Intel® SoC FPGAs are Arm* processor-based and inherit the strength of the Arm* ecosystem. Intel, our ecosystem partners, and the Intel® SoC FPGA user community provide a wide range of options to meet your SoC FPGA development needs.
Intel® SoC FPGAs include a sophisticated high-performance multicore Arm* Cortex*-A9 processor. This processor can be used for a wide range of functions from very simple bare-metal applications running on one of the available cores to high-bandwidth, low-latency, real-time operations. For a simple single-core application with minimal real-time constraints, bare-metal application can be build using the provided Hardware Libraries (HWLIBs). However to take full advantage of the capabilities of the device, it is highly recommended to use an operating system (OS). The chosen operating system can be a simple real-time kernel running on a single-core or a full-featured operating system such or Linux, or one of a number of multicore-capable real-time operating systems.
In addition to open-source Linux* operating system, there are a number of commercial operating systems available for Intel® SoC FPGAs.
RocketBoards.org
You can obtain Linux* operating system and open-source products for Intel® SoC FPGAs on RocketBoards.org. This site provides a development environment and collaboration for embedded developers using SoC FPGAs. For information about the Golden System Reference Design that comes pre-installed on the Intel SoC FPGA boards, search rocketboards.org for “GSRD”.
Operating System Ecosystem for Intel® SoC FPGAs
| Operating System | Company |
|---|---|
| Abassi | Code Time Technologies |
| Android | Fujisoft |
| AUTOSAR MCAL (contact Intel) | Intel |
| Bare-Metal/Hardware Libraries (in SoC EDS) | Intel |
| Carrier Grade Edition 7 (CGE7) | MontaVista |
| DEOS | DDC-I |
| eCosPro | eCosCentric |
| eT-Kernel | eSOL |
| FreeRTOS | FreeRTOS.org |
| INTEGRITY RTOS | Green Hills Software |
| Nucleus | Mentor |
| OSE | Enea |
| QNX Neutrino RTOS | QNX |
| RTEMS on github | RTEMS |
| RTXC | Quadros Systems Inc. |
| ThreadX | Express Logic |
| uC/OS-II, uC/OS-III | Micrium |
| uC3 (Japanese language) | eForce |
| VxWorks | Wind River |
| Wind River Linux | Wind River |
| Windows Embedded Compact 7 | Witekio |
Why Use an Operating System?
Operating systems are highly optimized to take full advantage of the processor capabilities and limitations. It has been found that real-time operating systems designed for Symmetric Multi-Processing (SMP) will generally provide similar or better performance and lower latency than bare-metal applications (no operating system). Commercial operating systems also typically include specialized embedded development tools, middleware, technical support, and are thoroughly tested in the OS partner's test framework.
Development Tools Ecosystem For Intel® SoC FPGAs
| For professional quality development tools including JTAG debuggers and instruction trace functions consider the following options: | ||
| Product | Company | Description |
|---|---|---|
| J-Link | SEGGER | J-Link debug probes support up to 3 MBps download speed to RAM and high speed flashloaders, as well as the ability to set an unlimited number of breakpoints in flash memory of MCUs. |
| Multi | Green Hills | Software development and debug tools for Green Hills INTEGRITY real-time operating system. MULTI is complemented with the Green Hills Probe for high-speed JTAG debugging. |
| Poly-Platform,uC/OS-II | PolyCore Software and Micrium support Cyclone® V SoCs with a multicore solution. This development environment gives users a time-tested message-passing programming model and a trusted Real Time Operating System (RTOS), and makes it easy to create new multicore designs. | |
| Simulink Embedded Coder | MathWorks | Use Simulink and Embedded Coder from MathWorks to generate C/C++ code for Cyclone V SoCs. When used in combination with Intel® SoC FPGA support from HDL Coder, this solution can be utilized in a hardware/software workflow spanning simulation, prototyping, verification, and implementation on Intel® SoC FPGAs. |
| Sourcery CodeBench | Mentor | GNU toolchain support for the dual-core Arm* Cortex*-A9 MPCore* processor-based SoC Virtual Target. |
| Tasking VX-toolset | Altium | Optimizing C compiler, assembler, linker, and locator. |
| TRACE32 | Lauterbach | Lauterbach TRACE32 is family of modular microprocessor development tools that include debug, trace, and instruction-set simulators that support the Nios® II processor and the dual-core Arm* Cortex*-A9 MPCore* processor-based SoC. |
| Workbench | Wind River | Software development tools for VxWorks on the dual-core Arm* Cortex*-A9 MPCore* processor in Cyclone V SoCs and Arria® V SoCs. |
IP Cores Ecosystem For Intel® SoC FPGAs
| Intel® SoC FPGAs are supported by a wide range of third-party as well as soft intellectual property (IP) cores. These blocks can be instantiated in the FPGA portion of the SoC device. Some examples of key SoC soft IP cores are: | ||
IP |
Company |
Description |
|---|---|---|
Graphics Accelerator for Android |
Accelerates graphics functions for Android OS |
|
Graphics Rendering |
2D, 2.5D, 3D, and HD graphics rendering with support for EGL 1.3, OpenGL ES 1.1, OpenVG 1.01 APIs |
|
Sercos III Industrial Ethernet Protocol |
Sercos III master and slave controllers |
|
For a complete list of third-party and Intel® FPGA IP for a full range of functions including memory controllers, PCIe* interfaces and more, refer to the IP Portfolio page.
The Nios® II processor, the world's most versatile processor, according to Gartner Research, is the most widely used soft processor in the FPGA industry. The Nios® II processor delivers unprecedented flexibility for your cost-sensitive, real-time, safety-critical (DO-254), ASIC-optimized, and applications processing needs. The Nios® II processor supports all of our SoC and FPGA families.
Design Solutions Network (DSN) members offer an extensive portfolio of design services, intellectual property (IP) and products that can help customers meet challenging product development needs, lower risk, and accelerate time to market. They have expertise designing with Intel® FPGA products, tools, and intellectual property combined with application experience to offer customers design services ranging from selecting the right device to full turnkey or systems-level design.
Intel® SoC FPGA-based boards are available from Intel and ecosystem partners. Boards can be standalone or system on module configuration.
Standalone Boards
Standalone boards are sometimes included as part of a development kit. A development kit typically includes software and hardware. The Intel® SoC FPGA development kits include the board and all associated cables, documentation, and software development tools (SoC EDS and Arm* Development Studio for Intel® SoC FPGAs (Arm* DS for Intel® SoC FPGAs).
A number of SoC FPGA-based boards are available.
System on Module
Intel® SoC FPGA system on modules (SoMs) are small, integrated, single-board computers with Cyclone® V, Intel® Arria® 10 or Arria V SoCs at its core. An SoC FPGA SoM includes DDR3 memory, flash memory, power management, common interface controllers, and board support package (BSP) software to help you create a fully customized embedded design without starting from scratch.
Take advantage of a complete ecosystem today, using these off-the-shelf modules installed onto a custom or commercial carrier base board specific to your system application and significantly reduce your design time and risk.
SoC System on Module
