oHFM FPGA Module Standard Debuts as an Open, Vendor-Neutral Spec

The oHFM FPGA Module Standard has been released by SGET as a vendor-independent way to bring computer-on-module thinking to FPGA and SoC-FPGA designs, with the announcement made in Munich and positioned as a push against one-off carrier boards and ecosystem lock-in. If you’ve ever watched a “simple” FPGA upgrade turn into a board respin because the pinout philosophy changed, you already understand the pain point; it’s also why modular approaches keep popping up across our FPGA coverage.
 

What the oHFM FPGA Module Standard Tries to Fix

The core idea is a harmonized signal set and interface philosophy that makes it easier to scale a design across performance classes (and, in principle, across vendors) without re-learning a completely new module concept each time. SGET frames this as reducing design complexity and time-to-market by making carrier-board design more repeatable: fewer bespoke layouts, clearer “design rules,” and a more predictable migration path when you move from an entry FPGA to a bigger SoC-FPGA.
 

It’s worth noting what this is not: it doesn’t magically erase the realities of high-speed layout, power integrity, thermal design, or software enablement. What it can do — if it gets real traction — is standardize enough of the mechanical and electrical “starting point” that teams spend less time reinventing the module/carrier boundary and more time on the application.
 

oHFM FPGA Module Standard Variants: Connector vs. Solderable

SGET defines two aligned variants. The connector-based flavor (oHFM.c) targets higher I/O counts and modularity, with multiple scalable sizes and an emphasis on prototyping, evaluation, and field-upgrade scenarios. The solderable flavor (oHFM.s) is aimed at cost-sensitive, higher-volume products where ruggedness and low profile matter, again offered in multiple sizes to match different FPGA classes. On the oHFM overview page, SGET also calls out a wide pin-count range for the connector-based option (from 332 up to 1,200+ pins, depending on size), plus room for serious cooling concepts on power-hungry parts.
 

Performance Headroom and the Ecosystem Question

SGET says the spec is intended to scale from low-power devices up to high-end SoC-FPGAs with very fast serial I/O—explicitly mentioning 112 Gbps PAM4 SERDES — and even integrated RF ADC/DAC use cases. That’s ambitious, and the usual “standard vs. ecosystem” test applies: the technical document can be solid, but the real indicator will be how quickly silicon vendors, module makers, and toolchain partners rally around reference designs and shipping products.
 

If you want the primary material, you can download the specification (email gate) and compare it with earlier context around the working group that kicked this effort off.