Start of HFM Working Group for FPGA System on Modules

The rising adoption of FPGA System on Modules (SoMs) is reshaping modern product design across industries. This growing trend highlights a significant industry need for a unified standard that can streamline the FPGA SoM design and manufacturing process. Such a standard could optimize performance, cost, and flexibility, making it easier for engineers and developers to bring complex applications to life.

(Image source: iWave)

Benefits of FPGA system on modules

The FPGA SoM approach has gained traction due to its considerable advantages in simplifying design processes. By using SoMs, developers can offload multiple complex design tasks, which not only reduces development time but also ensures a higher quality product. Here’s how FPGA SoMs address some of the major design challenges:

• Complex power circuit design: FPGA SoMs streamline intricate power circuit design, including complex power sequencing requirements.
• Higher power density: They support higher power density within limited board space, essential for advanced and compact applications.
• Efficient IO handling: FPGA SoMs simplify handling various IO bank complexities, easing the process of dealing with multiple IO standards.
• DDR memory and high-speed signal handling: With FPGA SoMs, high-speed DDR memory designs and signal integrity are managed with precision, improving overall data throughput and reliability.
• Thermal management and compact design: By managing heat dissipation effectively, FPGA SoMs maintain optimal thermal levels while preserving a compact form factor.

Overall, FPGA SoMs also enhance the scalability of designs, supporting a wide range of applications with varying requirements for logic density, IOs, and transceiver lanes.

The Need for a Standard: The Harmonized FPGA Module™ (HFM) Initiative

In February 2024, the Standardization Group for Embedded Technologies e.V. (SGeT) initiated a significant milestone by forming a working group to develop the Harmonized FPGA Module™ (HFM) standard. This effort, inaugurated at a founding meeting with 18 global organizations, seeks to create a standard framework for FPGA and SoC-FPGA modules. At the meeting, Mr. Sheik Abdullah from iWave was appointed as the chairman of this Standard Development Team (SDT), leading efforts to establish a global standard under SGeT’s sixth major project.

Objectives and scope of the harmonized FPGA module (HFM) standard

The Harmonized FPGA Module™ (HFM) Standard Development Team's primary goal is to develop a versatile and unified standard for both solderable and board-to-board FPGA modules. This standard will cater to a broad spectrum of FPGA configurations, focusing on providing options for low- to mid-range FPGAs, with modularity to support mid- to high-end SoC FPGAs. The mission statement outlines a dual approach to SoM design to enhance flexibility and functionality:

• Solderable FPGA modules: This option is ideal for applications where compactness, low power, and durability are paramount.
• Connector-based modules: These modules suit higher-performance applications, allowing greater scalability and component accessibility.

Both designs share fundamental technical challenges, such as power management, thermal control, and high-speed connectivity, making it both practical and beneficial to develop a harmonized standard. This standard aims to address these common issues, establishing a core framework applicable across both module types.

Vision for the HFM standard

Through the HFM initiative, SGeT envisions fostering an ecosystem where innovation thrives and boundaries within embedded computing are redefined. This standardization aims to:

1. Promote cost efficiency and reduced time-to-market: By simplifying design and integration, the HFM standard could enable businesses to bring products to market faster and with fewer resources.
2. Boost flexibility and interoperability: The standardized approach will offer greater compatibility between various FPGA solutions, encouraging a wider adoption of the technology.
3. Drive technological advancement: This effort seeks to push the limits of embedded technology, allowing for increasingly complex and powerful applications across industries, from automation to high-performance computing.

Join the HFM standardization effort

SGeT invites all companies in the embedded technology sector to participate in the development of the Harmonized FPGA Module standard. This is an opportunity for industry players to contribute their expertise, shape the future of FPGA module design, and become part of a collaborative community focused on pioneering advancements in embedded computing.

If interested in joining this initiative, please reach out to [email protected] to become part of this transformative standardization project.

Broader impacts of FPGA SoM standardization

1. Market acceleration for embedded computing: The HFM standard is expected to speed up the adoption of FPGA-based solutions in new markets. For example, sectors like industrial automation and AI-driven IoT applications, where customization and adaptability are key, can benefit from the streamlined integration that standardized SoMs provide. By reducing development complexity, more companies can explore and adopt FPGA technology without needing deep FPGA design expertise, opening new possibilities for embedded computing.
2. Supply chain benefits: With a standardized approach, vendors, suppliers, and manufacturers can streamline their inventory, reduce part variation, and simplify logistics. A standardized SoM form factor allows component suppliers to maintain consistent quality while providing a range of FPGA and SoC options that are interoperable across different platforms, ultimately reducing costs and increasing availability.
3. Cross-compatibility for futureproofing designs: A harmonized standard can also lead to futureproof designs. By establishing common interfaces, pin configurations, and thermal management practices, engineers can more easily upgrade or replace FPGA SoMs in existing products. This flexibility will allow companies to extend product lifecycles and quickly adapt to new hardware innovations without needing major redesigns.
4. Inter-company collaboration and innovation: The HFM standard has the potential to foster more inter-company collaboration by establishing a common design language across the FPGA industry. Through this shared framework, companies can collaborate on advanced solutions, such as high-speed data processing, deep learning accelerators, and edge computing modules. This cooperative environment can lead to faster innovation cycles and enhanced functionality for end-users.

