Fabless semiconductor company QuickLogic is working with Californian start-up YorChip to produce FPGA chiplets for IoT, machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) applications.

QuickLogic develops embedded FPGA (eFPGA) IP, ruggedised FPGAs and endpoint AI and ML products. YorChip specialises in UCIe-compatible IP. The partnership aims to create FPGA chiplets optimised for low power consumption and low cost, opening possibilities for applications in the fast-growing edge IoT, AI and ML markets.

According to market researcher Yole Group, this year chiplet adoption will lead to a TAM of chiplet-based integrated circuits in excess of $200bn across the consumer, automotive, defence, aerospace, industrial and medical markets. Since discrete FPGAs are already prevalent in those markets, wide adoption of eFPGA-based UCIe (Unified Chiplet Interconnect Express) enabled chiplets is expected, and QuickLogic and YorChip are positioning themselves to capitalise on this growth.

The partnership leverages QuickLogic’s eFPGA IP technology to create a UCIe-compatible FPGA chiplet ecosystem. This ecosystem will let users connect any UCIe-compatible third-party chiplet, such as a CPU or AI and ML chip, to create a customised system. The ecosystem is also suitable for interoperability testing and joint promotion.

Those who wish to go full SoC will still be able to license QuickLogic’s eFPGA and YorChip’s UCIe IP and use chiplets to prototype and do early market production. This flexibility in business model is said to differentiate QuickLogic and YorChip from traditional IP or discrete FPGA vendors, who typically only support a single business model.

“Our partnership with QuickLogic is a giant leap for FPGA technology,” said Kash Johal, founder of YorChip. “Together, we’re delivering a ground-breaking line of low-power, cost-effective FPGA chiplets that will revolutionise the way designers design and build systems.”

Brian Faith, CEO of QuickLogic, added: “We are pioneering a new era of FPGA chiplet integration that fills a market gap and empowers customers with cutting-edge solutions for the evolving edge IoT, AI and ML markets.”

UCIe is supported by AMD, Arm, Google Cloud, Intel, Meta, Microsoft, Qualcomm, Samsung and TSMC, solidifying its status as a preferred interconnect standard.

The first FPGA chiplets from the QuickLogic and YorChip partnership are expected to be available in early 2025. The chiplets will range in size from 40,000 to over a million LUTs, making them suitable for a wide range of applications.

Silicon Valley start-up YorChip (www.yorchip.com) leverages proven partner IP and UCIe compatible die-to-die technology to deliver off-the-shelf, low cost, secure chiplets at scale.

QuickLogic (www.quicklogic.com) is a California-based fabless semiconductor company that develops low power, multi-core semiconductor platforms and IP for AI, voice and sensor processing. Products include embedded eFPGA for hardware acceleration and pre-processing, and heterogeneous multi-core SoCs that integrate eFPGA with other processors and peripherals. The analytics toolkit from its recently acquired subsidiary SensiML completes the end-to-end offering with accurate sensor algorithms using AI technology.

The full range of platforms, software tools and eFPGA IP enables the adoption of AI, voice and sensor processing across mobile, wearable, hearable, consumer, industrial, edge and endpoint IoT.