1. Purpose and scope
Architecture is where a system is cheapest to change and most expensive to get wrong. In this stage the team decides the block structure of the system, which chips, FPGAs and modules it uses, whether a custom chip is needed at all, and which functions are built in custom silicon, in programmable logic, in firmware or in software. It also sets the concepts that cut across every block: security, power, thermal and mechanical, and the interfaces through which the hardware, firmware and software teams will meet.
Partitioning is the heart of the stage. A function placed in custom silicon is fast and efficient but fixed at tape-out. In an FPGA it can be changed in the field, at a cost in power and unit price. In firmware or software it is flexible, but it must meet its timing and power on a processor. The decision for each function is made against the use cases, using the performance and power model built by the virtual prototyping team, and it is recorded with its reason so that it can be revisited if the requirements change.
In scope: the system architecture description, the hardware, software and firmware partitioning record, interface control documents, chip and FPGA selection, custom chip requirements, the performance and power model, the board block diagram and power tree, the thermal and mechanical concept, the firmware and software architectures, the security architecture, the final regulatory and certification plan, and the product plan with its cost model. Out of scope: detailed board, enclosure, firmware and software design, which follow in later stages.
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