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.
There are a number of options for operating systems, development tools, intellectual property (IP) cores, and professional services. Many are provided by ecosystem partners.
Arria® V 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 Intel SoC FPGA 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, there are a number of commercial operating systems available for the Arria® V SoC FPGA.
You can obtain Linux* 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 | Company | Available |
|---|---|---|
| Abassi | Code Time Technologies | Yes |
| Carrier Grade Edition 7 (CGE7) | MontaVista | Yes |
| INTEGRITY RTOS | Green Hills Software | Beta |
| ThreadX | Express Logic | Yes |
| uC/OS-II, uC/OS-III | Micrium | Yes |
| VxWorks | Wind River | Yes |
| Wind River Linux | Wind River | Yes |
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 operating system partner's test framework.
For professional quality development tools including JTAG debuggers and instruction trace functions consider the following options:
| Company | Product | Description | Available |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lauterbach | TRACE32 | 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. | Yes |
| MathWorks | Simulink Embedded Coder | Use Simulink and Embedded Coder from MathWorks to generate C/C++ code for Cyclone® V SoC FPGAs. When used in combination with Intel® SoC FPGA support from HDL Coder, this solution can be utilized in a hardware or software workflow spanning simulation, prototyping, verification, and implementation on SoC FPGAs. | Coming Soon |
| iSystem | iC5000 | iSYSTEM’s embedded on-chip debug or analyzer, real-time test and measurement tool platform. It is based on programmable hardware where support for different microcontroller families and features is controlled via software. Major benefit is one time investment into hardware while supported debug and advanced test feature set can be extended at any time via software. | Coming Soon |
| SEGGER | J-Link | 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 microcontroller units (MCUs). | Coming Soon |
| Wind River | Workbench | Software development tools for VxWorks on the dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore* processor in Cyclone® V SoC FPGA, Arria® V SoC FPGA, and Intel® Arria® 10 SoC FPGA. | Yes |
| Mentor Embedded | Sourcery CodeBench | GNU toolchain support for the dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore processor-based SoC FPGA Virtual Target. | Yes |
| Altium | Tasking VX-toolset | Optimizing C compiler, assembler, linker, and locator. | Coming Soon |
| Company | IP | Description | Available |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coveloz | IEEE 1588-2008 | KEPLER-1588 is a system for precise synchronization over Ethernet using the IEEE 1588-2008 Precision Timing Protocol (PTP) | Yes |
Graphics accelerator for Android |
Accelerates graphics functions for Android OS |
Coming Soon | |
Graphics rendering |
2D, 2.5D, 3D, and HD graphics rendering with support for EGL 1.3, OpenGL ES 1.1, OpenVG 1.01 APIs |
Coming Soon |
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 Intel SoC FPGA and FPGA families.
Design Service Network (DSN) members offer an extensive portfolio of design services, 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 FPGAs, tools, and IP combined with application experience to offer customers design services ranging from selecting the right FPGA to full turnkey or systems-level design.
Arria® V SoCs are supported by a wide range of development kits, boards, and system on modules (SoMs).
Standalone boards are sometimes included as part of a development kit. A development kit typically includes software and hardware. The Intel Arria V SoC development kit includes the board and all associated cables, documentation, and software development tools (SoC EDS and ARM DS-5 AE).
SoC system on modules (SoM) are small, integrated single-board computers with Cyclone V or Arria V SoCs at its core. The SoC 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.
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