The number of IoT devices is expected to increase 2.3 times by 2028, and the demand for FPGAs is growing at the same time as the number of connected devices. On the other hand, the shortage of developers is also expected to worsen, with a shortage of design engineers reaching 30%.

Since current industrial and healthcare products require years of development, extending the product life cycle is essential for companies to secure a return on investment (ROI).

AMD unveiled the AMD 6th generation Spartan UltraScale+ FPGA on the 5th local time.

In a pre-briefing before the public announcement, AMD explained the background of the product's development as mentioned above: △increase in IoT devices, △efficiency of SW tools, and △increase in product life cycle.

AMD Spartan FPGAs are being used in a variety of applications, including medical, aerospace, and particle colliders.

The newly released AMD Spartan UltraScale+ based on the 16nm FinFET process is an edge-optimized product that features over 26Mb of on-chip memory and PCIe Gen4, supporting high I/O at low power and featuring advanced security.

AMD Spartan UltraScale+ consists of nine product lines, with logic cell counts ranging from 11,000 to 218,000. The smaller logic cell counts feature I/O expansion and board management, offering a higher I/O ratio per logic cell.
Early access documentation is currently available, and developer tools are expected to be available later this year. The product's first market launch is said to be in the first quarter of 2024, with samples available, and evaluation kits also expected to be available around the same time.

Design tools designed to improve developer efficiency are expected to help address challenges such as learning curves, developer efficiency, and reliable results.

AMD is addressing the learning curve by offering a single development tool across its entire portfolio, said Rob Bauer, senior manager of silicon marketing for AMD's Adaptive and Embedded Computing Group. "That way, developers don't have to learn new tools when they move on to different projects, and we provide example designs and training."

“Long product life cycles are important to us, and we’ve maintained supply for over 15 years with each new FPGA product we release,” said Rob Bauer, manager. “We’ve also extended product life cycles when customers request them.”