Intel® Hyperflex™ Architecture High-Performance Design Handbook

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Date 12/08/2023
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Document Table of Contents
Document Table of Contents x
Answers to Top FAQs 1. Intel® Hyperflex™ FPGA Architecture Introduction 2. Intel® Hyperflex™ Architecture RTL Design Guidelines 3. Compiling Intel® Hyperflex™ Architecture Designs 4. Design Example Walk-Through 5. Retiming Restrictions and Workarounds 6. Optimization Example 7. Intel® Hyperflex™ Architecture Porting Guidelines 8. Appendices 9. Intel® Hyperflex™ Architecture High-Performance Design Handbook Archive 10. Intel® Hyperflex™ Architecture High-Performance Design Handbook Revision History
1. Intel® Hyperflex™ FPGA Architecture Introduction x
1.1. Intel® Hyperflex™ Architecture Design Concepts
2. Intel® Hyperflex™ Architecture RTL Design Guidelines x
2.1. High-Speed Design Methodology 2.2. Hyper-Retiming (Facilitate Register Movement) 2.3. Hyper-Pipelining (Add Pipeline Registers) 2.4. Hyper-Optimization (Optimize RTL)
2.1. High-Speed Design Methodology x
2.1.1. Set a High-Speed Target 2.1.2. Experiment and Iterate 2.1.3. Compile Components Independently 2.1.4. Optimize Sub-Modules 2.1.5. Avoid Broadcast Signals
2.1.1. Set a High-Speed Target x
2.1.1.1. Speed and Timing Closure 2.1.1.2. Speed and Latency
2.2. Hyper-Retiming (Facilitate Register Movement) x
2.2.1. Reset Strategies 2.2.2. Clock Enable Strategies 2.2.3. Preserving Registers During Synthesis 2.2.4. Timing Constraint Considerations 2.2.5. Clock Synchronization Strategies 2.2.6. Metastability Synchronizers 2.2.7. Initial Power-Up Conditions 2.2.8. Retiming through RAMs and DSPs
2.2.1. Reset Strategies x
2.2.1.1. Removing Asynchronous Resets 2.2.1.2. Synchronous Resets on Global Clock Trees 2.2.1.3. Synchronous Resets on I/O Ports 2.2.1.4. Duplicate and Pipeline Synchronous Resets
2.2.2. Clock Enable Strategies x
2.2.2.1. Localized Clock Enable 2.2.2.2. High Fan-Out Clock Enable 2.2.2.3. Clock Enable with Timing Exceptions
2.2.4. Timing Constraint Considerations x
2.2.4.1. Optimize Multicycle Paths 2.2.4.2. Overconstraints
2.2.5. Clock Synchronization Strategies x
2.2.5.1. Clock Domain Crossing Constraint Guidelines
2.2.7. Initial Power-Up Conditions x
2.2.7.1. Specifying Initial Memory Conditions 2.2.7.2. Initial Conditions and Retiming 2.2.7.3. Initial Conditions and Hyper-Registers 2.2.7.4. Retiming Reset Sequences
2.2.7.3. Initial Conditions and Hyper-Registers x
2.2.7.3.1. Implementing Clock Gating 2.2.7.3.2. Intel® Quartus® Prime Settings for Initial Conditions
2.3. Hyper-Pipelining (Add Pipeline Registers) x
2.3.1. Conventional Versus Hyper-Pipelining 2.3.2. Pipelining and Latency 2.3.3. Use Registers Instead of Multicycle Exceptions
2.3.2. Pipelining and Latency x
2.3.2.1. Pipelining at Variable Latency Locations 2.3.2.2. Automatic Pipeline Insertion
2.3.2.1. Pipelining at Variable Latency Locations x
2.3.2.1.1. Specifying a Latency-Insensitive False Path
2.3.2.2. Automatic Pipeline Insertion x
2.3.2.2.1. Step 1: Create the Variable Latency Module 2.3.2.2.2. Step 2: Instantiate the Variable Latency Module 2.3.2.2.3. Step 3: Verify Automatic Pipeline Insertion Option 2.3.2.2.4. (Optional) Auto-Pipeline Insertion without a Variable Latency Module
2.4. Hyper-Optimization (Optimize RTL) x
2.4.1. General Optimization Techniques 2.4.2. Optimizing Specific Design Structures
2.4.1. General Optimization Techniques x
2.4.1.1. Shannon’s Decomposition 2.4.1.2. Time Domain Multiplexing 2.4.1.3. Loop Unrolling 2.4.1.4. Loop Pipelining 2.4.1.5. Precomputation
2.4.1.1. Shannon’s Decomposition x
2.4.1.1.1. Shannon’s Decomposition Example 2.4.1.1.2. Identifying Circuits for Shannon’s Decomposition
2.4.1.4. Loop Pipelining x
2.4.1.4.1. Loop Pipelining Theory 2.4.1.4.2. Loop Pipelining Demonstration 2.4.1.4.3. Loop Pipelining and Synthesis Optimization
2.4.2. Optimizing Specific Design Structures x
