Advanced FPGA Design

FPGA Design — Managed End-to-End

You shouldn’t need to become an FPGA expert to get FPGA-based hardware built. That’s where we come in.

Inovasense manages FPGA projects from concept to production — coordinating specialized EU-based engineering partners while our in-house technical team oversees architecture decisions, quality, and compliance. You get a single point of contact, clear milestones, and full IP ownership.

Why FPGA Over Traditional Approaches?

Choosing the right processing platform is a critical architecture decision. Here’s how FPGAs compare in 2026:

Factor	FPGA	Microcontroller	ASIC
Time-to-market	3–6 months	1–3 months	12–24 months
NRE cost	Low–Medium	Very Low	Very High (>€500K)
Per-unit cost (10K units)	€5–€200	€1–€20	€0.50–€5
Reconfigurability	Yes (field update)	Firmware only	No
Deterministic latency	<1 µs (hardwired)	10–100 µs	<1 µs
Hardware security	No software attack surface	Software-based	No software attack surface
AI acceleration	Custom datapath (INT8/INT4)	Limited NPU	Fixed architecture
Longevity	15–25 year supply	7–10 year supply	Custom (guaranteed)

When FPGA makes sense: Real-time signal processing (radar, lidar, SDR), custom cryptographic acceleration, protocol bridging, defense/aerospace (DO-254), AI inference with custom datapaths, and applications requiring hardware-rooted security with no OS attack surface.

Not sure if your project needs FPGA? That’s part of what we help with — our initial assessment separates real FPGA use cases from situations where a simpler MCU or SoC would serve you better.

What We Deliver

RTL Development & Verification

Through our partner network, we deliver synthesizable RTL in VHDL and SystemVerilog, following a structured V-model methodology:

• Architecture specification — Functional decomposition, interface definitions, clock domain analysis
• RTL coding — Parameterized, reusable IP blocks following vendor coding guidelines
• Simulation & verification — Self-checking testbenches, constrained-random verification, industry-standard code coverage targets
• Formal verification — Property checking for safety-critical logic paths
• Timing closure — Multi-corner Static Timing Analysis (STA) ensuring reliable operation across operating conditions
• CDC analysis — Clock Domain Crossing verification for multi-clock designs

Supported FPGA Platforms (2026)

Vendor	Families	Key Feature	Toolchain
AMD/Xilinx	Versal AI Edge, Versal Premium, Kintex UltraScale+, Zynq SoC	AI Engine array, hardened NoC	Vivado, Vitis Unified
Intel/Altera	Agilex 7, Agilex 5, Stratix 10	CXL 2.0, HBM2e	Quartus Prime Pro
Lattice	Avant-G, CertusPro-NX, CrossLink-NX	Ultra-low power (<75 mW)	Radiant, Propel
Microchip	PolarFire SoC, RT PolarFire	RISC-V + FPGA, radiation-tolerant	Libero SoC
Efinix	Titanium Ti180	RISC-V + FPGA, low-cost	Efinity

Open-Source RISC-V Soft-Cores — Eliminating Vendor Lock-In

Traditional FPGA soft-core processors (MicroBlaze, Nios II) lock your software stack to a single FPGA vendor. If that vendor faces supply disruptions, export restrictions, or end-of-life events, your entire codebase is stranded.

We integrate RISC-V open-source soft-cores that are portable across FPGA families — your processor, your firmware, and your software ecosystem move with you:

Core	HDL	Pipeline	FPGA Targets	Best For
VexRiscv	SpinalHDL	Configurable, RV32IMAC	Xilinx, Intel, Lattice, Efinix, Gowin	Flexible embedded control, IoT gateways
CVA6 (Ariane)	SystemVerilog	6-stage, RV64GC	Xilinx, Intel	Linux-capable SoC, full MMU
PicoRV32	Verilog	Single-issue, RV32IMC	Any (<2K LUT)	Ultra-small footprint, sequencing
NEORV32	VHDL	RV32IMAC, full SoC	Any	Safety-critical, DO-254 traceability

Why this matters for your project:

• Zero licensing fees — No per-unit royalties, no NDA required for processor IP
• Full RTL auditability — Every gate of your processor can be inspected for security compliance and backdoor-free operation
• Vendor portability — If your primary FPGA supplier becomes unavailable, the design can migrate to Intel, Lattice, or European alternatives (NanoXplore, Gowin) without rewriting your application software
• Custom extensions — Domain-specific instructions (cryptography, DSP, AI) can be added directly into the processor pipeline
• EU sovereignty — RISC-V is governed by a Swiss foundation, free from US/UK export controls or licensing dependencies

Complete Hardware System Design

Beyond FPGA fabric, we coordinate the design of the complete system through our partner network:

• Multi-layer PCB design — High-speed stackups with controlled impedance and signal integrity analysis
• Power delivery networks — Point-of-load regulators, sequencing, power integrity simulation
• Component sourcing — EU-preferred supply chain with second-source strategy
• Thermal management — CFD analysis for passive and active cooling. See our Industrial Design capabilities.

FPGA Application Areas

Our network has delivered projects across these domains:

• Cryptographic acceleration — Hardware-based AES-256-GCM, SHA-3, and Post-Quantum Cryptography (ML-KEM, ML-DSA)
• Real-time signal processing — Radar pulse compression, digital beamforming, adaptive filtering
• Protocol bridges — PCIe, CXL, high-speed Ethernet, custom serial protocols, legacy interface preservation
• AI inference accelerators — Custom INT8/INT4 datapaths on Versal AI Edge and similar platforms
• Motor control & power electronics — FOC (Field-Oriented Control), GaN/SiC gate drivers
• Software-Defined Radio (SDR) — Wideband digital front-ends, channelizers, cognitive radio

How We Work

We follow a gated development process aligned with V-model methodology. As your project manager and technical overseer, we ensure every phase meets your requirements:

1. Assessment & Architecture — We evaluate your needs, recommend the right platform, and define the system architecture together with you
2. Partner Selection — We match your project with the right specialists from our vetted EU partner network
3. Detailed Design — Block-level design documents, simulation planning, resource estimation — reviewed and approved by our technical team
4. Implementation — RTL coding, synthesis, place-and-route, timing closure — managed through clear milestones and regular progress reviews
5. Verification & Validation — Simulation, formal verification, and on-target testing with production hardware
6. Production Transfer — Programming files, manufacturing test procedures, and OTA update support — you own everything

Compliance & Certification

Through our partner network and in-house compliance expertise, we manage projects targeting:

• DO-254 — Design assurance for airborne FPGA-based electronics (DAL A–E)
• IEC 61508 — Functional safety for industrial FPGA applications (SIL 1–4)
• EU Dual-Use Regulation (2021/821) — Export compliance for controlled FPGA technologies
• EU Chips Act (2023/1781) — Alignment with EU semiconductor sovereignty objectives
• EU Cyber Resilience Act (2024/2847) — Secure development lifecycle for FPGA-based connected products
• CE marking — EMC (EN 55032/55035) and safety (EN 62368-1) for EU market access
• REACH & RoHS — Full material compliance with CBAM carbon reporting readiness

All FPGA projects managed by Inovasense are developed within the European Union, with full IP ownership retained by the client.