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Industry Solution
Medical
Accelerate medical innovation with Altera FPGA solutions, enabling real-time imaging, intelligent diagnostics, and efficient processing for next-generation healthcare technologies.
Integrating FPGAs in healthcare innovations
Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are a strong fit for medical device development due to their flexibility and cost efficiency. Unlike ASICs, FPGAs avoid high upfront NRE costs and large order requirements. They allow reprogramming, enabling quick updates and design improvements.
Compared to ASSPs, FPGAs offer better customization and integration. This helps manufacturers create unique products and adapt quickly to market changes. FPGAs also support long product lifecycles with field upgrades, reducing the risk of obsolescence.
At the same time, AI is reshaping healthcare with real-time image analysis, continuous monitoring, and personalized care. FPGAs capture and pre-process sensor and image data at the point of care, feeding the processors that run these AI tasks. They deliver high performance, low power use, and adaptability. This makes healthcare solutions smarter and more responsive to evolving needs.
The Challenges, and Why FPGA
The Challenge
Increasing Imaging Processing Demands
Advanced medical imaging systems require high-speed processing of complex imaging data while maintaining low latency and consistent performance.
Why FPGA
Real-Time Imaging and AI Acceleration
FPGAs accelerate image processing and pre-processing for AI through parallel computing, enabling real-time image enhancement and analysis for medical imaging systems.
The Challenge
Evolving Medical Technology Requirements
Medical device manufacturers need adaptable architectures that support new features, advanced algorithms, and evolving technologies without costly hardware redesigns.
Why FPGA
Flexible, Reconfigurable Architectures
FPGAs provide customizable hardware and scalable processing capabilities, allowing manufacturers to update functionality, integrate new technologies, and extend product lifecycles.
The Challenge
Power and Size Constraints
Portable and compact medical devices require efficient processing within strict power, thermal, and space limitations.
Why FPGA
Power-Efficient Processing
FPGAs enable optimized hardware acceleration and low-power operation, supporting compact medical equipment, portable monitoring devices, and embedded healthcare applications.
The Challenge
Continuous Monitoring and Real-Time Insights
Healthcare systems increasingly require continuous patient monitoring and intelligent data analysis while minimizing processing delays and dependence on cloud connectivity.
Why FPGA
Intelligent Edge Processing
FPGAs enable on-device sensor acquisition, pre-processing, and real-time analysis of patient data, supporting responsive monitoring, anomaly detection, and intelligent healthcare applications.
Why Altera
Comprehensive FPGA Ecosystem
Access a complete portfolio of FPGA devices, processing IP, connectivity solutions, and development tools to simplify medical device design and accelerate innovation.
Deterministic Real-Time Processing
Enable predictable, low-latency processing for medical imaging, sensor acquisition, image reconstruction, and time-sensitive clinical applications.
Scalable Edge AI Solutions
Accelerate AI-driven imaging and diagnostics with FPGA-based processing, enabling intelligent medical systems and real-time insights at the point of care.
Long-Term Design Flexibility
Support evolving medical technologies with reconfigurable hardware, reusable IP, and scalable architectures that simplify upgrades and extend product lifecycles.
Medical Applications
Discover how Altera FPGA solutions enable real-time imaging, intelligent diagnostics, and efficient processing across advanced medical and healthcare applications.
Medical Video and Vision
Enable high-resolution medical video processing, real-time image enhancement, and intelligent visualization for applications such as endoscopy, surgical imaging, and advanced medical cameras.
Diagnostic Imaging
Accelerate medical imaging with high-speed signal processing, image reconstruction, and real-time analysis for MRI, CT, PET, and other advanced diagnostic systems.
Clinical Systems
Support intelligent clinical equipment with reliable data processing, adaptable connectivity, and efficient performance for patient monitoring, respiratory systems, and medical devices.
Genomics and Laboratory
Accelerate genomic data processing, laboratory automation, and high-throughput analysis with flexible FPGA architectures designed for demanding computational workloads.
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Common Questions
The FPGA can acquire sensor data, implement supported preprocessing and DSP, and transfer results to compute or display systems. Diagnostic performance depends on the complete modality, algorithms and validation; acceleration alone does not establish clinical accuracy.
Split processing when streaming interfaces and bounded preprocessing fit FPGA hardware while supported reconstruction or AI workloads fit the GPU. Compare image fidelity, latency, power and integration costs for the actual modality.
Compare numerical output with a validated reference using representative signal ranges and edge cases. Check quantization, rounding, saturation and accumulated error through the complete processing chain before accepting resource savings.
Confirm supported model operations, target resources and software flow, then verify converted-model accuracy and video timing together. Any intended clinical function also needs its applicable device and clinical validation process.
Use acceleration when profiling identifies supported stages that justify the transfer and implementation costs. Validate numerical or sequence-result equivalence, sustained throughput and integration with the laboratory workflow before adopting an accelerator.