Simplifying FPGA Complexity

Since the publication of the first IEEE standard in 1987 several revised versions have appeared. The first, in 1993, had the most extensive changes. VHDL 2000 Edition introduced protected types and VHDL-2002 contains mainly minor changes. VHDL-2008 is the name of the new version of VHDL. As with the earlier revisions, this doesn’t radically alter the language, but it does provide a wider set of modifications than previously.
The standard is now available from the IEEE and is known as IEEE Std. 1076-2008.

Summary of Changes to VHDL in VHDL-2008

The changes to VHDL that are proposed in VHDL-2008 fall broadly into these categories:

• VHDL is enhanced significantly in some areas

• Changes that make VHDL (slightly) less cumbersome to use

• Existing separate VHDL standards are incorporated into the LRM

• A number of smaller enhancements

​See Also
You will find further information about the standardization of VHDL-2008 using these links:

• IEEE 1076 VHDL Language Standard Working Group

• Accellera – IEEE P1076 VHDL Working Group / VHDL Technical Committee