2.4.2.1. High-Speed Clock Domains 2.4.2.2. Restructuring Loops 2.4.2.3. Control Signal Backpressure 2.4.2.4. Flow Control with FIFO Status Signals 2.4.2.5. Flow Control with Skid Buffers 2.4.2.6. Read-Modify-Write Memory 2.4.2.7. Counters and Accumulators 2.4.2.8. State Machines 2.4.2.9. Memory 2.4.2.10. DSP Blocks 2.4.2.11. General Logic 2.4.2.12. Modulus and Division 2.4.2.13. Resets 2.4.2.14. Hardware Re-use 2.4.2.15. Algorithmic Requirements 2.4.2.16. FIFOs 2.4.2.17. Ternary Adders
2.4.2.1. High-Speed Clock Domains x
2.4.2.1.1. Visualizing Clock Networks 2.4.2.1.2. Viewing Clock Networks in the Fitter Report 2.4.2.1.3. Viewing Clocks in the Timing Analyzer
2.4.2.9. Memory x
2.4.2.9.1. Intel® Hyperflex™ Architecture True Dual-Port Memory 2.4.2.9.2. Use Simple Dual-Port Memories 2.4.2.9.3. Intel® Hyperflex™ Architecture Simple Dual-Port Memory Example 2.4.2.9.4. Memory Mixed Port Width Ratio Limits 2.4.2.9.5. Unregistered RAM Outputs
3. Compiling Intel® Hyperflex™ Architecture Designs x
3.1. Compiling Submodules Independently 3.2. Design Assistant Design Rule Checking
3.2. Design Assistant Design Rule Checking x
3.2.1. Running Design Assistant During Compilation 3.2.2. Running Design Assistant in Analysis Mode
3.2.2. Running Design Assistant in Analysis Mode x
3.2.2.1. Cross-Probing from Design Assistant to Visualization Tools 3.2.2.2. Launching Design Assistant from Chip Planner 3.2.2.3. Launching Design Assistant from Timing Analyzer
4. Design Example Walk-Through x
4.1. Median Filter Design Example
4.1. Median Filter Design Example x
4.1.1. Step 1: Compile the Base Design 4.1.2. Step 2: Add Pipeline Stages and Remove Asynchronous Resets 4.1.3. Step 3: Add More Pipeline Stages and Remove All Asynchronous Resets 4.1.4. Step 4: Optimize Short Path and Long Path Conditions
5. Retiming Restrictions and Workarounds x
5.1. Setting the dont_merge Synthesis Attribute 5.2. Interpreting Critical Chain Reports
5.2. Interpreting Critical Chain Reports x
5.2.1. Insufficient Registers 5.2.2. Short Path/Long Path 5.2.3. Fast Forward Limit 5.2.4. Loops 5.2.5. One Critical Chain per Clock Domain 5.2.6. Critical Chains in Related Clock Groups 5.2.7. Complex Critical Chains 5.2.8. Extend to locatable node 5.2.9. Domain Boundary Entry and Domain Boundary Exit 5.2.10. Critical Chains with Dual Clock Memories 5.2.11. Critical Chain Bits and Buses 5.2.12. Delay Lines
5.2.1. Insufficient Registers x
5.2.1.1. Insufficient Registers Example 5.2.1.2. Optimizing Insufficient Registers 5.2.1.3. Critical Chains with Dual Clock Memories
5.2.2. Short Path/Long Path x
5.2.2.1. Hyper-Register Locations Not Available 5.2.2.2. Example for Hold Optimization 5.2.2.3. Optimizing Short Path/Long Path 5.2.2.4. Add Registers 5.2.2.5. Duplicate Common Nodes 5.2.2.6. Data and Control Plane
5.2.3. Fast Forward Limit x
5.2.3.1. Optimizing Path Limit
5.2.4. Loops x
5.2.4.1. Example of Loops Limiting the Critical Chain
6. Optimization Example x
6.1. Round Robin Scheduler
7. Intel® Hyperflex™ Architecture Porting Guidelines x
7.1. Design Migration and Performance Exploration 7.2. Top-Level Design Considerations
7.1. Design Migration and Performance Exploration x
7.1.1. Black-boxing Verilog HDL Modules 7.1.2. Black-boxing VHDL Modules 7.1.3. Clock Management 7.1.4. Pin Assignments 7.1.5. Transceiver Control Logic 7.1.6. Upgrade Outdated IP Cores
8. Appendices x
8.1. Appendix A: Parameterizable Pipeline Modules 8.2. Appendix B: Clock Enables and Resets
8.2. Appendix B: Clock Enables and Resets x
8.2.1. Synchronous Resets and Limitations 8.2.2. Retiming with Clock Enables 8.2.3. Resolving Short Paths
8.2.1. Synchronous Resets and Limitations x
8.2.1.1. Synchronous Resets Summary
8.2.2. Retiming with Clock Enables x
8.2.2.1. Example for Broadcast Control Signals
Answers to Top FAQs
1. Intel® Hyperflex™ FPGA Architecture Introduction
2. Intel® Hyperflex™ Architecture RTL Design Guidelines
3. Compiling Intel® Hyperflex™ Architecture Designs
4. Design Example Walk-Through
5. Retiming Restrictions and Workarounds
6. Optimization Example
7. Intel® Hyperflex™ Architecture Porting Guidelines
8. Appendices
9. Intel® Hyperflex™ Architecture High-Performance Design Handbook Archive
10. Intel® Hyperflex™ Architecture High-Performance Design Handbook Revision History

