Zynq SoC Platform for Universal Computing
The FMC367, a new computing platform, is based on the Xilinx Zynq XC7Z100 SoC, which combines programmable FPGA logic with embedded ARM processing cores. This type of hybrid architecture is being deployed in diverse fields such as factory automation, power management, and biomedical instrumentation. Such platforms are used for rapid prototyping where both deterministic control and real-time data analytics are required.
- The Xilinx Zynq-7000 family, which includes the XC7Z100, is built on a 28nm process and is available in various speed grades, with the -3 designation indicating the highest performance. These SoCs are offered in commercial, extended, and industrial temperature ranges to suit different application needs. - The Zynq XC7Z100 SoC integrates a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor-based "Processing System" (PS) with "Programmable Logic" (PL) equivalent to a Kintex-7 FPGA. The ARM cores can operate at frequencies up to 1GHz, depending on the specific device. - The XC7Z100 features a significant amount of programmable resources, including 444K logic cells, 277,400 Look-Up Tables (LUTs), and 2,020 DSP slices. This extensive logic capacity allows for the implementation of custom hardware accelerators and complex digital signal processing tasks. - The Processing System in the Zynq-7000 series includes not just the ARM cores, but also on-chip memory, external memory interfaces supporting DDR2, DDR3, and LPDDR2, and a variety of peripheral connectivity interfaces. The XC7Z100 specifically provides 1GB of DDR3 RAM for the processing system and another 1GB for the programmable logic. - For high-speed connectivity, the XC7Z100 is equipped with 16 serial transceivers capable of speeds up to 12.5 Gb/s, supporting protocols like PCI Express Gen2. This makes it suitable for data-intensive applications in fields such as medical imaging and high-speed data acquisition. - The FMC367 platform specifically utilizes the Zynq XC7Z100 to provide interfaces such as a high-pin-count FPGA Mezzanine Card (FMC) connector, a 1-channel SFP+ for optical communication, and an M.2 PCIe x4 storage interface. This combination of processing, logic, and high-speed I/O is targeted at applications like image processing, radar, and front-end signal processing. - The integration of the ARM processing system and the FPGA fabric on a single chip provides a high-bandwidth connection between the two, which can be orders of magnitude larger than what is achievable with a two-chip solution. This tight coupling is critical for applications requiring real-time data exchange between software running on the processor and hardware accelerators in the FPGA. - Development for the Zynq platform is supported by tools like the Xilinx ISE Design Suite and Vivado, which allow engineers to program the programmable logic. The ARM processors can be programmed using standard software development kits and tools from the ARM ecosystem, such as the ARM Development Studio 5.
