Device Configuration - 2022.2 English - UG1556

Power Design Manager User Guide (UG1556)
Document ID
UG1556
Release Date
2022-10-19
Version
2022.2 English

Device selection is a crucial step for an application based on resource, performance, power, and package requirements. The recommendation is to select the smallest device that meets your requirements.

Important: When targeting Versal devices, many functions that are traditionally implemented using logic resources can be absorbed into hardened Versal IP blocks, like NoC, DDRMC, MRMAC, and AI Engines, to reduce power. Remember to subtract any logic resources absorbed into hard IP.

PDM supports targeting of Kria™ K26 and Versal devices. Versal device selection includes the family, device, device grade, package, speed, temperature grade, and static screening option. The Vccint voltage and process can also be initialized during device selection. Kria device selection includes family, board, device, and grade with only an option to choose the process. Each device has a unique set of functional blocks, while the package selection determines the available I/O and transceivers. For details refer to the product selection guide of the target family. Versal devices support the following temperature grades, each having an impact on power.

  • Industrial operating temperature range is –40°C to 100°C.
  • Extended operating temperature range is 0°C to 100°C.
    Tip: Certain speed grades of Versal devices can operate between 100°C and 110°C for 3% of their lifetime. For more information, see the Extending the Thermal Solution by Utilizing Excursion Temperatures (WP517) and the Versal Architecture and Product Data Sheet: Overview (DS950).
  • Q-grade operating temperature range is –40°C to 125°C.
  • Military operating temperature range is –55°C to 125°C.

The unique power binning strategy of Xilinx enables lower static power for industrial grade compared to extended grade devices. Versal devices offer enhanced voltage scaling options, which is the key for the highest performance/watt on these devices. Versal devices support the following operating modes:

  • High-performance core operating voltage is 0.88V (VHP)
  • Mid/balanced power/performance core operating voltage is 0.80V (VMP)
  • Low-power core operating voltage is 0.70V (VLP)
Figure 1. Device Configuration in Summary tab

The Process represents the manufacturing process variation of the device, which significantly influences leakage power. The Process variation model is a common industry practice to meet the yield requirements without violating the device specification. During device manufacturing, the silicon process (doping, lithography) alters the transistor characteristics a bit, resulting in variations between devices. Typical is the median boundary where the device meets both performance and power specification.

Recommended: Set Typical for device selection for battery powered in low operating temperature applications. For all other use cases, set Process to Maximum for worst case power estimation which is important for power supply (board) and thermal design for high power consuming applications.