Tabula delivers breakthrough tech in FPGAs by adding another programming variable

Programmability is the strength of FPGAs, now a startup company called Tabula (which means blank slate in Latin) has made this even more programmable. Technology wise this is significant achievement but is still difficult to predict the market value of that level of programmability.

Tabula calls this tech as 3-D Programmable Logic Devices (3PLD), which uses time as a third dimension. The advantage is the designer can use same bunch of logic gates for different functions but at different time, this means the full utilization of available silicon on the semiconductor chip. Based on the time parameter the logic, memory, and interconnect can be dynamically reconfigured at multi-GHz rates. The chip can get smaller and require less number of gates through this technology. Tabula says this technology dramatically reduce number of interconnects when compared to FPGAs that use 2-D architectures.

As per Steve Teig, Tabula's President and CTO, Tabula 3PLD makes the interconnect more efficient by using spacetime.

This technology if not cause great market impact but has some potential to find use in some unique applications. The FPGA users are complaining more at cost and lack of on-chip analog. Can Tabula chips cut the chip cost!

3PLD is clearly a bleeding edge semiconductor technology open for the market to evaluate the real dollar value of this technology.

Tabula management includes its founder Steve Teig, an EDA expert, Dennis Segers, former CEO of Matrix Semiconductor and former Senior Vice President and member of the board of directors at Xilinx.