FPGA
A reprogrammable chip whose circuits can be redefined after manufacture. More flexible than an ASIC, more efficient than a GPU on a specific task.
FPGA stands for Field-Programmable Gate Array. It is a chip made up of thousands of logic blocks whose connections can be redefined after manufacture by loading a configuration file. The result is a circuit tailored to a specific task, which can later be reconfigured for another one.
The FPGA sits between the GPU and the ASIC. A GPU runs any program, but spends energy on that versatility. An ASIC is etched once and for all for a single algorithm and achieves the best possible efficiency. An FPGA is more efficient than a GPU on the task it is configured for, without matching an ASIC. In Bitcoin's history, FPGAs actually bridged the gap between the graphics card era and the ASIC era in the early 2010s.
Today, for mining Bitcoin or any crypto for which ASICs exist, an FPGA is no longer competitive. It is still used to design and test chips before they are manufactured, in telecoms, in industry or for certain very low-latency computations. Programming one requires specialised skills and configuration files specific to each algorithm. For a buyer, the choice almost always comes down to an ASIC for mining, and a GPU for AI or for algorithms without ASICs.
Our page comparing ASICs and GPUs helps you choose the right type of machine for your project.