Technology, but at a price
FPGAs have always pushed the boundaries of manufacturing technology and are one of the first devices to run through new process nodes. But the new parts aren't usually available in the large capacities that some customers want.
Xilinx' solution is the use of stacked silicon interconnect technology – which it calls a 2.5D approach – to effectively 'stitch' four smaller fpgas together using an interposer in order to give the capacity which developers need.
The Virtex-7 2000T uses 2.5D technology to offer 6.8billion transistors, which equates to 2million logic cells and 20m asic gates.
But it requires a complex manufacturing process. In order to get the necessary planarity, there's an extended heating and assembly process.
However, such functionality is currently only available at a premium. An industry source – albeit from a rival company – suggests you can buy one for $68,000.
