NI puts Virtex-5 at core of CompactRIO prototyping hardware

We’ve addressed in past columns the evolution of small FPGA-based platforms for prototyping. It’s very possible that, by the end of the current recession, FPGA prototyping will be seen as a necessary step in the design of any system. National Instruments Inc. has taken another step toward this apparent inevitability by launching five CompactRIO reconfigurable chassis products based on the Xilinx Virtex-5.

Of course, this is a dual-benefit game for NI. Not only can the company realize revenue from the modules themselves, but they help drive a market for graphic-based design using LabView, particularly now that the LabView environment includes FPGA IP blocks in areas such as DSP and communication protocols.

One controller module from NI, the cRIO-9022, is aimed specifically at near-real-time, mission-critical control, using a Freescale PowerPC 533-MHz control processor. This controller uses another LabView element, the Real-Time Module, with function blocks for implementation of floating-point signal processing and real-time control.

Expect to see many prototyping tools from NI and competitors, as well as hardware/software verification suites – not only dedicated platforms from the likes of GateRocket Inc., but one-off prototyping tools offered by coalitions of EDA, FPGA, and real-time software vendors. Within five years, this emerging concept might be deemed its own market sector.