FPGA携通信专用核心入侵，挑战ASIC地位

随着越来越多的通信设备商选择采用 FPGA 作为系统核心，以取代 ASIC 与 ASSP ， FPGA供货商相继推出支持通信系统的一系列核心产品组合。 赛灵思公司(Xilinx)日前发表一系列针对无线与资料中心系统的核心产品组合。过去两年来，赛灵思不断透过收购与自行开发，目前已累积了一系列的相关IP组合── SmartCore 系列提供了大约75种通信专用核心。 Altera公司表示，同样已经具备至少75款的通信核心产品组合。这两家公司都表示，通信设备制造商采用越来越多的FPGA进行设计，而逐渐少用ASIC了。 根据IDC的调查报告，2011年采用ASIC的设计减少至2,313项，较2002年下滑了6%。特别是在有线通信设计领域，2011年的ASIC仅442项，明显减少了近两倍，并较2002年更少11%。 赛灵思公司声称，今年全球主要的几家通信OEM拥有不到50个ASIC设计，采用28nm的设计项目还不到20个。赛灵思公司策略行销与业务计划资深总监Robert Bielby表示，供货商必须取得4亿美元的营收，才能负担得起28nm的ASIC设计。 而 另一项由Altera提供的研究，一家市场研究公司估计开发一款28奈米ASIC的成本约8千万美元，而一款20纳米 ASIC 的开发成本更高达1亿600千万元。“我们已经看到设备商的想法改变了，以前他们必须证明值得采用 FPGA，而今则得对 ASIC 加以考虑了，”Bielby说。

根据Altera所提供的资料分析，ASIC的成本正快速攀升。
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尽管如此，思科(Cisco)公司的一位主管近日表示，该公司正大力投资于其ASIC团队。此外，华为(Huawei)旗下芯片设计公司──海思半导体(HiSilicon)，目前已成为中国最大的无晶圆厂芯片设计公司。 在去年的一次季报会议中，Altera公司宣布失去两项FPGA设计订单，据称是受到华为的ASIC设计影响。分析师预计，华为在2012年大约取得了35项ASIC订单，较前一年的24项更多。 Linley Group资深分析师Jag Bolaria说， FPGA 在高阶、相对较少量的市场较具优势，例如核心光纤网络。而在传统的蜂巢式基地台也有其重要性，“但当市场转移到小型蜂巢式基地台时，客户需要一个完全整合 的设备，这将会压缩到FPGA的发挥空间，”他说。 本文授权编译自EE Times，版权所有，谢绝转载 编译：Susan Hong 参考英文原文：FPGAs add comms cores amid ASIC debate，by Rick Merritt

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{pagination} FPGAs add comms cores amid ASIC debate Rick Merritt SAN JOSE, Calif. – FPGA vendors are bolstering their arsenals of cores for communications systems amid reports of a decline in ASIC starts among comms systems vendors. Xilinx announced a portfolio of cores last week targeting wired, wireless and data center systems. Its SmartCore offering of about 75 comms-specific cores is a collection of intellectual property acquired or developed in house over the last two years. Archrival Altera said it has at least 75 comms cores in its portfolio as well. Both companies say comms equipment makers are designing fewer ASICs on average and adopting more FPGAs. International Data Corp reported total ASIC starts declined to 2,313 in 2011, down six percent from 2002 levels. In wired comms, the decline was nearly twice as steep to 442 ASICs in 2011, down 11 percent from 2002. Xilinx claims it has seen less than 50 ASIC starts among the top the comms OEMs this year, less than 20 of them at the 28-nm node. Vendors need system revenues of $400 million or more to justify 28-nm ASICs, said Robert Bielby, senior director of strategic marketing and business planning at Xilinx. In a study provided by Altera, one market researcher estimated the costs of developing a new 28-nm ASIC at more than $80 and a 20-nm device at nearly $160 million. “The mind shift we have seen is they used to have to justify FPGAs, but now they have to justify ASICs,” Bielby said. Click on image to enlarge. ASIC costs are rising fast, according to an analysis provided by Altera. Despite the figures, a Cisco chip executive said recently that Cisco is investing about as much as ever in its ASIC teams. In addition, Huawei’s silicon design division, HiSilicon, has become China’s largest fabless chip design house. In a quarterly earnings call last year, Altera announced it lost two FPGA design wins to ASICs, at least one of them believed to be at Huawei. One analyst estimated Huawei designed 35 ASICs in 2012 up, from 24 the previous year. FPGAs have a strong presence in high-end, relatively low-volume markets such as core optical networks, said Jag Bolaria, senior analyst at the Linley group (Mountain View, Calif.). They have also done well in traditional cellular base stations, “but as the market shifts to small cell base stations, customers want a single full integrated device and this will squeeze out FPGAs,” he said.