Technical enhancements and innovations in the HFM standard

1. Interoperable pin layouts and power configurations: Standardizing the pin layouts and power configurations will be crucial for enabling modularity and flexibility. This will allow designers to adapt a single board design to different FPGAs, enhancing modular adaptability and providing an easier pathway to upgrade FPGA modules as technology progresses.
2. Unified heat dissipation and thermal guidelines: Different FPGA SoMs have varying power and thermal demands, and the HFM standard aims to include guidelines for optimized heat dissipation. These guidelines will standardize practices for handling thermal loads, benefiting applications in industrial settings, high-speed computing, and other areas where thermal reliability is essential.
3. Modular software compatibility: With a standardized hardware approach, software support can also become more consistent. This standardization will help enable universal software and firmware compatibility across various FPGA SoMs, reducing the need for custom drivers and software patches, which will in turn simplify development for engineers and ensure higher reliability.
4. Enhanced security standards: Security is a growing concern in embedded systems. The HFM standard can define minimum security benchmarks for FPGA SoMs, such as encryption support, secure boot capabilities, and tamper detection. These added security features would make FPGA SoMs even more appealing for critical applications where data security is a priority, such as medical devices and defense systems.

The role of HFM in enabling next-generation applications

1. Empowering edge and AI applications: With the rise of AI and edge computing, FPGAs have become instrumental for their ability to handle parallel processing and real-time data computation. The HFM standard will support scalable FPGA solutions tailored for AI applications, enabling quicker deployment of machine learning models and real-time data processing on the edge.
2. Advancing IoT and connectivity solutions: In IoT, where low power consumption and efficient data handling are critical, standardized FPGA SoMs can significantly simplify the integration of sensor data processing, machine-to-machine communication, and real-time monitoring systems. By streamlining FPGA development, HFM could play a central role in expanding IoT applications in agriculture, smart cities, and energy sectors.
3. Transforming industrial automation: Standardized FPGA SoMs can bring a new level of adaptability to industrial automation systems, where flexibility and robustness are crucial. This includes applications in robotics, predictive maintenance, and precision manufacturing, where custom FPGA solutions provide the speed and efficiency needed to process vast amounts of real-time data.

Future of the HFM standard and next steps

1. Global adoption and certification programs: SGeT is likely to roll out certification programs to ensure that FPGA SoMs meet the HFM standards. Certification could enhance the credibility of FPGA vendors and provide end-users with confidence in product compatibility and reliability, similar to the certification programs in other technology standards like PCIe and USB.
2. Ecosystem development and support networks: A key factor in the success of the HFM standard will be the development of a robust ecosystem, including training materials, developer forums, and software libraries. This support infrastructure will empower engineers to efficiently leverage FPGA SoMs in their projects, further driving standard adoption.
3. Research and development funding: As the HFM initiative gains traction, we may see increased interest from governments, research institutions, and private investors in funding projects that align with the HFM standards. Such funding can accelerate research and development (R&D), bringing innovative FPGA applications to market faster, especially in sectors that rely on high-performance, scalable, and secure computing.
4. Potential expansion of standard scope: As technology and FPGA capabilities evolve, there is a possibility of expanding the HFM standard to accommodate emerging technologies, such as quantum computing and photonic integration. By establishing a flexible standard now, SGeT lays the groundwork for future enhancements that can incorporate next-generation hardware advancements into the FPGA SoM ecosystem.

The Harmonized FPGA Module (HFM) standard not only addresses current industry challenges but positions FPGA technology for sustained growth, adaptability, and relevance in the rapidly evolving landscape of embedded computing. Through standardized development and collaboration, this initiative aims to empower designers, encourage innovation, and accelerate time-to-market across a broad spectrum of applications.

Why choose iWave

iWave’s extensive portfolio of FPGA and SoC FPGA platforms, combined with its deep technical expertise, enables customers to develop cutting-edge products that leverage the latest advancements in AI, machine learning, and edge computing. By partnering with iWave, companies can accelerate their product development, reduce risk, and stay ahead of the competition in an increasingly complex technological landscape.

For more information or to discuss custom requirements, please reach out to us at [email protected]