FPGA
Science & Engineering abbreviation · Electronics & Electrical
| Stands for | Field-programmable gate array |
|---|---|
| Categories | Science & Engineering |
FPGA stands for Field-programmable gate array, an electronics & electrical abbreviation.
Integrated circuit containing a large array of configurable logic blocks and programmable interconnects that engineers can rewire after manufacture to implement custom digital circuits. FPGAs are used for prototyping chips, signal processing, telecommunications, data center acceleration and retro gaming hardware.
Example: The FPGA recreates the original console's chips in hardware rather than emulating them in software.
Usage notes
Xilinx, co-founded by Ross Freeman, released the first commercial FPGA, the XC2064, in 1985; AMD acquired Xilinx in 2022. FPGAs are configured with hardware description languages such as Verilog and VHDL. They are faster than software for many parallel tasks but cost more and use more power per function than custom ASICs.
Related abbreviations
More electronics & electrical abbreviations
- EMC – Electromagnetic compatibility
- EMI – Electromagnetic interference
- ESD – Electrostatic discharge
- ESR – Equivalent series resistance
- FET – Field-effect transistor
- FM – Frequency modulation
- GFCI – Ground-fault circuit interrupter
- GND – Ground
- GPIO – General-purpose input/output
- HDL – Hardware description language
- HV – High voltage
- I2C – Inter-Integrated Circuit