METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PROGRAMMING A FPGA

A method of programming a FPGA, wherein the FPGA comprises an array of macrocells, each comprising at least a configurable hardware block and a configurable interconnection network, the method comprises the steps of: providing a high-level configuration file containing: first data defining a set of macrocells and their relative positions; second data defining a configuration of the hardware blocks of the macrocells; and third data defining interconnections between the macrocells; wherein said high-level configuration file contains neither data defining an absolute position of the macrocells within the FPGA, nor local routing information fully defining a configuration of their interconnection networks; converting said high-level configuration file into a bitstream file; and uploading the bitstream file into the FPGA. A semiconductor chip comprising a FPGA and a device configured for programming the FPGA are provided.