Field-programmable gate array
FPGAs are integrated circuits in the category of programmable logic devices or PLDs. FPGAs are the highest performance, most flexible and also the most expensive of the PLD types. A drawback of FPGAs compared to other PLDs is that they do not remember their design when the power is removed. An FPGA therefore needs a separate configuration memory chip that holds the FPGA design. When the power is given back to the FPGA a fixed part of the FPGA reads the configuration from the configuration memory chip. After the FPGA is configured it will be able to do the function it was given by the design.