EP2AGX125EF35C4N Altera Arria II GX 40nm Transceiver FPGA

EP2AGX125EF35C4N is a 40nm FPGA device from Altera (now Intel) in the Arria II GX series, featuring 1152-pin FCBGA package measuring 35×35mm. The device integrates 118,143 logic elements (LEs), 4,964 programmable logic blocks (LABs), 8.3Mb of embedded RAM, and 72 DSP multipliers. It includes 12 high-speed serial transceivers supporting up to 6.375Gbps per channel for protocols including PCIe Gen2, Gigabit Ethernet, CPRI, GPON, XAUI, and triple-rate SDI. Provides 452 user I/O pins with 0.87V to 0.93V core voltage and 0℃ to 85℃ operating temperature range. ECCN 3A991D, MSL Level 3 (168 hours). Supported by Altera Quartus II development software for wireless base stations, video broadcast equipment, military communications, industrial automation, and medical imaging applications.

EP2AGX125EF35C4N Core Features

Logic Resources： 118,143 logic elements (LEs) delivering medium scale logic density for FPGA designs

DSP Resources： 72 dedicated DSP multipliers for digital signal processing and high performance computing

Embedded Memory： 8,315,904 total RAM bits comprising 6570KB M9K blocks and 1551KB embedded RAM blocks

Transceivers： 12 high speed serial transceivers supporting data rates from 600Mbps to 6.375Gbps

Protocol Support： PCI Express Gen2 endpoint root port hard IP supporting Gigabit Ethernet CPRI GPON XAUI triple rate SDI and other major protocols

I O Interfaces： 452 user I O pins with 1.5V to 3.3V multi voltage support

Clock Management： Built in phase locked loops for flexible clock synthesis and management

Package Type： 1152 pin FCBGA 35 by 35 by 1.9 millimeters commercial grade 0℃ to 85℃ operating temperature

Supply Voltage： Core voltage 0.87V to 0.93V with 40nm low power CMOS process

Development Tool： Altera Quartus II design suite fully compatible

EP2AGX125EF35C4N Applications

Wireless Infrastructure： 3Gbps transceiver FPGA for wireless base station nodes RRU and BBU boards with CPRI protocol processing

Broadcast Video Equipment： Triple rate SDI interface supporting SD HD and 3G SDI video standards for video capture cards and switchers

Military and Aerospace： High reliability programmable logic with encryption and radiation tolerant features for radar and electronic warfare systems

Industrial Automation： Machine vision interfaces industrial Ethernet protocol processing and motion control acceleration

Medical Imaging： Ultrasound imaging signal processing CT scanner data acquisition and MRI system control

Test and Measurement： High speed data acquisition cards protocol analyzers and logic analyzers as core processing units

EP2AGX125EF35C4N Key Advantages

Industry First Technology： Altera launched the industry first 40nm transceiver FPGA series in 2009 featuring Arria II GX devices with integrated transceivers expanding the comprehensive transceiver FPGA and ASIC product portfolio

Exceptional Value： Altera official claims Arria II GX series delivers 25% higher performance 50% lower price and 50% lower power consumption compared to competing high end FPGAs with pricing starting at $15 for 100K units

Low Power Design： 40nm low power CMOS process with 0.9V core voltage reduces fan and heatsink requirements suitable for thermal constrained environments

Balanced Resource Allocation： 118K logic elements paired with 12 transceivers optimally configured for mainstream communication and video applications

Complete Protocol Stack Support： Integrated PCIe hard IP and multiple protocol reference designs reducing development cycles

Mature Ecosystem： Altera provides three reference designs one development kit and four design examples fully supported by Quartus II version 9.0 and above

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FAQ:

1. What is the EP2AGX125EF35C4N and its key specifications?
   This is an Altera Arria II GX FPGA built on a low‑power 40 nm process, specifically designed for cost‑sensitive, high‑bandwidth applications. It provides 125,000 logic elements (LEs), 7,965 Kbits of embedded block RAM, and 576 18×18 multiplier blocks. The device integrates 12 high‑speed transceivers supporting data rates from 600 Mbps to 3.75 Gbps, a hardened PCIe Gen1 x4 hard IP block, and 4 general‑purpose PLLs. Housed in a 1152‑pin FineLine BGA (FBGA1152) package, it provides up to 452 user I/O pins. It operates from a 1.1 V core supply, and the “C4” suffix indicates a commercial temperature range (0 °C to +85 °C) with speed grade 4. The “N” designates a lead‑free package. This FPGA is ideal for wireless infrastructure, broadcast video, and industrial networking where high‑speed serial connectivity and logic density are required at a moderate cost.

