It is clear that systems operators regard power as a significant operating expense. These constraints trickle down to system designs and the boards that comprise those systems. In addition to operational costs, design complexity increases when dealing with thermal issues caused by excessive power. Port density and bandwidth requirements go up from marketing, yet form factors go down, pressuring engineers to accommodate both schedule and budget for their projects.

FPGAs are a popular choice in numerous system designs. A wise selection of FPGAs can significantly aid the designer in reducing the challenges associated with power consumption.