“A Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) can implement arbitrary digital logic, anything from a microprocessor to a video generator or crypto miner. An FPGA consists of many logic blocks, each typically consisting of a flip flop and a logic function, along with a routing network that connects the logic blocks. What makes an FPGA special is that it is programmable hardware: you can redefine each logic block and the connections between them. The result is you can build a complex digital circuit without physically wiring up individual gates and flip flops or going to the expense of designing a custom integrated circuit.
The FPGA was invented by Ross Freeman1 who co-founded Xilinx2 in 1984 and introduced the first FPGA, the XC2064. 3 This FPGA is much simpler than modern FPGAs—it contains just 64 logic blocks, compared to thousands or millions in modern FPGAs—but it led to the current multi-billion-dollar FPGA industry. Because of its importance, the XC2064 is in the Chip Hall of Fame. I reverse-engineered Xilinx’s XC2064, and in this blog post I explain its internal circuitry (above) and how a “bitstream” programs it.”