Xilinx co-founder Ross Freeman has been named a 2009 US National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee for inventing the field programmable gate array (FPGA), a configurable electrical circuit having configurable logic elements and configurable interconnects. The not-for-profit National Inventors Hall of Fame is an organisation in America dedicated to honouring and fostering creativity and invention. Each year a new class of inventors is inducted into the hall of fame in recognition of patented inventions that make human, social and economic progress possible.
Freeman’s invention – Patent No. 4 870 302 – is a computer chip full of ‘open gates’ that engineers can reprogram as often as required to add new functionality, adapt to changing standards or specifications and make last minute design changes. More than 25 years ago, Freeman correctly postulated that the cost of transistors would steadily decrease over time, due to Moore’s Law (doubling of transistor density every two years), making the FPGA an affordable and flexible alternative to custom chips for a wide range of applications.
“It was a radical concept that required lots of transistors at a time when transistors were considered extremely precious,” recalls Xilinx fellow Bill Carter, who became the company’s eighth employee upon joining Xilinx in 1984. “Ross challenged the predominant belief that ‘fewer transistors are better.’ Even though many considered it outlandish, he was convinced the technology would stand the test of time. Today’s news of Ross’ induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame is a testament to his wisdom and foresight.”
At an annual ceremony taking place on 2 May 2009 in Silicon Valley, a new class of 15 inventors will be inducted into the hall of fame – including Intel chairman emeritus Gordon Moore – bringing the total number of inductees to 405.
“We are delighted to honour Ross Freeman as a 2009 inductee,” said Fred Allen, vice president of selection of the National Inventors Hall of Fame. “His vision and creative drive led to the invention of the programmable chip, a technology that has not only influenced the future of the electronics industry over more than 25 years, but has fuelled inventive end products designed by Xilinx customers that continue to improve our quality of life.”
Sadly, Freeman passed away in 1989, only a few years after seeing his early vision becoming a reality. Prior to founding Xilinx, Freeman worked for Zilog and Teletype. He earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Michigan State University in 1969 and a master’s from the University of Illinois in 1971. Before starting his professional career, Freeman was a peace corps volunteer, teaching maths and electronics in Ghana.
In 1992, Xilinx instituted a new company tradition to honour Freeman’s memory, encourage technical innovation and reward technical contributions resulting in significant tangible benefits to the company. Each March, any Xilinx employee is eligible to be nominated for the Ross Freeman Award for Technical Innovation for an innovation in integrated circuit, IP or software products sold to customers, or for an innovation in processes, programs or equipment used internally.
Among the innovations recognised in recent years are the Virtex-5 FXT FPGA automated verification environment, multiport memory controller, single-chip security cryptographic device, PlanAhead design and analysis tools and sparse chevron package technology.
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