Lattice Semiconductor Launches AI-Driven FPGA Development Tool and Post-Quantum Security Controller

On September 17, Lattice Semiconductor, a major FPGA supplier, officially launched Lattice Prompt, an AI-driven FPGA development tool, and introduced Mach-N2, a security controller product designed for the post-quantum era.

According to Xie Zhengfan, senior director of application engineering for the Asia-Pacific region, Lattice Prompt is not tied to any specific large language model or development environment. Users can work with Claude, ChatGPT, or domestic models such as DeepSeek, Kimi, and Qwen, and use development environments including Cursor, Visual Studio Code, and Trae. The tool packages decades of Lattice engineers' FPGA debugging experience into an "experience kit," allowing users to describe design intent in natural language and generate chip configuration files, complete simulation, timing analysis, and documentation. Xie said one customer migrated CUDA-based software to FPGA in 30 hours, a process that previously took months, representing an overall efficiency improvement of more than tenfold.

The Mach-N2, also launched at the event, is a security controller chip for the post-quantum era. It supports up to 220K system logic cells, operates at 350MHz, and supports PCIe 4.0 and high-speed interfaces. Configuration storage is integrated inside the chip, with power-on startup time controlled within 30 milliseconds and support for up to three configuration images. The chip supports post-quantum encryption algorithms, allows online algorithm upgrades, and includes anti-rollback protection and an anti-tamper module that responds to attacks at nanosecond speed. Xie revealed that AI servers were the primary driver for designing the product. Mach-N2 has entered early sampling, and multiple overseas core customers have begun testing.

Xie also noted that AI-related FPGA applications are Lattice's fastest-growing market segment, and FPGA will be present in overall AI server rack management. He added that the main competitors in security control FPGAs are not fellow FPGA vendors but MCU-embedded ASIC solutions, which cannot be upgraded and will be at a disadvantage as standards evolve.