FPGA Training Workshop
HKUCS x HKSTP 2021
The Department of Computer Science and HKSTP (www.hkstp.org) are organising a series of activities for our CS students on FPGA training, startup & HKSTP Science and Technology Entrepreneur Programme (STEP) programme workshops from now till summer. We will first launch the FPGA training, and more details about the other activities will be announced at a later stage.
What is FPGA
A Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is an integrated circuit designed to be configured by a customer or a designer after manufacturing. Operations of specific applications can be customized by the programmable internal hardware blocks and interconnects in the FPGA. This feature distinguishes FPGAs from Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), which is fully baked and cannot be re-programmed. A user can write software that loads onto an ASIC chip and executes functions. That software can later be replaced or deleted, but the hardware chip remains unchanged. With an FPGA, there is no chip. The user programs the hardware circuits. The programming can be a single, simple logic gate (an AND or OR function), or it can involve more complex functions, including memory, I/O, and various connectivity, which together act as a comprehensive multi-core processor.
Importance of FPGA
The ability to configure the hardware of the FPGA, reconfigure it when needed and optimize it for a particular set of functions makes the FPGA an attractive option in many applications. First advantage lies on the R&D work of new applications, in which developing an ASIC would be too expensive or time-consuming. FPGAs are therefore widely used for system validation and firmware development. This allows manufacturers to validate their design before the chip is produced in the factory, which is particular useful for resource-tight start-up companies.
Applications of FPGA
FPGA is also widely used in AI, image processing, machine learning, edge computing, data center hardware accelerations, etc due to its excellence performance in parallel executions. Other FPGA uses include but not limited to aerospace and defense, automotive, 5G wireless, medical electronics, digital television, consumer electronics, industrial motor control, scientific instruments, cybersecurity systems and wireless infrastructures.
FPGA Workshop by HKSTP
From the workshop, students can have an understanding on the basic concept and possible applications of FPGA. And a high-level introduction of using Xilinx Ultra96-V2 FPGA on Machine Learning application developments by the Vitas AI. The first part of the workshop also includes a brief introduction of an online components purchasing platform which supports individual makers and startup companies.
The second part of the workshop involves a hands-on exercise with the Xilinx Ultra96-V2 development board. The exercise includes the demonstration of how to install the Vitis AI framework into the development board, creating the executables and running the applications on the FPGA. Following the step-by-step instruction video, students can experience at firsthand the programming and execution of an actual FPGA development board provided by HKSTP, equipping students with the fundamental skills of this industrial tool.
Registration
Interested students please register via the following link. Upon completion of registration, you will receive the links to the videos and exercise materials, and also instructions on how to borrow the FPGA boards by email.
HKUCS x HKSTP FPGA training registration link: https://forms.gle/XbBNG3UpRibyi8UM9