ProASIC3 promises advantages over SRAM-based products

Actel Corp. announced shipment of its low-cost one million system-gate ProASIC3 device. According to the press release, the ProASIC3 A3P1000 delivers total system cost, performance, power and security advantages over comparable SRAM-based products.

The one million-gate ProASIC3 A3P1000 delivers a stand-by current consumption of 8mA under typical conditions. It contains 1,024 bits (128 bits x 8 pages) of on-chip user nonvolatile flash memory and an on-board phase-locked loop (PLL). The device also provides secure in-system programming (ISP) capability through on-chip 128-bit AES decryption and built-in flash key storage technology.

Actel said that the ProASIC3 family lowers overall system costs by eliminating the need for various components on the system board. The single-chip device requires no external boot prom or microcontroller to support device programming, and the Level-0 live at power-up feature of the ProASIC3 device eliminates the need for an external CPLD.

The A3P1000 and the ARM7-ready M7A3P1000 are offered in FG144, FG256, FG484 and PQ208 packages. The A3P1000 and M7A3P1000 are currently sampling. The A3P1000 is priced at less than $9.95 in 250,000-unit quantities.