What Is an ACAP?
In 2018, Xilinx® introduced the industry’s first adaptive compute acceleration platform, commonly known as an ACAP. If you’re new to this technology, here’s a quick primer to get your started.
What it Is
Xilinx describes the ACAP as “a highly integrated multi-core heterogeneous compute platform that can be changed at the hardware level to adapt to the needs of a wide range of applications and workloads.”
In other words, says Jeffrey Burt, reporting in The Next Platform, “Essentially an ACAP is an FPGA logic fabric that includes multiple levels of distributed memory, hardware-programmable digital signal processor (DSP) blocks, a multi-core system-on-a-chip (SoC), and one or more compute engines that are software programmable and hardware adaptable.”
What it Does
The result is a product that is more versatile than traditional FPGAs and super-adaptable to multiple workloads and multiple use cases. According to Xilinx, ACAPs are particularly well suited to accelerating applications in big data and artificial intelligence (AI), including video transcoding, database, data compression, search, AI inference, genomics, machine vision, computational storage, and network acceleration.
The Versal ACAP
The Versal® ACAP is an extremely comprehensive system-on-chip (SoC) that is fully software programmable and capable of achieving speeds 20x faster than today’s FPGA implementations. It introduces the best of scalar processing elements, vector processing elements, and programmable logic in the new heterogeneous compute architecture.
Xilinx Versal ACAP Engineering Design Services
While we offer almost 2 weeks worth of Xilinx ACAP classes for proficiency training, we strongly recommend leveraging Xilinx ACAP experts to get your designs off the ground. Designs work best when the engineers are skilled in all 3 domains. BLT has several Xilinx ACAP subject matter experts available to help speed up your project and ensure all the parts work together. Contact us to learn more about how BLT can help with your Versal ACAP designs.
Common Questions About the Versal ACAP
What does ACAP stand for?
ACAP is the acronym for an Adaptive Compute Acceleration Platform.
Who makes ACAPs?
Versal ACAPs are made by AMD Xilinx.
Can I use Xilinx Vivado® to design on the Versal ACAP?
Yes.
Are ACAP classes online or in person?
BLT offers online training, including Xilinx Versal ACAP training.
Some private in-person training has begun. Contact BLT to inquire about availability.
If I took a Versal ACAP class from another training provider, can I still take additional Versal training from BLT?
Absolutely. If you’ve taken Versal training from another provider, but would like to continue your training with BLT, your earlier coursework counts.
Does BLT accept Xilinx training credits?
Yes. BLT accepts Xilinx credits, as well as other forms of payment.
Learn More
For a full overview of our Xilinx Versal ACAP online training courses, click here.
To learn more about the Xilinx Versal ACAP and related tools, visit the Xilinx ACAP documentation.
We’re also happy to answer any questions you have. Call 888-XILINX-1 or email [email protected].