2. How does the Arria II GX compare to the Cyclone IV GX or Stratix IV families?
   The Arria II GX sits between the cost‑optimized Cyclone IV GX and the high‑end Stratix IV. The Cyclone IV GX offers lower logic density (up to ~150K LEs) and transceivers up to 3.125 Gbps, while the Stratix IV GX provides much higher logic density (up to 530K LEs) and transceivers up to 8.5 Gbps. The Arria II GX delivers up to 256K LEs (in the largest variant) and transceivers up to 3.75 Gbps with a balanced feature set, making it the sweet spot for mid‑range designs that need more logic than Cyclone but do not require the extreme performance or cost of Stratix IV. It also includes PCIe Gen1 hard IP and strong DSP resources at a lower price point than Stratix IV.

3. What transceiver capabilities does the EP2AGX125EF35C4N offer?
   It integrates 12 full‑duplex transceivers that operate from 600 Mbps to 3.75 Gbps. These transceivers support a variety of protocols, including PCIe Gen1, Gigabit Ethernet, Serial RapidIO (SRIO), CPRI/OBSAI, DisplayPort, and HD‑SDI. The built‑in PCIe x4 hard IP block saves logic resources and simplifies board design for PCIe‑based systems. The transceivers feature dynamic reconfiguration, pre‑emphasis, and adaptive equalization, ensuring robust signal integrity over backplanes and cables.

4. How many logic elements, DSP blocks, and memory does the EP2AGX125 provide?
   The device contains 125,000 logic elements, which can be used to implement complex control logic, soft processors, and custom data‑path accelerators. For digital signal processing, it provides 576 dedicated 18×18 multiplier blocks (each can be split into two 9×9 multipliers) capable of over 300 MHz operation. On‑chip memory totals 7,965 Kbits of embedded RAM, organized as M9K blocks (true dual‑port, 9 Kbits each). This rich set of resources makes the FPGA well‑suited for wireless channelization, video processing, and high‑speed data‑path applications.

5. How many I/O pins does the FBGA1152 package offer, and what standards are supported?
   The FBGA1152 package provides up to 452 user I/O pins. These I/Os are arranged in banks that can independently support a wide range of single‑ended and differential standards: LVTTL, LVCMOS (1.2 V–3.3 V), SSTL, HSTL, LVDS, RSDS, mini‑LVDS, and LVPECL. Each I/O features programmable drive strength, slew rate, and on‑chip termination (OCT). The generous I/O count and flexibility allow direct connection to DDR2/DDR3 memory, parallel buses, and high‑speed LVDS links without external termination resistors.

6. What does the “C4” speed grade and temperature designation mean?
   The “C” indicates a commercial temperature range of 0 °C to +85 °C. The “4” is the speed grade, where a lower number represents a faster device in Altera’s Arria II GX numbering (C3 is faster, C5 is slower). The C4 grade delivers solid performance, with system clock speeds typically exceeding 200 MHz for most designs. If you require industrial temperature operation (−40 °C to +100 °C), an “I” suffix variant (e.g., I4) should be selected.

7. How do I configure and program the EP2AGX125EF35C4N? What development tools are needed?
   The FPGA uses SRAM‑based configuration and requires an external non‑volatile memory — typically a MAX II CPLD, an EPCQ flash device, or a standard SPI flash. Configuration modes include Fast Passive Parallel (FPP), Active Serial (AS), and JTAG. Design entry, synthesis, and place‑and‑route are performed with Intel Quartus Prime Standard Edition (the free Lite edition does not support Arria II GX; a paid license or the older Quartus II subscription edition is required). A USB‑Blaster download cable is used for programming. The built‑in SignalTap II logic analyzer allows real‑time debugging of internal nodes.

8. What is the typical power consumption, and does it require a heatsink?
   The core voltage is 1.1 V, while I/O banks can be powered independently at 1.2 V, 1.5 V, 1.8 V, 2.5 V, or 3.3 V. Static power is typically under 1 W, and dynamic power scales with resource utilization and clock frequency. A typical design may consume between 2 W and 6 W. The 40 nm low‑power process and programmable power options help keep thermal dissipation manageable, but a small heatsink and airflow are recommended for sustained high‑performance operation, especially when multiple transceivers are active.

9. How does the EP2AGX125 compare to the larger EP2AGX190 in the same family?
   Both are Arria II GX devices with identical transceiver and I/O capabilities in the same package. The primary difference is logic and DSP resources. The EP2AGX125 provides 125K LEs, 576 multipliers, and 7,965 Kbits of RAM. The EP2AGX190 steps up to 190K LEs, 840 multipliers, and 11,475 Kbits of RAM. They are pin‑compatible in the FBGA1152 package, enabling seamless migration if you need to scale up. Choose the EP2AGX125 when your design fits within 125K LEs; the EP2AGX190 gives extra headroom for larger, more complex systems.

10. What are the most typical applications for the EP2AGX125EF35C4N?
    This FPGA is widely used in wireless infrastructure (remote radio units, CPRI interfaces), broadcast video equipment (SDI routers, format converters), industrial machine vision, military communications, and high‑speed data acquisition. Its combination of 125K logic elements, 12 transceivers, PCIe hard IP, and abundant DSP/memory makes it a versatile platform for any mid‑range application that requires reliable, high‑bandwidth serial connectivity without the cost of high‑end Stratix devices.