FPGA vs Microcontroller, FPGA advantages and disadvantages in comparison to MCU

Here's a clear comparison between FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) and Microcontroller (MCU), including the advantages and disadvantages of FPGAs when compared to MCUs.

FPGA vs Microcontroller (MCU) – Core Difference

FPGA Advantages over MCU

1.  Parallel Processing:

• Multiple operations can run truly in parallel in hardware.

2.  Ultra Low-Latency:

• No software overhead; logic runs in hardware at wire-speed.

3.  Hardware Customization:

• Tailor logic to exact needs (e.g., custom protocols, filters).

4.  High-Speed Data Processing:

• Great for signal processing, video, encryption, and real-time systems.

5.  Reconfigurable:

• Can be updated and reprogrammed with new hardware logic.

6.  Security:

• Custom logic is hard to reverse-engineer compared to software.

FPGA Disadvantages vs MCU

1.  Complexity:

• Requires knowledge of HDL (Verilog/VHDL) and hardware design concepts.

2.  Cost:

• FPGAs are more expensive (chip cost + toolchain/licensing).

3.  Power Consumption:

• Typically higher than MCUs, especially for large designs.

4.  Longer Development Time:

• Simulation, synthesis, and timing closure are time-consuming.

5.  Resource Limits:

• Limited by number of logic cells and memory blocks.

6.  Slower Clock Speeds:

• Clock speeds are typically lower than high-performance MCUs, but parallelism makes up for it.

When to Use What?

Summary