Silicon Creations, Achronix Semiconductor Partner to Drive More Performance, Flexibility into High-Speed Trading

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Silicon Creations, a leading supplier of high-performance analog and mixed-signal intellectual property (IP), has partnered with Achronix Semiconductor Corporation, a leader in high-performance FPGAs and embedded FPGA (eFPGA) IP, in order to push more performance and design flexibility into high-speed trading systems where each nanosecond counts.

The partnership is designed to optimize the data path from the SerDes interface to and from Achronix eFPGA IP, adding flexibility and performance in algorithmic trading applications. High-frequency trading (HFT) systems are typically proprietary designs that demand the highest-performing, lowest-latency silicon available. While ASICs are often a key component of such designs, eFPGA IP weaved into ASICs can deliver the performance and programmability that leading-edge systems require.

Silicon Creations provides SerDes PMAs optimized for ultra-low latency optical connections for HFT Ethernet interfaces with in-PMA latency below 1.3 ns as well as multiprotocol SerDes PMAs supporting Ethernet 10G-KR, PCIe4, and many others.

“We’re ready to provide tailored IP for HFT ASICs in 12/16nm FinFET,” said Randy Caplan, co-founder and executive VP at Silicon Creations. “Engineers who need to stay at the front of today’s latency race must make a critical architectural decision: FPGA or ASIC? We think our partnership with Achronix offers the perfect blend of both technologies to drive improvements in programmable algorithmic trading.”

“Our partnership with Silicon Creations offers a UDP-to-TCP loopback latency of under 10 ns which is not possible with standalone FPGAs,” said Steve Mensor, VP of Marketing and Strategic Planning at Achronix. “Together, we enable customers to create significant differentiation in their HFT systems by leveraging Achronix Speedcore eFPGA IP and Silicon Creations SerDes IP integrated into a customer’s ASIC.”