Altera Low Power EP3C120 65nm Cyclone III FPGA

Altera announced the shipment of the EP3C120, its new low-cost 65-nm Cyclone III FPGA family. The new FPGAs consume only a fraction of the power needed by other FPGAs of comparable capacity. Applications of  EP3C120 are in software defined radio, video processing and imaging, and wireless communications infrastructure.

Luanne Schirrmeister, Altera Corporation, said:

The market response to our new Cyclone III family has been tremendous

Applications such as software defined radio and emerging new wireless and video designs are looking for solutions that offer both high functionality and low power, all at a low cost. The EP3C120 delivers in all three of these areas and has enjoyed a very fast adoption into applications where low-cost FPGAs have traditionally not participated…

Compared to other FPGAs of similar density that typically consume more than a watt of standby power, the EP3C120 devices consume less than 200-mW standby power. Power consumption is an increasing concern among developers as both businesses and consumers look for environmentally responsible products that reduce energy consumption and costs. The low power consumption of the EP3C120 enables it to uniquely address power-sensitive applications or applications in thermally challenging environments where the heat generated by device operation cannot easily be dissipated, affecting product reliability and cost.

The entire Cyclone III family is supported by Quartus II software version 7.1 in both subscription and the free web editions. The advanced technology and productivity features in Quartus II software allow designers to exploit the full potential of the Cyclone III family to achieve 50 percent lower power consumption compared to the previous generation family, and three speed grades faster than the nearest low-cost FPGA competitor.

Source: Altera