TRIPTYCH: A New FPGA Architecture

Existing FPGA architectures can be classified along two dimensions: reprogrammable vs. one-time programmable and general-purpose vs. domain specific. The most challenging class of FPGA architectures to design is the reprogrammable, general-purpose FPGA, of which Xilinx is the most wellknown example. In this paper we describe Triptych, a new FPGA architecture that addresses two problems of current reprogrammable FPGAs: the large delays incurred in composing large functions and the strict division between routing and logic resources. Our studies indicate that Triptych is more areaefficient than current architectures and has comparable delay characteristics for a large range of circuits that include both data-path elements and control logic.