Cost-sensitive development platform helps students, beginners and experienced designers work with emerging technologies
The embedded systems segment is experiencing growing demand for architectures with RISC-V-based processors® open source but the supply of silicon or hardware devices remains limited. To fill this gap and drive innovation, Microchip Technology presents the PolarFire® SoC Discovery Kit. With this development kit, characterized by its easy handling and multiple functions for embedded processing and computing acceleration, Microchip makes emerging technology available to engineers of all levels. Open source development kit features quad-core RISC-V application processor with Linux support® and real-time applications, a large number of peripherals and 95K of low-power, high-performance FPGA logic elements. This powerful, low-cost kit enables rapid testing of application concepts, development of firmware applications, and programming and debugging of user code.
“We strive to promote the rise of embedded systems that require low-power, high-performance FPGA structures. The PolarFire SoC Discovery Kit is a critical step in our goal to create more affordable, intelligent, secure and high-performance computing solutions for a wide variety of applications,” said Shakeel Peera, vice president of marketing for Microchip's FPGA business unit. “With the new Discovery Kit, both experienced and new engineers, as well as university students, will have a low-cost development platform with RISC-V and FPGA for learning and rapid innovation.”
Along with traditional sales channels, the PolarFire SoC Discovery Kits will be marketed as a pilot project through the Microchip Academic Program in the second half of 2024. By offering the Discovery Kit to Universities at a reduced price, Microchip ensures that the future generation of engineers can access the most advanced technology. This approach not only enhances the practical learning experience of students but also aligns academic studies with industry trends. Microchip's academic program provides resources to educators, researchers and students around the world and helps universities incorporate advanced technology into their curricula.
“Preparing students for the world of work through projects is a unique opportunity for students to develop practical applications. "Several students at our university are using the PolarFire SoC Discovery Kit in their projects this year and they have found it very valuable to have not only the development boards but also the extraordinary guidance that Microchip's academic program provides," said Steven Osburn, professor of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. “Students receive hands-on training by working with new technology to complete real-world engineering projects and finding innovative solutions to real-world problems.”
The Discovery Kit is based on the PolarFire MPFS095T FPGA SoC, which incorporates an embedded microprocessor subsystem consisting of a 64-bit CPU and four RISC-V ISA (Instruction Set Architecture) cores. A large L2 memory subsystem can be configured for high-performance or deterministic operation and supports AMP (asymmetric multi-processing) mode. The card is also compatible with the Mi-V ecosystem from Microchip, a MikroBUS expansion strip™ for Click Boards™ and a Raspberry Pi connector® 40-pin connector, plus a MIPI video connector. Expansion cards can be controlled using protocols such as I2C and SPI. It also includes an embedded FP5 programmer for programming and debugging the FPGA, as well as developing firmware applications. Visit the website of PolarFire SoC FPGA .
Prices and availability
The PolarFire SoC Discovery Kit is available now with a starting price of $132 for the general public and just $99 through the Microchip Academic Program. To purchase it, contact a commercial representative or an authorized Microchip distributor, or visit the Microchip Purchasing and Customer Services website, www.microchipdirect.com.
