Impulse and Opal Kelly Jointly Develop C-to-Hardware Compilation for USB-Connected FPGA Modules.USB-Compatible Peripherals Based on Xilinx Spartan-3 FPGAs Allow C-Language Acceleration of Desktop Applications KIRKLAND, Wash. & HILLSBORO, Ore. -- Impulse Accelerated Technologies Impulse Accelerated Technologies, Inc. is a privately held company providing software development tools for embedded systems and high performance computing, and in particular for applications based on field programmable gate array (FPGA) devices. and Opal Kelly today announced the release of a Platform Support Package allowing the use of the Impulse C Impulse C is a subset of the C language combined with a C-compatible function library supporting parallel programming, in particular for programming of applications targeting FPGA devices. [TM] software-to-hardware compiler tools with the Opal Kelly XEM XEM New Richmond, Quebec, Canada - New Richmond / via Rail Service (Airport Code) [TM] USB-connected FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) A type of gate array that is programmed in the field rather than in a semiconductor fab. Containing up to hundreds of thousands of gates, there are a variety of FPGA architectures on the market. modules. The resulting combination of FPGA-based hardware and software programming tools allows software programmers to create, debug To correct a problem in hardware or software. Debugging software means locating the errors in the source code (the program logic). Debugging hardware means finding errors in the circuit design (logical circuits) or in the physical interconnections of the circuits. and compile C applications for acceleration in FPGAs, without the need to use low-level HDL (Hardware Description Language) A language used to describe the functions of an electronic circuit for documentation, simulation or logic synthesis (or all three). Although many proprietary HDLs have been developed, Verilog and VHDL are the major standards. programming methods. The Opal Kelly XEM3010 modules are based on Xilinx Spartan-3 FPGAs containing up to 1,500,000 FPGA gates. In addition to providing high gate-count, low-power FPGA devices, the XEM modules provide a high transfer rate for FPGA configuration downloads, enabling an almost instant reprogramming Reprogramming refers to erasure and remodeling of epigenetic marks, such as DNA methylation, during mammalian development[1]. After fertilization some cells of the newly formed embryo migrate to the germinal ridge and will eventually become the germ cells of the FPGA. The XEM3010 devices include an integrated 32-MB of SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM) A type of dynamic RAM (DRAM) memory chip that has been widely used since the late 1990s. SDRAM chips eliminated wait states by dividing the chip into two cell blocks and interleaving data between them. in support of high-performance applications including data and image acquisition, signal processing and scientific computing. According to Jake Janovetz, President of Opal Kelly, "The XEM modules are ideally suited to the prototyping and deployment of FPGA-accelerated systems. The USB USB in full Universal Serial Bus Type of serial bus that allows peripheral devices (disks, modems, printers, digitizers, data gloves, etc.) to be easily connected to a computer. 2.0 interface, flexible hardware and a PC software programming interface greatly simplify the creation of mixed software/hardware systems. For OEMs in particular, the XEM module provides turnkey USB integration with the convenience of software-programming hardware. The combination of Impulse C and the XEM modules represents a breakthrough in providing software programmers with access to FPGA acceleration." Opal Kelly's FrontPanel[TM] software provides a well-integrated environment for FPGA configuration, as well as providing a highly flexible virtual control panel interface. The FrontPanel Application Programmer Interface allows software programmers to easily communicate with the XEM using popular software development tools, including Microsoft Visual Studio Microsoft Visual Studio is Microsoft's flagship software development product for computer programmers. It centers on an integrated development environment which lets programmers create standalone applications, web sites, web applications, and web services that run on any platforms [R]. Using the FrontPanel interface and associated APIs, the USB interface becomes a high-speed, bidirectional The ability to move, transfer or transmit in both directions. communications channel between the PC software application and the FPGA hardware. "The Opal Kelly FPGA modules represent a critical step forward in the FPGA acceleration of PC applications," said David Pellerin, CTO (Chief Technical Officer) The executive responsible for the technical direction of an organization. See CIO and salary survey. and co-founder of Impulse. "The XEM devices provide software programmers with an ideal target for FPGA algorithm prototyping and development using the C language." The Impulse tools support FPGA-accelerated applications by generating FPGA hardware directly from C language descriptions. The Impulse compiler analyzes C statements, generates parallel hardware and generates appropriate software/hardware interfaces. The generated hardware descriptions can then be combined with other system elements using Opal Kelly tools, allowing developers to easily create FPGA-accelerated applications without requiring a detailed understanding of the underlying FPGA hardware. Pricing and Availability The Impulse C tools, including integrated support for Opal Kelly XEM modules, are available now from Impulse Accelerated Technologies at www.ImpulseC.com. Prices start at $5495 for a perpetual node-locked license supporting all Xilinx-based FPGA platforms. Annual and floating licenses are also available. The XEM3010 modules are available now through Opal Kelly at www.opalkelly.com. The XEM3010-1000 (with a 1,000,000-gate FPGA) is $349.95 in single quantities. The XEM3010-1500P (with a 1,500,000-gate FPGA and a configuration PROM) is $399.95 in single quantities. Significant quantity discounts apply. About Impulse Impulse C enables true software programming of FPGAs using ANSI C. The Impulse tools allow FPGA algorithms to be developed and debugged using popular C/C C/C Center to Center C/C Combustion Chamber C/C Command/Control C/C Crew Chief C/C cabin cruiser (US DoD) C/C chief complaint (medical) C/C Channel-to-Channel C/C Communication and Collaboration ++ development environments, including Microsoft Visual Studio[TM] and GCC-based tools. The CoDeveloper software-to-hardware compiler translates C-language processes to low-level FPGA-hardware, while optimizing the generated logic and identifying opportunities for parallelism. The compiler analyzes untimed C code and schedules multiple statements and operations into single-clock instruction stages. Impulse C allows software programmers to exploit the extreme levels of parallelism possible in an FPGA. www.ImpulseC.com. About Opal Kelly Opal Kelly produces hardware modules for engineers and OEMs with a strong concentration on providing rich software support for their products. The focus on a full software and hardware solution allows Opal Kelly customers to quickly and seamlessly integrate their products into custom solutions. With extensive expertise in FPGA technology, hardware design, software programming, and embedded systems, Opal Kelly is aware of the problems facing engineers today and is committed to bringing complete solutions to market to help them tackle those problems. www.opalkelly.com. |
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