Future Design Tools for Platform FPGAs

According to current projections, programmable platforms will dominate ASIC design starts as the semiconductor industry moves to 90-nm process technology and beyond. In this paper we assess the implications of this trend and explore the impact it will have on system-level design methodologies for FPGAs. We review current research and practice in system-level design and attempt to assess how much of the ASIC experience will be relevant to future FPGA designers.