FPGA Conference Europe 2025:
Insights from the Efinix Team

Q: Was there a clear theme this year around AI, edge computing, or RISC-V?

Yes, multiple sessions focused on AI, RISC-V, and edge computing. The keynotes also reflected this with a strong emphasis on edge applications and related use cases.

Q: During your session, what questions or feedback stood out?

In The MathWorks session, someone asked if our IP is free of charge. The answer is yes. All IP cores that come with the Efinity software are free to use.

Another question was about using The Mathworks HDL Coder with different FPGA vendors that offer optimized IP cores. The MathWorks clarified that there are no vendor-specific optimizations, so the flow is the same regardless of vendor.

For the MIPI session, someone asked if Topaz and Titanium FPGAs are only pin compatible for the MIPI D-PHY. The answer is no. If the package exists for both devices, they are fully pin compatible for all pins.

Joachim Mueller, a Field Applications Engineer at Efinix, discussed AI in his session. Attendees asked about limitations on which models can be used. If the model can be generated using the TensorFlow Lite Micro C++ library, it can be implemented. The model size depends on how many FPGA resourcesn are available. If you are only running the AI model, you can use the full FPGA fabric if you are using the Sapphire High-Performance RISC-V. If using the Sapphire and Sapphire Lite RISC-V SoC, some resources will be needed for that as well.

Q: Compared to last year's show, did you notice any shift in the way people are thinking about FPGAs or programmable logic?

Yes, customers seem more interested in evaluating new FPGA architectures. Some feel that traditional approaches may not be the best long term and are exploring different options to stay competitive.

Q: Did any customers or engineers mention specific use cases they are working on that need FPGAs?

Common themes included low-power requirements, small package sizes, pricing, and general availability. These concerns come up often and our team showed them how Efinix solves their issues.

Q: What kind of technical challenges did attendees mention most often, and how did our products address them?

The biggest topics were cost and power. Attendees mentioned struggles with the pricing structure of other vendors, both for new and ongoing designs. Luckily, Efinix’s products addressed these challenges.

Q: What other IP partners presented with Efinix products?

We gave the opportunity to our partner Imavix to present their 10/40G Ethernet IP solution at our booth. The unique selling proposition for many customers is not relying on fans or cooling systems.

Another AI partner was also using our development kit, but he included a fan. He was directly asked why he was using a fan (because the FPGA is so energy efficient that it does not really need one), so he removed it after a half day.