Quote:
Originally Posted by Renate
It would also allow them to integrate the memory and avoid a second chip.
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An ASIC version of an FPGA usually doesn't need any Flash memory, as that memory holds the design definition. It also may not need RAM, though that depends on the function (obviously a frame store is RAM), but RAM might use a standard part to save chip area.
Of course if the FPGA design is made part of an SoC there is saving in I/O.
An SoC can even be multiple physical chips in one regular package. The first iPhone used a Samsung ARM SoC with the Flash chip and RAM chip layered in a single regular SMT package. The off-the-shelf SC6400 family. I had the development board of it from Samsung with a 4.3" touch LCD. My Linux guru replaced the stock WinCE with Debian. 2007. It made PCB simpler having no address and data bus to separate Flash and RAM chips.
No Intel cpu can do that as the heat would cause Flash and RAM failure.