Optimizing FPGA Power with ISE Design Tools

In the more than twenty years since Xilinx invented the field programmable gate array (FPGA), research and development have produced dramatic improvements in FPGA speed and area efficiency, narrowing the gap between FPGAs and ASICs and making FPGAs the platform of choice for implementing digital circuits. Today, power consumption is a rising concern for FPGA vendors and their customers. Reducing the power of FPGAs is key to lowering packaging and cooling costs, improving device reliability, and opening the door to new markets, such as mobile electronics. This article illustrates the application of computer-aided design (CAD) techniques, such as those incorporated into Xilinx ISE, version 9.2i software, for effective power reduction.