Evolving Cross-Platform Tools for Building Software-Connected FPGA Applications

FPGA development is undergoing a paradigm shift; moving away from rigid, HDL-centric toolchains, toward more flexible, software-oriented workflows. As system complexity increases and time-to-market pressures grow, engineering teams increasingly seek tools that support rapid iteration, cross-platform deployment, and seamless integration with modern development environments.

This session explores how FPGA development tools are adapting to meet modern demands, with a focus on emerging runtime architectures and abstracted communication layers. We’ll highlight how technologies like Opal Kelly’s latest FrontPanel 6 enable software developers to interact with FPGA hardware using familiar programming environments; reducing the need for deep HDL expertise and broadening access to hardware-accelerated design.

The session will also examine how cross-platform frameworks that leverage web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) can be used to build desktop applications that communicate with FPGAs over USB. These tools allow development across Windows, macOS, and Linux, provide integrated debugging through browser-based tooling, and support faster iteration with runtime reload capabilities. This transformation opens new workflows and expands hardware-interfacing to a broader community of developers—including those with backgrounds in web and application development.

This session is part of our FPGA Roundtable series. Registration/event page here.

Sponsored by: