You are Go for FPGA!

Reconfigure.io is accepting beta applications for its environment to configure FPGAs using Go. Yes, Go is a programming language, but the software converts code into FPGA constructs, so you don’t need Verilog or VHDL. Since Go supports concurrent routines and channels for synchronization and communications, the parallel nature of the FPGA should fit well.

According to the project’s website, the tool also allows you to reconfigure the FPGA on the fly using a cloud-based build and deploy system. There isn’t much detail yet, unless you get accepted for the alpha. They claim they’ll give priority to the most interesting use cases, so pitching your blinking LED project probably isn’t going to cut it. There is a bit more detail, however, on their GitHub site.

We’ve seen C compilers for FPGAs (more than one, in fact). You can also sort of use Python. Is this tangibly different? It sounds like it might be, but until the software emerges completely, it is too early to tell. Meanwhile, if you want a crash course on conventional FPGA design, you can get some hardware for around $25 and be on your way.

Filed under: FPGA