Your optimal solution for cost-sensitive applications
Altera's Cyclone® FPGAs are built from the ground up for low cost. With embedded memory, external memory interfaces, and clock management circuitry, Cyclone FPGAs are an optimal solution for high-volume, cost-sensitive applications.
For system integration, consider the higher density Cyclone III and Cyclone II FPGAs. These newer Cyclone families strengthen Altera's leadership position in solutions for high-volume, low-cost applications.
Take the initiative now with immediate access to all necessary tools—you can start designing for Cyclone FPGAs today. Altera's popular Nios® II embedded processor and intellectual property (IP) portfolio are available for development with Cyclone FPGAs. You can also download the customer-acclaimed Quartus® II Web Edition software now for free, and no license required.
A low-cost alternative to ASICs
Cyclone FPGAs provide a low-cost alternative for the next generation of applications currently using ASICs. As a system designer, you face many challenges, including increasing cost pressures and design complexity, emerging standards, and shrinking design cycles. ASIC development involves extensive engineering resources, design simulation, and verification with multiple re-spins. With its system-level integration capabilities, Cyclone FPGAs eliminate the costly NRE charges, minimum ordering quantities, and product-delay risks that are associated with ASICs. With Cyclone FPGAs, you now have a near-price-parity programmable solution (as compared to ASICs) for your high-volume requirements.
Enabling new markets and applications
New market trends, such as worldwide standards, platform convergence, interactivity, and improved technology, continue to drive the need for cost-effective solutions. Cyclone FPGAs offer the price points and functionality necessary for markets where innovation is key and being first to market determines leadership. Consumer, communications, computer peripheral, industrial, and automotive markets are all using Cyclone FPGAs in low-cost, high-volume applications.
Cyclone performance features
Cyclone FPGA performance rivals that of the industry's fastest FPGAs. Created with a balance of logic, memory, phase-locked loops (PLLs), and advanced I/O interfaces, Cyclone FPGAs are the answer for price-sensitive applications. Cyclone FPGAs offer:
- A new programmable architecture that is low cost by design
- Embedded memory resources to support a wide range of memory applications and digital signal processing (DSP) implementations
- Dedicated external memory interface circuitry for integration with DDR FCRAM and SDRAM devices as well as SDR SDRAM memory devices
- Support for serial, bus, and network interfaces and a wide range of communications protocols
- On- and off-chip system timing management using embedded PLLs
- Support for single-ended I/O standards and differential I/O technology supporting LVDS signaling for data rates up to 640 Mbps
- Processing power with support for Nios II embedded processors
- Low-cost configuration solution with the new serial configuration devices
- Free evaluation of IP functions through the Quartus II software OpenCore evaluation feature
- Free software support with the Quartus II Web Edition software and no license required
Related links
- Cyclone Device Family Data Sheet (PDF) chapter of the Cyclone Device Handbook
- Automotive-Grade Device Handbook (PDF)
- Cyclone Questions and Answers
- Performance in Low-Cost FPGAs
- Benchmarking Methodology
- Cyclone III FPGAs and Cyclone II FPGAs
- Automotive-Grade Devices
- Cyclone FPGA backgrounder (PDF)
- Unleash Your Design Possibilities with Cyclone III FPGAs
- Introducing Synplify ValuePack from Synplicity
