AMD adds RF-sampling data converters to Versal adaptive SoCs
5 comments
·February 1, 2025hkwerf
They already did that with the Zynq Ultrascale+ (https://www.amd.com/en/products/adaptive-socs-and-fpgas/soc/...). I have never seen one used professionally, though, whereas the MPSoCs are everywhere, it seems.
For Ultrascale+ this may still make sense, as the space savings in embedded applications may be significant. However, I've never seen Versal to fit in that space? In my mind, Versal is useful for larger, power-hungry beasts. Once you're there, you may as well make use of the flexibility of moving all of the RF off chip and therefore being able to more carefully select devices with the required parameters.
emusan
These are quite often used in defense and space applications where the flexibility of the DSP allows for custom waveform implementations that would otherwise require incredible CPU processing power or small batch ASICs. The versal fabric will only expand the potential use cases even further in these domains. Cost is often lower on the priority list for these as well.
jauntywundrkind
Crazy amazing RF chip; dunno if anyone else is keeping pace with their, especially at such high levels of integration.
> with production shipments expected to begin in the first half of 2027.
Whoa, that feels wildly far off.
tucnak
I've been buying dip AMD since mid-2023 hoping that the Xillinx acquisition would finally pay off... eventually, it will. I'm certain of it ;-(
Great things are coming in the digital part of the RF field. Unfortunately, the knowledge transfer is failing greatly in the analog part of it...