Microchip unveils PolarFire Core to cut FPGA costs for power-efficient applications

May 29, 2025 /Semi/ — Microchip Technology has launched the PolarFire® Core family of FPGAs and SoCs, targeting customers seeking cost-effective, low-power programmable logic solutions. By eliminating integrated serial transceivers, the new lineup reduces bill-of-material costs by up to 30%, while preserving the core strengths of PolarFire: power efficiency, security, and reliability.

The PolarFire Core devices are tailored for embedded applications that do not require high-speed serial connectivity, including automotive, industrial automation, medical, communications, and aerospace systems. Featuring single event upset (SEU) immunity and a quad-core 64-bit RISC-V microprocessor, the new series supports real-time control and edge processing with design flexibility and robust compute capabilities.

“Rising FPGA prices are pressuring OEMs to deliver faster and cheaper,” said Bruce Weyer, Corporate VP of Microchip’s FPGA business unit. “With PolarFire Core, we address those market pressures directly—offering performance where it’s needed while eliminating excess features.”

Fully pin-compatible with the original PolarFire family, the Core series enables designers to easily reuse existing board layouts and development workflows. Supported tools include the Libero® SoC Design Suite, SmartHLS™ compiler, VectorBlox™ SDK, and the Mi-V RISC-V ecosystem, helping accelerate development without new tool investments.

For more information, visit https://www.microchip.com/en-us/products/fpgas-and-plds/fpgas/polarfire-fpgas.