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HKale1's avatar
HKale1
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7 years ago

Does it require a paid license to run OpenCL on DE10 Nano developemnt board ?

Hello Everyone,

I want to build an application on the DE10 Nano development board using OpenCL. Does the Intel FPGA SDK require a paid license to compile and run OpenCL code on DE10 Nano

I really appreciate any help in this regard

Thanks and Regards

Hrishikesh Kale

6 Replies

  • HRZ's avatar
    HRZ
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    If you use OpenCL SDK v17.1 and above, you don't need an OpenCL license. However, you will still need a Quartus Prime Standard license since Quartus Lite does not support OpenCL.

  • Hi Hrishikesh Kale, Good day. 1) FPGAs were traditionally programmed using hardware description languages (HDL) that are synthesizable, such as Verilog and VHDL. These languages include complex constructs for describing parallel simulations and timing delays that requires specialized skills. Recent improvements in tool flows have enabled development of OpenCL heterogeneous parallel programing framework for Intel FPGAs. The OpenCL standard naturally matches the highly parallel nature of FPGAs. OpenCL allows the programmer to explicitly specify and control the thread-level parallelism, while developing in C-like programming language. This enables good match for FPGA development as it offers very high level of parallelism. Refer link below for more info. https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/software/programmable/sdk-for-opencl/overview.html 2) According to Intel Quartus comparison link below Cyclone V (DE10 Nano) supported under both Quartus Lite and Stardard. https://www.intel.com/content/dam/www/programmable/us/en/pdfs/literature/po/ss-quartus-comparison.pdf 3) DE10-Nano board supports under Quartus Prime Lite Edition software, which does not require a license. You can download from download center FPGA link below. http://fpgasoftware.intel.com/16.1/?edition=lite&platform=windows&download_manager=dlm3 https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/programmable/support/training/university/materials-software.html Let me know if this has helped resolve the issue you are facing or if you need any further assistance. Thank you.
    • HKale1's avatar
      HKale1
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      Thanks a lot for your help

      Hrishikesh

  • HKale1's avatar
    HKale1
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    Thanks for your reply. I had a few questions-

    1. Why is quartus required for OpenCL? Is it for programming the board?
    2. Also I just need to program the DE10 Nano board . So is it supported by quartus lite or will I still need to buy a standard license?
    3. Also, are there any free licenses for students for programming DE10 Nano

    Thanks and Regards

    Hrishikesh

    • HRZ's avatar
      HRZ
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      1. The OpenCL code is [automatically] converted to verilog and then place and routed as normal. You need Quartus for placement and routing.
      2. If you want to use only HDL (Verilog/VHDL) on that board, Quartus lite will provide all the required functionality (including programming) without needing a license. If you want to use OpenCL, you need Quartus Prime Standard which requires a license.
      3. No license required for Quartus Lite. If you need OpenCL, you can ask your supervisor to apply for Intel's university program through which you can get a university license [for free] to use Quartus Prime Standard that supports OpenCL.
      • HKale1's avatar
        HKale1
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        Thanks a lot for your help

        Hrishikesh