AMD is continuing to downsize. No, not the company itself. The chip giant is continuing to reduce the footprint and power requirements of its FPGAs, as markets like automotive are demanding smaller silicon devices for Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) cameras and other vehicle sensor and digital cockpit applications.
The latest evidence of the incredible shrinking FPGA came this week as AMD unveiled the Artix UltraScale+ XA AU7P, the newest member of the company’s AMD Automotive XA family. The new device, which the company told Fierce Electronics is likely to be featured in post-2026 vehicle models, has been automotive-qualified and optimized for use in ADAS sensor applications and in-vehicle infotainment (IVI). The new FPGA is available in 9x9 mm packaging, the smallest package available for any AMD 16nm FPGAs or adaptive SoCs, the company said. This makes it ideal for camera vision or in-vehicle display applications, the company added.
The migration to smaller, “low-power, cost-optimized” FPGAs has been a theme for AMD this year following last spring’s introduction of the Zynq UltraScale+ product line. The Artix UltraScale+ XA AU7P also represents another competitive shot across the bow of firms like Lattice Semiconductor and Microchip Technology that have built their businesses in part of their ability to chase the low-cost, low-power portion of the FPGA market. The automotive sector is yielding many new opportunities for such devices. For example, consulting firm Yole Intelligence has indicated that the ADAS camera market was worth around $2 billion last year and could reach $2.7 billion by 2029.
“As the automotive market expands, optimizing form factor, power, and media processing has become even more critical for automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers,” said Wayne Lyons, Senior Director of Marketing, Automotive Segment, AMD. “With the release of this new, small-form-factor Artix UltraScale+ device, AMD continues its commitment to developing devices that address ADAS and IVI synergy.”
Automotive customers are already designing the Artix UltraScale+ AU7P FPGAs into their ADAS edge devices such as thermal and IR cameras, and their designers can use these devices for data ingest and image/video processing for edge sensors. Additionally, these devices can be connected to in-vehicle displays to enhance infotainment features. The new FPGA has a high signal compute density and optimized I/O in the smallest form factor available from the AMD auto portfolio, the company said.