Introduction

• Rui Zou (Cornell University (US))
• Davide Cieri (Max Planck Society (DE))

Innovative FPGA Customization Tools for High-Speed Data Processing in Physics Experiments

• Luca Colombini (CAEN)
• Andrea Abba (Nuclear Instruments Srl)

Modern high-energy physics experiments demand advanced solutions for high-speed data acquisition, real-time processing, and efficient communication. CAEN addresses these needs with FPGA-based digitizers designed for critical data handling. This work introduces two innovative tools for customization: the Firmware Development Kit (FDK) and Sci-Compiler. The FDK provides resources for developers to implement custom user blocks within CAEN’s FPGA framework, fostering a collaborative community for shared tool development in high-energy physics. The Sci-Compiler offers a user-friendly alternative, enabling custom solutions through a high-level abstraction interface. To streamline this process, a remote customization service offloads computationally intensive tasks to dedicated servers. Together, these tools enhance the flexibility and performance of FPGA systems, addressing the evolving challenges of cutting-edge experiments.

Q&A and discussion

• Francesco Gonnella (University of Birmingham (GB))