GateMate - An European FPGA

[RoGeorge]

They say "The Only European FPGA":
https://www.colognechip.com/
https://colognechip.com/docs/CologneChip-GateMate-Productbrief-latest.pdf

Presenting the GateMate FPGA Evaluation Board from Cologne Chip
Johannes 4GNU_Linu

[Mahagam]

Where can I find documentation? Where is software?

[RoGeorge]

No idea, somewhere inside their website:  https://www.colognechip.com/

Synthesis suite software:  https://github.com/YosysHQ/yosys
Docs and datasheets (there are tabs in the middle of the webpage, click on the 'Documentation' tab):  https://www.colognechip.com/programmable-logic/gatemate/

[iMo]

Dual 4 inputs with 2-input lookup table (LUT-2) tree each

I wonder what will be the improvement over 4inputs or 6inputs LUTs..

[Beta_vulgaris]

Atmel AT40KEL040/ATF280 are also designed in Europe.

[cfbsoftware]

Olimex (another European company) are now producing a board which uses a GateMate:

https://www.olimex.com/Products/FPGA/GateMate/GateMateA1-EVB/open-source-hardware

[SiliconWizard]

Olimex (another European company) are now producing a board which uses a GateMate:

https://www.olimex.com/Products/FPGA/GateMate/GateMateA1-EVB/open-source-hardware

Ah, that's cool if we want to evaluate it. From the vendor's website, apparently you need to contact sales just to buy an eval board, and I'm suspecting the price may be quite a bit higher. Unless I've missed some pages.

The FPGA seems to only be available as one package for now.

[SiliconWizard]

Note that this isn't quite the only european company designing FPGAs, although this one is certainly more niche, with radiation-hardened parts: https://nanoxplore.com/

[ataradov]

On a positive side, this is not vaporware, since at least some devices are available. They also seem to be using open source tooling.

But the only available package is not great. Would be nice to see something in TQFP.

[Someone]

Dual 4 inputs with 2-input lookup table (LUT-2) tree each

I wonder what will be the improvement over 4inputs or 6inputs LUTs.

Reverse, it is a huge step backwards from n-lut.

[iMo]

Dual 4 inputs with 2-input lookup table (LUT-2) tree each

I wonder what will be the improvement over 4inputs or 6inputs LUTs.

Reverse, it is a huge step backwards from n-lut.

I think the fpga design comes from the people around the yosys/nextprn (as they reverse engineered the ice40 afaik), the arch close to the Lattice's ice40, with the LUTs somehow modified - not sure what was the reason to mess with the LUTs that way - perhaps some IP/patents?

[nctnico]

Either way, it is quite interesting to see that the Yosis opensource FPGA design tools opens the door for chip designers to come up with their own FPGAs.

[cfbsoftware]

Olimex (another European company) are now producing a board which uses a GateMate:

https://www.olimex.com/Products/FPGA/GateMate/GateMateA1-EVB/open-source-hardware

Ah, that's cool if we want to evaluate it. From the vendor's website, apparently you need to contact sales just to buy an eval board, and I'm suspecting the price may be quite a bit higher. Unless I've missed some pages.

You can buy the Olimex GateMateA1-EVB board directly from Olimex at the URL above for EU 50.

You can buy the Cologne Chip CCGM1A1-E1 evaluation board from DigiKey. The price is quite a bit higher at $US 260:

https://www.digikey.com.au/en/products/detail/cologne-chip/CCGM1A1-E1/16087880

FYI GitHub user fm4dd has published the designs for a couple of daughterboards and a RISCV tutorial for the CCGM1A1:

https://github.com/fm4dd

[up8051]

GateMate don't support 3.3V I/O

General Purpose IOs (GPIOs) can use different voltage levels from 1.2 to 2.5 Volt.

[woofy]

Olimex (another European company) are now producing a board which uses a GateMate:

https://www.olimex.com/Products/FPGA/GateMate/GateMateA1-EVB/open-source-hardware

Ah, that's cool if we want to evaluate it. From the vendor's website, apparently you need to contact sales just to buy an eval board, and I'm suspecting the price may be quite a bit higher. Unless I've missed some pages.

You can buy the Olimex GateMateA1-EVB board directly from Olimex at the URL above for EU 50.

You can buy the Cologne Chip CCGM1A1-E1 evaluation board from DigiKey. The price is quite a bit higher at $US 260:

https://www.digikey.com.au/en/products/detail/cologne-chip/CCGM1A1-E1/16087880

FYI GitHub user fm4dd has published the designs for a couple of daughterboards and a RISCV tutorial for the CCGM1A1:

https://github.com/fm4dd

Digikey does the Olimex board too, just no stock at the moment.
https://www.digikey.co.uk/en/products/detail/olimex-ltd/GATEMATEA1-EVB/22258042?s=N4IgTCBcDaIOYEMAuBTAtslIC6BfIA

[spth]

Dual 4 inputs with 2-input lookup table (LUT-2) tree each

I wonder what will be the improvement over 4inputs or 6inputs LUTs..

Looking a the the documentation, the LUT tree is built in a way that it can be used as either two 4-input LUTs or one 8-input LUT (see Figure 4.4 in the "GateMate Primitives Library (November 2023)" pdf).