Early Power Estimator for Intel® Cyclone® 10 LP FPGAs User Guide

ID 683743
Date 5/08/2017
Public
Document Table of Contents

1. Overview of the Early Power Estimator for Intel® Cyclone® 10 LP

This user guide describes the Early Power Estimator (EPE) support for Cyclone® 10 LP devices. This user guide provides guidelines for using the EPE at any stage of the FPGA design and provides details about thermal analysis and the factors contributing to FPGA power consumption. You can calculate the FPGA power with the Microsoft Excel-based EPE spreadsheet. For more accurate power estimation, use the Power Analyzer in the Quartus® Prime software.

Intel recommends switching from the EPE spreadsheet to the Power Analyzer in the Quartus® Prime software once the design is available. The Power Analyzer has access to the implemented design details to produce more accurate results.

Intel recommends using these calculations as an estimation of power, not as a specification. You must verify the actual power during device operation as the information is sensitive to the actual device design and the environmental operating conditions.

The features of the EPE spreadsheet include:
  • Estimating the power consumption of your design before creating the design or during the design process
  • Importing device resource information from the Quartus® Prime software into the EPE spreadsheet with the use of the Quartus® Prime-generated EPE file
  • Performing preliminary thermal analysis of your design