Peter Alfke was a pioneering engineer and educator whose work ranged from an early integrated-circuit FIFO to decades of customer guidance at Xilinx. The title “Pull up a chair” comes from a lunch-table moment that captured how colleagues remembered him: welcoming people into technical conversation and making room to learn.
Who was Peter Alfke?
Alfke was an electrical engineer born in Germany who built a career across several semiconductor companies before joining Xilinx. He studied electrical engineering at the Technical University in Hannover, immigrated to the United States in the mid-1960s, and worked at LM Ericsson, Litton Industries, Fairchild, Zilog, and AMD before arriving at Xilinx. EE Times’ 2011 remembrance recounts that career path.
He joined Xilinx in January 1988 as employee 109. Over 21.5 years there, he worked in applications engineering, technical customer support, documentation, and software quality assurance, and later held the title Distinguished Engineer. He retired in September 2009. Mike Santarini’s 2009 EE Times retirement profile and the subsequent remembrances in EDN describe his work and standing at the company.
Why is Peter Alfke important to FPGA history?
Alfke is credited with implementing the first FIFO in an integrated circuit in 1969, while working at Fairchild. A FIFO, or first-in, first-out buffer, stores data and releases it in the order it arrived. The milestone is part of his broader engineering history, rather than a Xilinx invention: he joined Xilinx nearly two decades later. EE Times’ remembrance reports the 1969 achievement.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute#1 Best Overall
- Designed for students and beginners looking to understand Digital Logic, fundamentals of FPGAs
- Features the Xilinx Artix 7 FPGA compatible with Vivado Design Suite WebPACK Edition (free download available from Xilinx)
- On board user interfaces include 16 user switches, 16 LEDs, 5 user pushbuttons, and a
- Expansion opportunities with four Pmod ports including 3 standard 12-pin Pmod ports and 1 dual
- Does NOT ship with micro USB cable
At Xilinx, his influence was closely tied to helping engineers understand and apply programmable logic. He was known for practical explanations of FPGA design and for helping customers use devices successfully. Colleagues remembered not only his technical depth but his ability to make complicated ideas understandable. Retired Xilinx CTO Bill Carter called him “a real engineer’s engineer”; Carter also praised Alfke’s ability to communicate complex ideas clearly, as reported by EDN.
What did Alfke do at Xilinx?
He helped engineers learn through Xcell Journal
In 1988, Alfke helped create Xilinx’s Xcell Journal with his daughter Karen. It began as a newsletter and grew into a magazine for engineers. The publication extended technical explanations beyond one-on-one customer support, giving the engineering community a place to encounter practical guidance and ideas. EE Times’ profile recounts the publication’s beginnings.
Rank #2
- Arty A7 comes in two FPGA variants: Arty A7-35T features Xilinx XC7A35TICSG324-1L. Arty A7-100T features the larger Xilinx XC7A100TCSG324-1.
- Internal clock speeds exceeding 450MHz, On-chip analog-to-digital converter (XADC), Programmable over JTAG and Quad-SPI Flash
- 256MB DDR3L with a 16-bit bus @ 667MHz, 16MB Quad-SPI Flash, USB-JTAG Programming circuitry, Powered from USB or any 7V-15V source
- 10/100 Mbps Ethernet, USB-UART Bridge
- 4 Switches, 4 Buttons, 1 Reset Button, 4 LEDs, 4 RGB LEDs, 4 Pmod connectors, shield connector
He wrote practical documentation
Alfke authored Xilinx “User Guide Lite” documents for device families. These guides complemented his conference appearances and participation in customer forums: the aim was to help engineers put programmable-logic devices to work, not merely describe them abstractly. EDN’s remembrance notes his documentation and educational work.
He connected technical work with conversation
His responsibilities spanned applications engineering, customer support, documentation, and software quality assurance. That range helps explain why he was remembered as a bridge between the design of programmable-logic products and the people trying to use them. Alfke once said, “I come from a long line of teachers,” adding, “So I’ve always gravitated toward activities that help educate people.” EE Times quoted him in 2009.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Rank #3
- [FPGA Chip] GW2AR-18 QN88 FPGA Chip containing 20736 LUT4 logic cells and 15552 Filp-Flops.There are 2 PLL in this FPGA chip, and many DSP units supporting 18 bit x 18 bit multiplication
- [Onboard Debugger ] Sipeed Tang Nano 20K Development Board support JTAG for FPGA, USB to UART for FPGA,USB to SPI for FPGA communication, Control MS5351 generate frequency
- [USB2.0 HS interface] The 27MHz crystal generates the clock for HDMI display, onboard MS5351 clock generating chip also provides mutiple clocks.Support Serial communication, high-speed SPI reception.
- [Application scenarios] Tang Nano 20K Open source Development Board supports game console emulators, drives RGB screens, multiple display outputs, 20K LUT4, RISC-V soft-core experiments.
- [Wiki] "dl.sipeed.com/shareURL/TANG/Nano_20K/1_Datasheet";Any after-Sales Privems, Please Contact us by click "Waypondev" store and ask a question or leave the message in our forum by "forum.youyeetoo .com/".
What does “pull up a chair” mean in the story?
The phrase refers to an ordinary but revealing act. At a crowded cafeteria table, Alfke pulled up a chair for EE Times editor Mike Santarini and introduced him to the group. The table became a recurring place for engineers to talk about FPGA design, single-event upsets, history, and other subjects. The story’s point is not that the cafeteria was a formal classroom; it was that Alfke made technical exchange feel open and accessible. Santarini’s profile describes the encounter.
That welcome reflected the way colleagues described his broader contribution: a pragmatic, approachable teacher who could make difficult engineering topics intelligible to customers and fellow engineers. His influence was therefore visible both in technical work and in the conversations, articles, and documentation through which others learned.
Rank #4
- The best way to get started with FPGAs: Using a simple board with projects that build on eachother, now anyone can get started with FPGA development!
- Fun peripherals available: With 4 LEDs, 4 push-buttons, 7-segment display, USB connector, a VGA connector, and a PMOD (for expansion) you can have dozens of fun projects available to you out of the box!
- Works with Verilog and VHDL: No matter which programming language you want to get started with, the Go Board will work for you!
- No extra device required: Simply plug the Go Board into a USB port and go! Getting started with FPGAs has never been easier.
- Works with all operating systems: Windows, Mac, Linux
How is Alfke remembered?
Alfke retired from Xilinx in 2009 and died on 17 July 2011, aged 79, after a long fight with cancer. His final FPL conference talk, delivered in Prague in 2009, reportedly received a standing ovation from more than 220 attendees representing over 40 countries, according to EE Times’ remembrance.
His retirement profile also preserved a characteristic line about timing his departure: “I’m going to retire before they have to carry me out on stretcher,” he said with a grin. The 2009 article pairs that humor with the more enduring image in its title: an engineer making space at the table for someone else to join in.
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallCrashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteQuick Recap
Best Value
- Digilent Basys 3 Artix-7 FPGA Trainer Board: Recommended for Introductory Users
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
