Field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) have evolved tremendously over the past few years. From their humble roots as a prototyping tool, FPGAs have matured into key members of the embedded processor catalog and are enabling new technologies across a wide spectrum of applications. While the communications and military & aerospace markets remain the FPGA vendors' bread and butter, a new push towards consumer-oriented products is underway. The big question now is which FPGA company will capitalize most on this opportunity.