Aries Embedded Unveils Microchip PolarFire SoC FPGA-Powered M100PFS RISC-V System-on-Module
Aries has confirmed plans to launch multiple SOMs based on Microchip's RISC-V-powered PolarFire SoC FPGA platform.
Microchip's PolarFire SoC FPGA platform may have only just launched its early access program, but that hasn't stopped the industry from bringing up products built around it — including the Aries Embedded M100PFS module.
Microchip launched an early access program for the PolarFire SoC FPGA late last year, claiming it as "the industry's first RISC-V-based SoC FPGA" with a quad-core RV64GC CPU cluster and RV64IMAC monitor core connected via a coherent switch to a low-power PolarFire FPGA. Now, Aries Embedded has announced a system-on-module (SOM) built on the platform: the M100PFS.
"The M100PFS is based on the PolarFire SoC FPGA architecture by [Microchip subsidiary] Microsemi and combines high-performance 64-bit RISC-V cores with outstanding FPGA technology," Aries writes of its impending product. "The platform integrates a hardened real-time, Linux capable, RISC-V-based MPU subsystem on the mid-range PolarFire FPGA family, bringing low power consumption, thermal efficiency and defence grade security to embedded systems.
"The RISC-V CPU micro-architecture implementation is a simple 5 stage, single issue, in-order pipeline that doesn’t suffer from the Meltdown and Spectre exploits found in common out-of-order machines. All five CPU cores are coherent with the memory subsystem allowing a versatile mix of deterministic real time systems and Linux in a single multi-core CPU cluster."
The module is to launch in four variants, offering 23k to 254k logic elements, 68 to 784 math blocks, four to 16 SERDES at 12.5Gb/s, and two PCI Express root ports or end points. The two 64-bit RISC-V core clusters run at 667MHz, while IO is provided in the form of two gigabit Ethernet ports, one USB 2.0 OTG, one MMC 5.1 with SD and SDIO support, one CAN 2.0 A and B, a quad-SPI flash controller with execute-in-place, five multi-mode UARTs, two SPI, two I2C, a real-time clock, general-purpose input/output (GPIO), five watchdog timers, and other general timers. 32Mb of NOR flash is included on all boards, along with four to 64GB of eMMC storage and 1, 2, or 4GB of LPDDR4 dedicated to the HMS and an equal amount for the FPGA.
Pricing for the modules, which are scheduled to launch in the third quarter of 2020, are not yet available; more information can be found on the Aries Embedded product page.