Xilinx Parameterizable Macros, or XPMs, are parameterized design macros provided as synthesizable HDL code within the Vivado Design Suite. They offer customizable building blocks for common FPGA components such as memories (RAM/ROM), clock domain crossing (CDC) circuits, and FIFO buffers.

XPMs are intended for seamless use with UltraScale and other modern Xilinx architectures. They allow designers to instantiate complex hardware primitives by copying the template code, then setting parameters like data width, depth, and synchronization stages. This method reduces dependency on bulky IP cores, while ensuring efficient integration with Vivado's synthesis and implementation processes.

Key XPM categories include:

• XPM_MEMORY: Configurable RAM and ROM blocks optimized for various device families.
• XPM_CDC: Reliable clock domain crossing modules including synchronizers and gray code encoding.
• XPM_FIFO: Synchronous and asynchronous FIFO structures for data buffering and clock domain crossing.

Vivado automatically recognizes XPMs when their source files are included in projects. In non-project flow, an auto_detect_xpm Tcl command is needed to enable them. Instantiation templates help quickly set up macros with properly parameterized ports and generics.

XPMs provide a lightweight and flexible alternative to traditional IP, enabling FPGA developers to optimize resource use and speed up design cycles with well-supported, modular hardware primitives.