FPGA Technology at Crossroads

Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) have been undergoing rapid and dramatic changes fueled by their expanding use in datacenter computing. Rather than serving as a compromise or alternative to ASICs, FPGA ‘programmable logic’ is emerging as a third paradigm of compute that stands apart from traditional hardware vs. software archetypes. A multi-university, multi-disciplinary team has been formed behind the question:

What should be the future role of FPGAs as a central function in datacenter servers?

Guided by both the demands of modern networked, data-centric computing and the new capabilities from 3D integration, the Intel/VMware Crossroads 3D-FPGA Academic Research Center will investigate a new programmable hardware data-nexus lying at the heart of the server and operating over data ‘on the move’ between network, traditional compute, and storage elements.

The Intel/VMware Crossroads 3D-FPGA Academic Research Center is jointly supported by Intel and VMware. The center is committed to public and free dissemination of its research outcome.


You can find an overview presentation on the center’s YouTube channel. Please contact any of the Crossroads PIs in your research area if you have any questions or interest.

If you are looking for an introductory overview on FPGAs, you may find the first 4 lectures from this course useful. Please see FPGA Architecture: Principles and Progression by Boutros and Betz for a technical overview article. You can find a wide range of FPGA topics presented to different skill levels on this Intel YouTube Channel.