Xilinx Complete PCI Solution

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Xilinx PCI is a complete solution for designing PCI. It includes PCI compliant FPGAs, predictable LogiCORE PCI designs, easy-to-use tools and high-quality design services. To jump-start your PCI development we have created Xilinx PCI32 Design Kit, see the latest about Xilinx PCI for more details on this new product.

PCI plus up to 124,000 system gates

Xilinx PCI-compliant FPGAs allow you to integrate the PCI interface with your unique application into a single-chip. Verify PCI compliance and debug your design in various PC platforms using the programmable FPGA. Xilinx has supported customers doing this at the PCI-SIG's compliance work-shops . When the design is proven to work, go to production with the FPGA, or migrate the design to a low-cost HardWire for high-volume production.The result is a single device with the PCI interface, dual-port FIFOs and your specific back-end logic at a cost lower than most standard PCI chips.

The figure on the right shows the LogiCORE PCI Interface implemented in a XC4013E/XLT or Spartan XCS30, the smallest FPGAs supported, which leaves about 5K gates free for your back-end design. In the biggest supported FPGA, XC4062XLT, the PCI core occupies less than 10% of the chip, which leaves up to 124,000 system gates for your back-end design. Because the FPGA is SRAM-based, you can immediately download the design to silicon, and quickly make changes if necessary.

Full 132 Mbyte/s sustained bandwdith

With the introduction of the LogiCORE PCI interface in March, 1996, Xilinx was the first company to provide a pre-implemented core with proven timing for programmable logic. Today, the core has become even better and supports zero wait-state burst and a sustained bandwidth of up to 132 Mbyte/second. It is the most widely used PCI core solution - licensed to more than 350 customers. As a result, the design has been proven in many different PCI Master and Slave applications.

Generally, a fully compliant PCI design is a complex high-performance application, challenging to implement in any technology. Therefore, we've chosen to pre-define all critical paths in the LogiCORE PCI modules to ensure that performance requirements always are met.

As shown in the figure to the right, LogiCORE PCI has a modular architecture that allows customization of the back-end. For example, the unique SelectRAM feature in Xilinx FPGAs can be configured as one or more high-performance FIFOs with simultaneous read and write. As a result, the highest possible sustained bandwidth can be achieved for all applications. With, so called, shrink-wrapped cores and PCI standard chip-sets, the back-end is fixed and included in the core, which makes it difficult, or impossible, to change.

Techniques that we've used to solidify the implementation includes:

relative placed macros (RPMs)
time specs to steer the automatic placement and routing
guide files to control the most crucial routing

Because the implementation of the module is already defined, we can fully test the module before we release it and you can focus your time and resources on your system design and back-end functions.

We've internally used a combination of an industry leading PCI testbench from Phoenix Technologies, our own internal PCI testbench and timing analyzer tools to verify the module. Furthermore, the PCI modules have been designed in close cooperation with key customers that currently have the module up and running in hardware, in full 33MHz speed!

The result is cut development time by several months compared to a generic, synthesizable solution or reference design, and even longer time compared to designing from scratch.

Configure and download LogiCORE PCI from the web

Xilinx provides an innovative methodology for configuring and downloading the LogiCORE PCI modules from the web. The downloaded core includes netlists, constraints, simulation models and test benches, and can then be instantiated in your FPGA design. This design methodology allows you to combine the benefits of a proven firm core with the flexibility of system level design, facilitated by behavior description languages such as VHDL and Verilog.

In addition, because Xilinx is heavily using the web as a distribution mechanism, you always have access to the latest version and enhancements of the cores. With Xilinx design methodology for COREs you can cut the development time by months, so we recommend you to try the demo version now!

Our SW tools for implementation includes the right features to support core-based FPGA designs and gives you necessary control to implement a high-performance PCI system. Visit our software section on our web to find out more about Xilinx SW tools.

Design services - 3rd party design centers

The LogiCORE PCI modules are currently developed internally at Xilinx as a joint effort between the LogiCORE design team, our Application team, and our Hardware and Software teams. As a result, we have a solid knowledge about PCI and how to implement this high-performance interface in our FPGAs. We have dedicated PCI specialists on our hotline that can answers questions via e-mail or phone. The PCI cores, implementation tools and FPGAs come from the same vendor, Xilinx, so there will never be any questions on who is supporting what.

In addition, Xilinx is setting up a network of 3rd party PCI specialists, Design Centers, that have been trained on our LogiCORE products. Several Design Centers are already signed up and have completed customer designs using our LogiCORE PCI products. They are available for design services such as customization and integration of the cores.