Doing FPGA in a former software company

Summary form only given. Microsoft has gone through massive changes in the last few years. First, it was the dominant software company. Then, it became a “Devices and Services” company, and now it is “Mobile First, Cloud First”. Of course, deep down in the bones, it is still a software company. In this talk, I will give a personal account on how FPGA acceleration gradually gained traction inside Microsoft, difficulties and lessons learned in getting acceptance, FPGA´s apparently imminent deployment inside Microsoft data centers, and finally what may be needed in FPGA programming software tool developments for wider acceptance inside a company like Microsoft.