DSP designs use hundreds or thousands of multipliers as basic building blocks to implement filters, fast Fourier transforms (FFTs), and encoders that digitally process signals. This document highlights the benefits of variable-precision DSP  architecture in Altera’s new Arria® V and Cyclone® V FPGAs. Altera’s variable precision DSP block allows designers to tailor the precision on a block-by-block basis, thereby saving resources and power while increasing performance.

Author:  Pat Fasang, Senior Member of Technical Staff, DSP Marketing, Altera Corporation