Microchip Technology unveiled the RT PolarFire system-on-chip (SoC) FPGA to advance it and aid in quick, affordable software modification. It is the first RISC-V-based, real-time Linux-capable CPU subsystem on a flight-proven RT PolarFire FPGA fabric, developed on Microchip’s RT PolarFire FPGA.
Radiation-tolerant (RT) field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) are used by spacecraft electronics developers to provide the greatest possible protection against new threats in the space environment while maintaining high performance and dependability.
Following today’s announcement, developers may now begin designing using the Libero® SoC development tools and the commercially available PolarFire SoC (MPFS460) device.
Developing lower power solutions for the demanding thermal circumstances observed in space is possible today thanks to Microchip’s broad Mi-V ecosystem, PolarFire SoC solution stacks, the PolarFire SoC Icicle Kit, and the PolarFire SoC Smart Embedded Vision Kit.
The determinism of real-time systems and the flexibility of the Linux operating system (OS) are required for hardware control in safety-critical systems, control systems, space, and security applications. A multi-core Linux-capable CPU coherent with the memory subsystem is a feature of RT PolarFire SoC FPGAs.
The RT PolarFire SoC makes it possible to have central satellite processing capabilities for payload control, platform avionics, and command and data management that are comparable to those found in single board computers, which are widely used in the space industry.
The SoC improves size, weight, and power issues while enabling flexible implementation of highly integrated designs, customization, and function evolution.
The extreme radiation that space systems must withstand has prompted the development of design techniques that can guard against the most dangerous radiation-induced upset types. The RT PolarFire SoC, in contrast to SRAM FPGAs, is built to withstand zero configuration memory upsets in radiation, which removes the need for an additional scrubber and lowers the overall system cost.
Satellites are made to disperse heat via conductive pathways, such as metal, and to provide both peak and average power. The entire satellite design is made simpler by starting with a SoC FPGA that can save power consumption by up to 50%, freeing designers to concentrate on the current task.
“By delivering the design ecosystem for the industry’s first RISC-V-based radiation-tolerant SoC FPGA, Microchip is driving innovation and giving designers the ability to develop a whole new class of power-efficient applications for space.” said Bruce Weyer, corporate vice president for Microchip’s FPGA business unit. “This will also allow our clients to add enhanced edge compute capabilities to aerospace and defense systems.”
Microchip’s comprehensive Mi-V ecosystem helps designers slash time to market by providing support for symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) rich operating systems like Linux, VxWorks®, PIKE OS and more real time operating systems like RTEMS and Zephyr®.
Mi-V is a comprehensive suite of tools and design resources, developed with numerous third parties, to support RISC-V designs. The Mi-V ecosystem aims to increase adoption of the RISC-V instruction set architecture (ISA) and support Microchip’s SoC FPGA portfolio.
The Qualified Manufacturers List (QML) Class Q certification for the RT PolarFire FPGA has already been granted, in accordance with the Defense Logistics Agency’s strict performance and quality standards. Additionally, there is a clear route for this device to meet the highest qualification requirement for space microelectronics, QML Class V qualification.
For more than 60 years, Microchip’s solutions have powered space flight missions. Building on a history of providing reliable, low-power SONOS-, Flash- and antifuse-based FPGAs in the industry, the company works to help streamline the design of high-speed communications payloads, high-resolution sensors and instruments and flight-critical systems for Low Earth Orbit (LEO), deep space or anything in between.
For Further Info: Microchip’s radiation-tolerant FPGA
Availability of Development Tools
Customers can start designs now with the development tools and boards provided for the commercial equivalent PolarFire SoC.
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