CliCFPGA: Leveraging FPGA Education and Research Through Collaborative and Low-Code Heterogeneous Platform

The rising demand for real-time data processing has made field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) essential programmable accelerators, offering superior performance and lower power consumption than microprocessors and graphics processing units (GPUs). However, FPGA development environments present several challenges, including the need for high-end computers for faster hardware compilation, managing multiple versions of FPGA computer-aided design (CAD) tools, and a lack of modularity, collaboration, and accessibility for beginners. Moreover, the high cost of large-scale FPGAs restricts their broader adoption. This article presents CliCFPGA, a scalable FPGA design, verification, and prototyping platform designed to address these challenges. By integrating multiple CAD tools into a unified environment and enabling remote compilation on shared high-performance servers, CliCFPGA reduces hardware cost and setup complexity. It offers a collaborative workspace with real-time debugging, full access to FPGA board peripherals, and simultaneous multiuser testing. To accelerate learning and development, the platform includes an intellectual property (IP) library with preverified hardware accelerator IP cores. In addition, CliCFPGA features a large language model (LLM)-assisted tool for generating and verifying hardware description language (HDL) code. This tool automates error-prone tasks, significantly reducing design time. A comprehensive evaluation combining survey-based feedback and performance metrics confirms the platform’s impact. Users reported up to three times faster design and verification cycles, with an average satisfaction rate of over 90% for the collaborative workspace and LLM-assisted features. These results demonstrate CliCFPGA as a robust solution for enhancing FPGA design and verification, supporting diverse applications in education, research, and industry while promoting cost-effective and sustainable technological development.