2.2.5.1. Clock Domain Crossing Constraint Guidelines

You must apply appropriate timing constraints to any multi-bit clock domain crossing. The set_false_path constraint has a higher precedence than all other path-based constraints. Therefore, when a clock domain crossing has a set_false_path constraint, timing analysis can ignore other lower precedence constraints like skew.

Follow these guidelines to properly constrain a clock domain crossing:

  • Review the SDC timing constraints to ensure that no set_false_path constraint exists between the two clock domains.
  • To remove any false paths between two clock domains from setup and hold timing analysis, apply the set_clock_groups constraint, rather than set_false_path constraint. set_clock_groups has a lower precedence than set_false_path.
  • Constrain the paths between the two clock domains with set_net_delay to make the nets as short as possible.
  • Constrain the nets between the two clock domains with set_max_skew. You can view the results in comparison to your constraint in the Timing Analyzer reports.

The following shows example constraints for a clock domain crossing between data_a in clk_a clock domain, and data_b in clk_b clock domain: 

create_clock -name clk_a -period 4.000 [get_ports {clk_a}]
create_clock -name clk_b -period 4.500 [get_ports {clk_b}]
set_clock_groups -asynchronous -group [get_clocks {clk_a}] -group \
     [get_clocks {clk_b}]
set_net_delay -from [get_registers {data_a[*]}] -to [get_registers \
     {data_b[*]}] -max -get_value_from_clock_period dst_clock_period \
     -value_multiplier 0.8
set_max_skew -from [get_keepers {data_a[*]}] -to [get_keepers {data_b[*]}] \
     -get_skew_value_from_clock_period src_clock_period \
     -skew_value_multiplier 0.8
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