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Not long ago there was an FPGA inside the iPhone (an ice40). Hardly niche.


Really? What function did it serve the iPhone?


Likely just simple glue logic. Things like converting one protocol into another, doing some multiplexing or some simple pre-processing or filtering on some sensor data. They're incredibly tiny (2x2mm) and use little power, so they pop up in designs pretty regularly.


I wonder if they are reprogrammable, so if what's running on these could ever be updated.




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