Digital Signal Processing (DSP) is an essential component of nearly every modern product, application, or service we rely on in our daily lives. Its influence spans a vast array of fields, including 5G networks, broadcast media, surveillance systems, medical engineering, artificial intelligence, and beyond. Given its ubiquity, the seamless integration of various DSP blocks into these technologies is paramount. To efficiently handle the computational demands of DSP applications, Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are often leveraged, enabling high-performance parallel processing for intensive workloads.

A persistent challenge for engineers has been the rapid and efficient deployment of DSP processing blocks onto FPGA platforms while keeping pace with the ever-evolving technological landscape. The need for faster implementation and reduced time-to-market has driven the development of various solutions, each with its own advantages and limitations. One long-standing approach has been the use of High-Level Synthesis (HLS) tools, designed to bridge the gap between software programming (e.g., C and C++) and hardware implementation. These tools aim to generate hardware description language (HDL) code—often in the form of IP cores—while ensuring seamless integration with FPGA architectures. However, concerns over verification, licensing costs, and design reliability have remained significant obstacles, particularly for companies with limited resources.

A breakthrough in addressing these challenges has been Xilinx’s (now part of AMD) High-Level Synthesis tool, which pioneered the ability to convert high-level languages into optimized hardware logic while enabling comprehensive simulation, including RTL Co-Simulation. In recent years, Xilinx has consolidated its entire FPGA development ecosystem into a unified platform called Vitis, integrating HLS for IP core generation alongside an SDK for embedded developers. This all-encompassing environment streamlines DSP development, offering a robust, efficient, and scalable solution for modern signal processing needs.