing of AI applications. I think robotics will be highly beneficial with FPGA Integration.
7) Ensuring the security and integrity of FPGA designs, especially in sensitive applications like finance and defense.
It is highly reliable when it comes to security. Most of the defense applications are using FPGA for processing. Most of the missile subsystems are FPGA-based. It can also be used for financial applications as well.
8) Advice for students and professionals interested in pursuing a career in FPGA development to stay updated with the latest trends and technologies.
I can give one piece of advice to students, “Develop character to Learn stuff which indeed helps you to focus on your self-development and Always stick with basics”.
