PolarFire FPGA Video Ecosystem Enhances High-Bandwidth Embedded Vision Designs

Microchip Technology has expanded its PolarFire FPGA smart embedded video ecosystem with new Serial Digital Interface (SDI) IP cores and a quad CoaXPress bridge kit, extending the digital supply chain for high-bandwidth video applications in embedded systems. The enhancements provide developers with integrated solution stacks that support broad imaging standards and interfaces, targeting applications such as medical diagnostics, industrial inspection and robotic vision systems where high-quality, reliable video transport and processing are fundamental.

Ecosystem Scope and Technical Context
The PolarFire FPGA smart embedded video ecosystem comprises hardware evaluation kits, development tools, IP cores and reference designs that together enable end-to-end video pipeline implementation. The newly announced elements include SDI receive (Rx) and transmit (Tx) IP cores compliant with Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) standards at 1.5G, 3G, 6G and 12G data rates, delivering uncompressed video transport over coaxial cabling. A quad CoaXPress (CXP) bridge board supports direct bridging between Sony SLVS-EC sensor interfaces (up to 5 Gbps per lane) and CoaXPress 2.0 (up to 12.5 Gbps per lane) without third-party IP, enabling high-throughput image capture and transmission. The ecosystem also incorporates HDMI-to-SDI and SDI-to-HDMI bridging capabilities, accommodating 4K and 8K video formats for professional and embedded video systems.

PolarFire FPGAs employ a low-power, secure, programmable, non-volatile fabric that supports compact system designs with reduced bill of materials (BOM) and design complexity. The integrated stacks are intended to facilitate OEM development of fanless, high-performance imaging systems, with layered security features that address anti-tamper protection and data integrity. Software support is provided via Microchip’s Libero Design Suite and SmartHLS high-level synthesis tools, enabling developers to reduce implementation complexity and accelerate time to market.

Relevance to Embedded Vision and Automotive Data Ecosystem
Embedded vision systems increasingly require flexible, high-bandwidth connectivity capable of handling uncompressed streaming and diverse sensor interfaces. The enhanced PolarFire ecosystem addresses these needs by integrating support for widely adopted video transport standards (e.g., SMPTE SDI, HDMI, CoaXPress) and sensor protocols (SLVS-EC), thereby streamlining design workflows for imaging applications across industries. In the context of the automotive data ecosystem, such capabilities support real-time camera connectivity and high-resolution imaging essential for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous perception, where deterministic data flow and low latency are critical.

Application Examples and Development Outcomes
Medical diagnostics systems can leverage the expanded IP cores and reference designs to implement high-definition imaging pipelines with minimal power consumption. Industrial inspection applications benefit from support for high-speed sensor interfaces and standardized video transport, improving throughput and reliability in machine vision workflows. Robotic vision platforms gain from the combination of ultra-low-power FPGA architecture and multiple high-bandwidth interfaces, facilitating scalable designs that balance performance with energy efficiency. By consolidating key video connectivity elements within a single ecosystem, developers can focus on application-specific logic rather than integrating disparate third-party components.

Technical Positioning
Microchip’s expansion of the PolarFire FPGA smart embedded video ecosystem distinguishes itself in the current FPGA landscape by offering a native quad CoaXPress bridging solution and broad SDI support within a low-power FPGA family. This integration simplifies high-bandwidth embedded vision system design and reduces dependency on external IP—an aspect that is increasingly pertinent in applications with stringent performance and power requirements.

The updated PolarFire FPGA embedded video ecosystem delivers technical capabilities that respond to growing demands for high-resolution, high-bandwidth video connectivity in embedded systems. By combining standardized video transport IP, advanced bridging solutions, and support for diverse sensor interfaces with a low-power FPGA platform, Microchip’s solution stacks offer a cohesive development foundation for medical, industrial and robotic vision applications seeking optimized performance and reduced design complexity.

www.microchip.com