Speaker
Description
Advancements in High Energy Physics (HEP) increasingly rely on intelligent instrumentation capable of processing vast, complex datasets in real time. As detectors evolve, front-end electronics must not only manage extreme data rates with minimal latency and power consumption but also withstand harsh environmental conditions, such as high radiation and cryogenics. Traditional Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) deliver the necessary performance and efficiency but lack flexibility, while commercial Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) offer reconfigurability at the cost of power efficiency, reliability, and radiation tolerance.
Embedded FPGAs (eFPGAs) present a promising solution to this trade-off. By integrating reprogrammable logic directly within ASICs, eFPGAs enable adaptable, low-latency processing close to the detector, combining the performance benefits of ASICs with the flexibility of FPGAs. This architecture allows for in-field updates to complex data reduction and AI/ML-based triggering algorithms, eliminating the need for expensive ASIC redesigns as experimental requirements evolve.
At this workshop, we present an introduction to eFPGA technology and its relevance to the challenges of next-generation HEP experiments. We highlight recent work at SLAC focused on integrating eFPGAs into ASIC designs for real-time data processing and triggering. Additionally, we discuss future directions and potential applications of this technology within the HEP community, emphasizing its role in enabling more intelligent, adaptable, and resilient detector systems.
