# Efinix FPGAs with Sammy Cheung

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2021-03-22
- Length: 1h 15m
- Episode: 535
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2021-03-22-efinix-fpgas-with-sammy-cheung
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/535-efinix-fpgas-with-sammy-cheung/

## Summary

Sammy Cheung, CEO and co-founder of Efinix, explains how the company’s disruptive SLR (Switchable Logic and Routing) FPGA architecture enables small, low-power devices like the Trion and Titanium to compete with traditional FPGAs in edge computing and computer vision applications. Cheung details the company’s history, from its founding in 2012 and initial pivot after Intel’s acquisition of Altera, to its current scaling phase where it sells millions of units and partners with sensor and microcontroller companies for System-in-Package (SiP) solutions. The discussion covers the technical advantages of the Titanium chip, including its 16nm process, embedded RISC-V soft cores, and specialized DSP blocks for AI, as well as the strategic challenges of growing from a scrappy startup into a larger organization while maintaining its culture.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2021-03-22-efinix-fpgas-with-sammy-cheung#t=0) Introduction and Efinix Vision
- [2:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2021-03-22-efinix-fpgas-with-sammy-cheung#t=143) Company History and Pivot from Acquisition Target
- [7:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2021-03-22-efinix-fpgas-with-sammy-cheung#t=420) The Complexity of Building an FPGA Company
- [11:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2021-03-22-efinix-fpgas-with-sammy-cheung#t=673) Targeting Computer Vision and Edge Computing
- [19:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2021-03-22-efinix-fpgas-with-sammy-cheung#t=1166) SLR Architecture and the Titanium Chip
- [31:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2021-03-22-efinix-fpgas-with-sammy-cheung#t=1911) System-in-Package and Chiplet Partnerships
- [45:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2021-03-22-efinix-fpgas-with-sammy-cheung#t=2707) Embedded RISC-V and AI Acceleration
- [1:03:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2021-03-22-efinix-fpgas-with-sammy-cheung#t=3815) Automotive Applications and Future Roadmap
- [1:11:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2021-03-22-efinix-fpgas-with-sammy-cheung#t=4283) Scaling Challenges and Company Culture

## Topics

- [Chips, FPGAs & semiconductors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/chips-and-fpgas)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Efinix (company)
- Trion (product)
- Titanium (product)
- Intel (company)
- Altera (company)
- Xilinx (company)
- Samsung (company)
- RISC-V (chip)
- Vivado (tool)
- Quartus (tool)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Episode 68: The Wide World of FPGAs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2024-05-22-episode-68-the-wide-world-of-fpgas) (The Circuit)
- [Leading the RISC-V Revolution, SiFive Aims to Take the Computing Industry Throne](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2024-02-27-leading-the-risc-v-revolution-sifive-aims-to-take-the-computing-industry-throne) (Moore's Lobby)
- [029 - Old Timey Name Droppin'](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-10-17-029-old-timey-name-droppin) (Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast)
- [Risking RISC-V | Engineers & the Gig Economy | Chiplets](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2019-06-14-risking-risc-v-engineers-the-gig-economy-chiplets) (EE Times Current)
- [Engineering, Inspiration, and Advice—Intel VP Deepali Trehan's Journey](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2023-03-07-engineering-inspiration-and-advice-intel-vp-deepali-trehans-journey) (Moore's Lobby)

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