Re: gEDA-user: random project idea

[Hagen SANKOWSKI <hsank@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hallo.

Am 28.03.2008 um 06:51 schrieb Jesse Gordon:

> Can you please tell me a little more about meta-FPGA? I have no idea
> what it means, but I was talking with someone (who knows slightly more
> about fpgas then I, which still isn't much) a while back the general
> idea of constructing an fpga inside an fpga, such that once a
> high-gate-count fpga were programmed, it would function as a much
> smaller fpga who's internal workings would be well documented and open
> source, allowing hobbyists to experiment with completely free tools,  
> and
> perhaps some day a real fpga company would build a native one.
>

Well, the main reason for Meta-FPGA is the hidden bitstream formats  
for nearly all vendors and the commercial vendor tools in the chain.
The idea point out, that it would be possible to develop out a fpga  
structure, which is free in all meanings. Free tools would offer a  
tool chain to synthesis, place and route on this free fpga structure.  
The commercial vendor tools still once a time in need, when the free  
fpga structure is synthesised, placed and routed on the commercial  
fpga families. Nice idea i think but until now not realized.. I would  
think, the main reasons are:

* you need nearly 10 to 100 more gate-array to build one gate on the  
fpga.
This means, the Meta-FPGA structure contains 1/10 to 1/100 less gate  
ressources then the buyed one.

* practically all realizations of fpga structure, routing ressources,  
look-up tables etc are well patented.
In fact, this prevent us to develop a free fpga structure with out  
violating one of this patents. Otherwise we would find a ground- 
breaking new structure for the fpga.

I think the patent issue is a bigger show stopper. Here we are  
stepping in the field of real hardware, there are a lot of more  
patents than software developer may thinking off. I did a lot  
investigation in the fpga topic - and still dream of a free one!

Regards,
Hagen Sankowski


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