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Xilinx Global Services helps you get the most from your Spartan-3 designs.
Increasingly, FPGAs are being used as systems
platforms because they are a more
strategic purchase for customers who
require a comprehensive solution that
includes software, silicon, intellectual property
(IP), and specialized services.
At the same time, FPGAs are expanding
into new application areas such as digital
signal processing (DSP), automotive, medical
imaging, and video broadcast, where
engineers new to FPGA technology need to
learn quickly. Xilinx Global Services
enables customers to reduce the learning
curve and development costs associated
with creating programmable system solutions
using the Spartan™-3 family.
Xilinx Global Services Portfolio
Xilinx 90 nm Spartan-3 Platform FPGAs
are reshaping the semiconductor landscape,
and "on-demand" application engineers,
global support centers, and
personalized online support are some
examples of how Xilinx is expanding its
services to meet this evolving market
trend. For Spartan-3 designs, the portfolio
of support and services to meet these
advanced requirements includes Education
Services, Support and Titanium Technical
Service, Xilinx Design Services, and the
Xilinx Productivity Advantage Program.
Education Services
On any given business day, as many as six
Xilinx Education Services classes may be
taking place simultaneously at any number
of cities around the world. Xilinx Education
Services has new locations that expand our
presence to 50 locations in North America,
Europe, and Asia Pacific. In addition to
public classes at Xilinx training facilities and
regional training centers, we also offer private
classes that can be taught either at your
location or a nearby facility.
For Spartan-3 and ASIC designers, Xilinx
offers several new and free technical lecture
modules to help get you up to speed quickly:
- Overview of the Spartan-3 Family –
Learn about the Spartan-3 architecture,
its underlying technology and target
markets, and software support features.
- ASIC User to FPGA Design – Choose
from three modules that include a
technology comparison between
FPGAs and ASICs, design flow differences,
and how to optimize ASIC code
for implementation in Xilinx FPGAs.
For an in-depth curriculum on design
methodology for the Spartan-3 family,
Education Services has recently updated
several key courses, including:
- Fundamentals of FPGA Design
- Designing for Performance for the
FPGA User
- Designing for Performance for the
ASIC User
- Advanced FPGA Design.
To help reduce your overall development
and education costs, FPGA Essentials
is a new promotional package that delivers
both the Fundamentals of FPGA Design
and the Designing for Performance courses
at a savings of $200.
For course schedules or more information
about Education Services for Spartan-3
FPGAs, visit www.xilinx.com/education and
select the region where you would like to
take a course.
Support and Titanium Technical Service
Support Tools and MySupport.xilinx.com
Support for software and IP tools can dramatically
improve the success of your
design projects. Support.xilinx.com reduces
downtime with 24/7 online support tools
such as:
- Answer Browser – Browse for information
using the Answer Browser or use
the powerful Advanced Search to pinpoint
your exact search location by category
and product name.
- Tech Tips – Learn tips and
techniques from the experts
through access to a categorical
listing of tools, reference materials,
and other information.
- Forums – A new Spartan-3
forum lets you solve design
issues by collaborating online
with other designers.
- Problem Solvers – Find
answers to your design questions
in a logical manner with
this interactive tool that can
save you hours of work.
For personalized support on the
Spartan-3 family, you can enroll in
MySupport.xilinx.com to receive
automatic alerts on specific information
you choose, such as updated information
on data sheets, product change notices, and
product discontinuation notices.
Visit support.xilinx.com to find out more
about MySupport and the support tools
available for Spartan-3 designs.
Titanium Technical Service
Titanium Technical Service provides a dedicated
applications engineer who will supply
expert advice on the best strategies to
achieve timing closure and design fit in the
shortest amount of time. The Titanium
team of engineers has extensive knowledge
of the new Spartan-3 architecture, 90 nm
technology, and design techniques that will
help you achieve your design goals for
developing a low-cost FPGA. Titanium
engineers are available on a contract basis
and can work remotely or at your site. For
more information about Titanium Technical Service, see "Take the Titanium
Solution" in this issue of Xcell Journal, and
visit support.xilinx.com/titanium/.
Xilinx Design Services
Xilinx Design Services (XDS) combines
skills and experience in system, logic, and
embedded software designs to provide a
unique development partner. Leveraging
these skill sets will help you optimize your
budget, schedule, and performance
requirements for your project.
FPGA Design from Specification
XDS will develop designs from specification
for projects such as ASIC conversions
or driver development and integration.
XDS has the expertise in optimizing Xilinx
technology to provide the best solution,
and excellent project management to
ensure on-time and correct deliveries.
FPGA System Design
XDS has broad applications expertise – including an immense depth of experience
with Xilinx embedded processing tools and
products – for system architecture consulting,
FPGA logic, and embedded software
design projects.
Embedded Software Design
XDS also has tremendous experience with
FPGA platform design, including processors
and gates, MicroBlaze™ soft processors,
and hardware/software co-design
techniques. Projects such as complex
embedded software designs with realtime
constraints, driver development, and integration
with hardware are areas where XDS
can help.
For more information about Xilinx
Design Services, visit www.xilinx.com/xds/.
The XPA Program
To help you use Spartan-3 FPGAs to their
maximum potential, we offer everything
you need – software, education and support
services, and IP cores – delivered
in one comprehensive
package called the Xilinx
Productivity Advantage (XPA)
Program. It allows you to get the
tools and services you need, when
you need them, without the worry
of ordering each piece of the solution
separately.
The XPA Program helps to
reduce the overall cost of developing
your designs by bundling
Xilinx tools and services at the best
value. Because the XPA Program is
set up with a single purchase order,
it cuts down on the paperwork
required to equip each designer
and saves valuable time. Our packaged
solution ensures that your
engineering team will have everything they
need to begin designing immediately. For
more information about the XPA Program,
visit support.xilinx.com/xpa/.
Conclusion
Xilinx Global Services is committed to
helping you succeed with Spartan-3
devices, the world’s lowest cost FPGA
family. Our complete portfolio of support
and services provides you with ready
access to the knowledge and expertise
that you need. By taking advantage of
Xilinx Global Services, you will learn
faster and be able to get better performance
from your Spartan-3 designs. For
more information about Xilinx Global
Services, visit support.xilinx.com, where
you can learn about our support tools and
MySupport, or select the "Education" or
"Services" menus for more information
on those topics.
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