QuickLogic Joins DARPA Toolbox Initiative to Provide Mil/Aero/Defense Grade Programmable Logic

QuickLogic Corporation announced that it has signed an agreement with the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to be an authorized supplier of embedded FPGA IP and open-source FPGA tools through the DARPA Toolbox Initiative. DARPA research teams will now be granted access to QuickLogic’s customizable eFPGA IP technology and 100% open source FPGA development tools. The DARPA Toolbox provides open licensing opportunities with commercial technology vendors to researchers engaged in DARPA programs.

QuickLogic’s FPGA/eFPGA technology has been deployed in production volumes by the military, aerospace, and defense markets for three decades – spanning air, land, sea, and space applications. These uses require unique functionality not available in commercial off-the-shelf products, operating in some of the most extreme environments such as high-temperature ranges, and exposure to high radiation levels.  Also, QuickLogic’s technology has been production-proven across numerous process nodes in multiple foundries.

QuickLogic’s eFPGA cores can span thousands of Look-Up-Tables (LUTs) to nearly one million LUTs, with optional fracturable DSP capability and BlockRAM support.  Importantly, the eFPGA cores are backed by 100% open-source FPGA tools, ensuring mil/aero/defense contractors have complete visibility into the toolchain as well as longevity of support and supply through the complete containerization of the tools long into the future.

The DARPA Toolbox provides easy, low-cost, scalable access to state-of-the-art tools and intellectual property (IP) under predictable legal terms and streamlined acquisition procedures. The goal is to reduce reliance on low-quality, low-cost tools and IP that increase execution risks and complicate post-DARPA transitions.

“QuickLogic is proud to have been a solution provider for mission-critical applications for over 30 years,” said Brian Faith, president, and CEO of QuickLogic. “Now, through the DARPA Toolbox, researchers can take further advantage of QuickLogic’s deep domain expertise in FPGA/eFPGA technology across numerous foundries and process nodes, with the trust that we have earned for the high reliability, quality, and longevity of support required for defense applications.”

“By providing access to QuickLogic’s tools, DARPA researchers can bring a larger variety of FPGA/eFPGA-based products to bear on DARPA programs,” said Serge Leef, program manager for the Microsystems Technology Office (MTO) at DARPA.