Outsourcing FPGA Design: Pros and cons

Outsourcing FPGA design: Pros and Cons
Jeff Johnson
http://www.fpgadeveloper.com
8 August 2011
1

Is yourcompany’skeycompetencesomethingotherthan FPGA design?
Do youlack the FPGA design work to employsomeone full-time?
Is your design team isoverloaded?
Are youhaving trouble finding expertise?
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Should I consider outsourcing?

Managefluctuatingworkloadseasily and withoutrisk
Leveragespecialized expertise
Start projectswhen the marketisready, not whenyour staff isready
Takeadvantage of greaterflexibility
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Pros

Fluctuatingworkloadsis a typicalproblem in design houses
Manycompanies struggle withmaintainingtheir optimal team size (hiring and firing)
Outsourcing FPGA design canprovide a buffer for periodswhenworkloadspeak
Outsourcing FPGA design can help you to achieveyour deadlines
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Pros: Manage workloads

The learningcurve for FPGAsissteep and long It takes a long time to learntoolsand devices and to becomeproficient in makingreliable designs
Keeping up to date with the evolution of FPGAsis a full-time job
Experienced FPGA developers are hard to find
Outsourcing FPGA design allowsyou to focus on yourcorecompetency and to leverage the knowledge of an expert
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Pros: Specialized expertise

Meetdemandwhen the marketisready, not whenyour team isready
FPGA design canbestartedevenbefore the hardware design has started
Validateyour concept sooner
After all, the largestbenefit of FPGAsisfasterdevelopment cycles
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Pros: Start projectssooner

Contain budgets throughfixedpricesYou couldn’taskyouremployee to work for a fixedprice!
It’seasier to drop a contractorthanitis to let go of an employee
If you’re not happy withyour provider, get a new one
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Pros: Flexibility

Hardware transfermightbenecessary
Must trust an outsider withyour IP
Management and communication canbe more difficultthanwith an employee
Provider mayjuggle multiple projects and cannotbe 100% deticated to you
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Cons

Do you have any custom hardware thatyour provider willneed to perform the job? Do theyreallyneedit? Can you live with code that has been verified by simulation or code that has been tested on a different hardware platformthanyourown?
Transfering hardware shouldbeminimizedbecauseitcreatesdelays and complicates planning Find a provider thatiswellequiped and givewelldefined and contained jobs (modules) thatcanbeverifiedwithoutyourcomplete hardware setup
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Cons: Hardware transfer

Must trust the provider withyourcompany IP Make sure you place a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with all providers
Must trust your provider to bill youhonestlyTry to find providers throughreferals and make sure all contracts are welldefined and projectscontained
Unlike an employee, youwill not always know whatyour provider isdoing
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Cons: Trust

Communication must bedone over the phone or by email
You need an in-house technical point of contact (TPOC) to manage the work
Your provider may have several clients and beunable to spend 100% of the time on your job
You might not getthat change doneright nowas youcanwith an employee
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Cons: Management problems

Outsourcing FPGA design can be a powerful leveraging strategy but is not suitable for all companies and projects
Know your needs intimately and find a provider that fits those needs
Take advantage of the modular nature of FPGA design
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Summary

For free assistance in understanding your FPGA needs or finding a provider, please visit:
For FPGA design services:
http://www.fpgadeveloper.com/services
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For more information

Thankyou
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Outsourcing FPGA Design: Pros and cons

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