Searching the ideal core for FPGAs

With the exponential increase in density and performance of programmable lo gic, cores have become essential to further improve the time-to-market bene fits for FPGAs. Hence, FPGA vendors are striving to implement the "ideal co re" solution for system-on-a-chip on high-density FPGAs. Is the ideal core "soft" or "hard" - the implications of both are discussed from the perspect ive of an FPGA vendor.