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Industrial
Smart Energy
Monitor grid conditions, connect resilient energy networks, and implement fast power protection with Altera FPGAs.
Monitor, connect, and protect energy systems
Smart energy systems need timely measurement, reliable communications, and fast response to faults. Altera FPGAs support parallel signal processing and flexible control architectures for monitoring and managing energy generation, storage, and distribution.
Build on documented Altera and partner resources: Flexibilis Redundant Switch IP for HSR/PRP networking, a MAX 10 FPGA-based 800-volt eFuse demonstrator for power protection, and Agilex 3 devices for integrated processing and device-level security. Select resources and validate performance for your system requirements.
The Challenges, and Why FPGA
The Challenge
Real-time grid monitoring
Grid and energy equipment must process measurements and respond to changing conditions with predictable timing.
Why FPGA
Parallel measurement and control
FPGA logic processes sensor streams and control functions in parallel to support low-latency monitoring and response.
The Challenge
Fast power-fault response
High-voltage power stages require timely fault detection and controlled switching to help limit damage and downtime.
Why FPGA
Deterministic protection logic
Custom FPGA filtering and control enable fast, predictable protection response, as demonstrated by the MAX 10 eFuse.
The Challenge
Reliable energy communications
Substation and energy networks need resilient data exchange when a communication link or network component fails.
Why FPGA
Redundant Ethernet networking
Partner HSR/PRP switch IP enables redundant Ethernet paths to support high-availability communications in energy networks.
Why Altera
Flexibilis redundant switch IP
TTTech Flexibilis IP supports HSR/PRP redundancy and IEEE 1588 time synchronization for energy networks.
MAX 10 eFuse demonstrator
The 800-volt eFuse demonstrates programmable filtering, fault detection, and SiC power-stage control with MAX 10.
Quartus Prime design flow
Use Quartus Prime for FPGA implementation, timing analysis, and debug; select the edition for your device family.
Agilex 3 device security
Agilex 3 Secure Device Manager supports authenticated configuration and bitstream encryption for device protection.
Get Started
More Industrial Applications
Programmable logic controllers
Combine control logic, I/O, and industrial communications.
Machine vision and AI
Build custom image-processing and selected edge-inference pipelines.
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Semiconductor manufacturing equipment
Support precision control and inspection data processing.
Common questions
The FPGA can acquire measurements, perform supported real-time processing and connect control or networking interfaces. Supervisory software manages broader energy decisions while the complete system defines timing, protection and availability requirements.
Run analytics at the edge when response deadlines, connectivity or data-volume constraints require local processing. Define which decisions remain local and how results synchronize after outages before relying on distributed analytics.
Use a defined time reference, timestamp near acquisition and track delay and clock quality. Validate alignment across devices and operating conditions so control or analysis does not confuse arrival order with measurement time.
Measure total system input power for representative workloads, including regulators, interfaces and cooling. Compare equivalent functions and operating modes rather than inferring energy savings solely from FPGA parallelism.
The design must define continued local functions, stale-data detection, logging and the required safe response when network data is unavailable. Validate that behavior with the actual control and supervisory architecture.
Authenticated updates help prevent unauthorized programmable images from executing while permitting supported changes. Pair them with protected keys, rollback policy and recovery tests appropriate to long service periods and remote equipment.