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In my previous blog, I discussed the hard-core features of Xilinx’s new Extensible Processing Platform (EPP) and explained the device at the 50,000-foot level. In this blog, I’ll dig a bit deeper into the thinking behind the EPP’s FPGA fabric and I’ll show some case studies that indicate why Xilinx may have come up with a product family that will revolutionize high-end embedded system design.

Two features of Xilinx’s EPP architecture differentiate it from other microcontrollers. The first, discussed in Part 1, is the presence of a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor. Most microcontrollers contain only one processor core. The EPP has two. So it’s already starting from a high-end position. The second differentiating feature is the inclusion of an unidentified amount of FPGA fabric on the device. Since the Xilinx EPP represents a family of parts, it’s safe to assume that various family members will contain differing amounts of FPGA fabric. That’s an especially safe assumption because the Xilinx presentation showed two EPP examples with different amounts of FPGA fabric. So we know that the family will likely include at least two parts—and probably many more if the product line proves successful.

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