It’s Only Common Sense: The Phone Is Still Mightier Than the Keyboard
The Marketing Minute: Marketing With Layers
GOWIN Semiconductor Adds Ubuntu Support to their GOWIN EDA FPGA Software for Improved AI and IoT Development Toolchain Integration
February 19, 2020 | GOWIN SemiconductorEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
GOWIN Semiconductor Corp., the world’s fastest-growing programmable logic company, announces support for their GOWIN EDA FPGA development software in Ubuntu Operating System enabling developers with a single environment for Artificial Intelligence and IoT connectivity development.
Traditional FPGAs have had a long history of development tool support for Windows and Red Hat, but in many cases lacked universal Linux support for other distributions such as Ubuntu. This has caused development burdens as Ubuntu has matured and become the most commonly supported operating system for Artificial Intelligence solution development. Neural network model development software such as Caffe, Tensorflow and Keras have found Ubuntu as the preferred operating system due to its open source support and scripting capabilities. As a result, having GOWIN’s FPGA EDA in the same operating system allows developers to seamlessly integrate FPGA synthesis, place and route and bitstream generation into their AI design and script work flows.
“AI developers have had the burden of needing to use multiple operating systems when developing edge inference solutions on traditional FPGAs,” said Grant Jennings, Director of International Marketing at GOWIN Semiconductor. “With Ubuntu OS support, AI developers can now automate their FPGA design flow. Current modeling scripts can be updated to natively generate FPGA bitstreams of their trained network. They can also automatically load the FPGA bitstream and perform test runs on the hardware platform itself. GOWIN is very excited about Ubuntu support as it allows for much faster development cycles and more rigorous testing capabilities of edge deployed neural networks.”
The IoT and full-stack web development community has also embraced Ubuntu in recent years for supporting connected edge devices. As a result, support for GOWIN EDA allows for FPGA development and deployment updates in parallel with the rest of the system. This integration allows for better build management between connected FPGAs at the edge and the software running on the server or broker.
“While supporting traditional RTL compilation flow, GOWIN is evolving our toolchain to enable pioneer technologies. Providing a singular environment for multiple software tools that can be scripted both for automated development and testing has become critical in the IoT and server space,” said Dr. Jianhua Liu, Director of Software for GOWIN Semiconductor. “Now, developers can integrate FPGA synthesis, deployment and testing for edge IoT applications bridging the gap between the device in the field and the server controlling or monitoring it.”
GOWIN provides updated installation instructions for Ubuntu OS and will start to include scripts for Ubuntu in many future reference designs and development boards including the GOWIN GoAI artificial intelligence development flow.
Share on:
Testimonial
"Advertising in PCB007 Magazine has been a great way to showcase our bare board testers to the right audience. The I-Connect007 team makes the process smooth and professional. We’re proud to be featured in such a trusted publication."
Klaus Koziol - atgSuggested Items
MES Software Tools Need Thoughtful Integration
10/21/2025 | Nolan Johnson, SMT007 MagazineThe Global Electronics Association recently published a survey report on the state of EMS production software. This project, led by Thiago Guimaraes, director of industry intelligence, connects the dots across the global electronics value chain to uncover practical insights that individual companies might not have seen on their own. In this interview, Thiago discusses the whys and hows of this report.
Light-curable Solutions for Reliable Electronics in Space Applications
10/15/2025 | Virginia Hogan, DymaxDesigning electronics for space environments, particularly those in low Earth orbit (LEO), requires careful consideration of materials that can withstand extreme conditions while supporting long-term reliability. Engineers designing satellite systems, aerospace instrumentation, and high-altitude platforms face a familiar set of challenges: contamination control, mechanical stress, thermal cycling, and manufacturability.
Analog Devices Launches ADI Power Studio™ and New Web-Based Tools
10/14/2025 | Analog Devices, Inc.Analog Devices, Inc., a global semiconductor leader, announced the launch of ADI Power Studio, a comprehensive family of products that offers advanced modeling, component recommendations and efficiency analysis with simulation. In addition, ADI is introducing early versions of two new web-based tools with a modernized user experience under the Power Studio umbrella:
Elementary, Mr. Watson: High Power: When Physics Becomes Real
10/15/2025 | John Watson -- Column: Elementary, Mr. WatsonHave you ever noticed how high-speed design and signal integrity classes are always packed to standing room only, but just down the hall, the session on power electronics has plenty of empty chairs? It's not just a coincidence; it's a trend I've observed over the years as both an attendee and instructor.
Beyond Thermal Conductivity: Exploring Polymer-based TIM Strategies for High-power-density Electronics
10/13/2025 | Padmanabha Shakthivelu and Nico Bruijnis, MacDermid Alpha Electronics SolutionsAs power density and thermal loads continue to increase, effective thermal management becomes increasingly important. Rapid and efficient heat transfer from power semiconductor chip packages is essential for achieving optimal performance and ensuring long-term reliability of temperature-sensitive components. This is particularly crucial in power systems that support advanced applications such as green energy generation, electric vehicles, aerospace, and defense, along with high-speed computing for data centers and artificial intelligence (AI).