Static consumption cut by 90%

Responding to customer demand for fpgas which combine low power consumption with high performance, Actel has unveiled the ProAsic3L range. According to the company, the new parts feature 40% lower dynamic power consumption and 90% lower static power consumption than its ProAsic3 family. Whilst reducing power consumption, the parts can run at up to 350MHz. Martin Mason, Actel’s senior director of silicon product marketing, claimed: “Applications for the ProAsic3L family will include medical and military radios, where designers need low power consumption, but also number crunching capabilities.” However, he noted the range meant some performance sacrifices had been made in exchange for ‘big power savings’. Mason claimed that static power consumption had, in general, been addressed to the point where dynamic power is the dominant parameter. “At 100MHz, the parts consume about 100mW of dynamic power and about 0.5mW of static power. Our competitors’ devices all consume more dynamic and static power.” A move to 1.2V operation also contributes to the reduced power consumption. ProAsic3L features Actel’s FlashFreeze technology – which enables instant on/off cycling – as well as a free implementation of the fpga optimised 32bit ARM Cortex-M1 processor. This will initially be available in the M1A3P600L, with 600k gates. The ProAsic3L family will have four devices, with capacities ranging from 250,000 to 3million gates. ProAsic3L devices will cost less than $10 in volume and will sit between Actel’s speed and power optimised families.