[Blog] Beyond Compute: FPGAs as the Foundation of AI Datacenter Stability and Trust

The continued evolution of AI is reshaping the foundation of datacenter design and development. As workloads grow more complex and resource-intensive, operators face mounting challenges related to datacenter performance, reliability, and security. If workload demands can’t be consistently met, infrastructure will be unable to scale without disruption.

In our latest LinkedIn Live panel discussion , Lattice experts and Bob O’Donnell from TECHnalysis Research explored the increasingly critical need for secure datacenter control, how security and trust are converging with manageability, and why Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are emerging as strategic enablers for secure AI infrastructure.

The Shifting Requirements of AI Datacenters
AI models aren’t just changing what datacenters do; they’re transforming how they’re constructed. As workloads scale at an unprecedented rate, datacenter architectures are becoming highly heterogeneous. They often unite various components – graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), custom accelerators, advanced cooling systems, and more – within the same racks, making infrastructure larger and more complex than ever before.

This inherently more complicated datacenter environment makes management challenging. Each component brings its own unique qualities to the architecture, from boot sequences to distinct telemetry formats and fault responses. Without a unified control layer, even minor failures in system coordination can snowball into larger errors and system downtime. At the same time, evolving datacenter interfaces and modular rack designs require solutions that can adapt quickly without disrupting operations.

Ultimately, high performance cannot be the sole focus of AI datacenter development. These facilities need deterministic, always-on control and embedded security to operate reliably and safely across increasingly distributed environments.

The Importance of Secure Control
AI has transformed control from a behind-the-scenes function to a strategic pillar of datacenter operations, requiring systems that behave predictably under extreme workloads and respond instantly to anomalies. Deterministic control helps to ensure this consistency, supporting reliable orchestration across components without delays or coordination failures.

As datacenters become more modular and multi-vendor, security and trust must be built into control capabilities. Facility managers must authenticate and attest every component and firmware within the system, as well as implement lifecycle protections to guard against tampering and exposure. What’s more, systems must keep up with evolving standards and regulations, from the attestation requirements of the Security Protocols and Data Models (SPDM) standards to the future-proof compliance needs of Post Quantum frameworks like the Commercial National Security Algorithm Suite 2.0 (CNSA 2.0).

Multi-Level Control Architecture
To maintain resilience, datacenters rely on layered control systems:

• Server-Level Baseboard Management Controller (BMC): Oversees secure boot, power sequencing, and health telemetry.
• Rack-Level Resource Monitoring and Control (RMC): Aggregates data, manages power and cooling, and coordinates safety actions.
• Satellite Controllers: Monitor leak detection and isolate faults instantly.

FPGAs embedded in these controllers normalize telemetry, enable real-time fault response, and bridge protocols like Redfish, PMBus, and MCTP over PCIe.

FPGAs as Strategic Enablers
Hardware-based solutions deliver deterministic control that software alone can’t match. Lattice FPGAs provide:

• Instant-on responsiveness. When AI workloads operate at extreme thermal and power levels, milliseconds can make a significant difference. Lattice FPGAs deliver nanosecond-level sequencing and real-time fault response, enabling immediate action during potentially damaging events, such as liquid cooling leaks.
• Parallel processing and interface flexibility. Traditional serial processing is incapable of supporting racks full of sensors and accelerators. Lattice FPGAs can handle diverse protocols like I3C, PMBus/SMBus, MCTP over PCIe, I2C, SPI, and GPIO simultaneously, avoiding bottlenecks and enabling scalability.
• Built-in security capabilities. As First-on and Last-off components, secure-control Lattice FPGAs serve as a hardware Root of Trust (HRoT) that enforces secure boot and attestation, ensuring that only trusted firmware and system components operate.
• Cryptographic agility. Allowing for post-deployment reconfiguration, Lattice FPGAs provide the agility developers need to support new updates and post-quantum cryptography (PQC) algorithms as standards continue to evolve.

Preparing for Further Datacenter Developments
As datacenters continue to expand and incorporate diversified hardware components, operators will need to balance performance with trust. Control, security, and adaptability must converge to ensure resilience and reliability across evolving AI infrastructure.

You can view the entirety of the above referenced LinkedIn Live panel discussion here. And, to learn more about how Lattice FPGAs enable secure and scalable datacenter control, contact our team today.