ASIC vs FPGA: A Comparative Analysis

Project	ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit)	FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array)
Full English Name	Application-Specific Integrated Circuit	Field-Programmable Gate Array
Core Features	Designed specifically for a certain type of function/product, highly customized	Can be configured and programmed on-site by developers, high flexibility
Flexibility	Low (cannot be modified after leaving the factory)	High (reprogrammable, quick trial and error)
Performance/Power Consumption	High performance, low power consumption	Lower performance, power consumption usually higher than ASIC
Cost Structure	High development cost (expensive tape-out), low unit cost (cheaper with mass production)	Low initial cost (no tape-out needed), high unit cost
Typical Uses	Mobile SoCs, AI chips (e.g., TPU), mining chips, etc.	Prototype verification, communication base stations, aerospace and military, AI edge computing, etc.
Advantages Summary	Extreme performance, low power consumption, suitable forlarge-scale mass production	Flexible configuration, rapid development, suitable forsmall batches, experimental projects

Cambricon (688256.SH)	China	ASIC (AI Chip)	AI inference chip, has launched the Siyuan series
Horizon (Not listed)	China	ASIC (Automotive AI Chip)	Targeting in-vehicle AI, has partnered with Li Auto, BYD
Sunway Technology (Not listed)	China	ASIC (AI Cloud Inference)	Invested by Alibaba, data center inference chip
NVIDIA (NVDA.US)	USA	GPU/ASIC	A100/H100 are the main chips for training and inference
Tesla (TSLA.US)	USA	ASIC (Autonomous Driving Chip Dojo)	Self-developed AI chip Dojo has entered practical use
Google (Alphabet)	USA	ASIC (TPU)	TPU is Google’s main AI chip, customized as ASIC
Xilinx (acquired by AMD)	USA	FPGA	Global leader in FPGA, acquired by AMD in 2020
Intel	USA	FPGA/ASIC Hybrid	Has FPGA+ASIC product line, acquired Altera
Andes Technology (688107.SH)	China	FPGA	Domestic FPGA manufacturer, technology gradually breaking through
Fudan Microelectronics (688385.SH)	China	FPGA	University background, focusing on the low-end FPGA market