Netcope’s NP4, a cloud-based programming tool allows you to specify networking behavior using declarations written in the P4 network-specific, high-level programming language for the company’s high-performance, programmable Smart NICs based on Xilinx Virtex UltraScale+ and Virtex-7 FPGAs. The programming process involves the following steps:
- Write the P4 code.
- Upload your code to the NP4 cloud.
- Wait for the application to autonomously translate your P4 code into VHDL and synthesize the FPGA configuration.
- Download the firmware bitstream and upload it to the FPGA on your Netcope NIC.
Netcope calls NP4 its “Firmware as a Service” offering. If you are interested in trying NP4, you can request free trial access to the cloud service here.

Netcope Technologies’ NFB-200G2QL 200G Ethernet Smart NIC based on a Virtex UltraScale+ FPGA
For more information about Netcope and P4 in Xcell Daily, see:
For more information about Netcope’s FPGA-based NICs in Xcell Daily, see: