EP2A25F672C7N - APEX II FPGA, 900K Gates, 672-BGA | Intel / Altera
MPN: EP2A25F672C7N ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $285 | $285.00 |
| 10 | $262 | $2,620.00 |
| 100 | $238 | $23,800.00 |
| 250 | $215 | $53,750.00 |
| 500 | $195 | $97,500.00 |
EP2A25F672C7N Overview
An FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) is a semiconductor device built around an array of configurable logic blocks (CLBs), programmable interconnects, and I/O cells that can be rewired after manufacturing to implement arbitrary digital circuits. APEX II FPGAs sit within Intel's programmable logic hierarchy as high-density, MultiCore architecture devices combining logic, embedded memory, and high-speed I/O, used for ASIC prototyping, glue logic, signal processing, and high-bandwidth interface bridging in networking, telecom, and computing systems.
Key features of the EP2A25F672C7N include 24,320 logic elements, 492 user I/Os, 1.69 ns propagation delay through the LUT, and support for multiple I/O standards including LVDS, LVPECL, PCML, and HyperTransport. The device operates from a 1.5 V core supply and is offered in the commercial 0 °C to 85 °C temperature grade, indicated by the 'C7' speed-grade and 'N' non-lead-free finish-free designators in the part number.
Architecturally, APEX II devices embed a MultiCore structure that pairs Look-Up Table (LUT) based logic with embedded system blocks (ESBs) acting as dual-port RAM or ROM. Up to four PLLs provide clock synthesis, while dedicated high-speed circuitry delivers up to 1 Gbps serial performance. The 672-ball FC-FBGA package uses a 27 × 27 mm body with 1 mm pitch to expose the device's 492 user I/Os alongside dedicated configuration, clock, and power pins.
Typical applications include high-speed communications infrastructure, ASIC prototyping, network processor co-processing, image processing pipelines, and DSP front-end pre/post-processing. The combination of high logic density and multi-gigabit serial I/O makes the EP2A25F672C7N well suited for line-card designs requiring both DSP and SERDES functionality on a single programmable device.
When designing with this part, plan PCB layout for the 1 mm-pitch BGA using microvia or via-in-pad technology, and provide at least four PCB layers with continuous power planes for the 1.5 V VCCINT rail. Decoupling must combine bulk, mid-frequency, and high-frequency capacitors placed as close as possible to the package balls to suppress simultaneous switching noise across the 492 I/Os.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in same-package alternatives from the Site MPN list, and practical design considerations that complement the official APEX II family datasheet DS-APEXII-3.0.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2A25F672C7N — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Variants in this series
Same-series models that are drop-in compatible with EP2A25F672C7N (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Process Technology, Operating Temperature, Speed Grade, Logic Elements.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2A25F672C7
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$118 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2A25B724C7
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$760 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2A25B652C7
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$285 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2A25B652C8
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$198 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2A15F672C7N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$171 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2A25F672C7N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | APEX II |
| Logic Elements | 24,320 cells |
| System Gates | Approximately 900,000 |
| User I/Os | 492 |
| Propagation Delay (tPD) | 1.69 ns |
| Internal Operating Frequency | Up to 500 MHz |
| Core Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.5 V |
| Process Technology | 0.15 µm all-layer copper (up to 8 metal layers) |
| Logic Family | CMOS |
| Package Type | 672-ball FC-FBGA (FineLine BGA) |
| Package Body Size | 27 x 27 mm |
| Ball Pitch | 1.0 mm |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to 85 °C (commercial) |
| High-Speed I/O Support | True-LVDS, LVPECL, PCML, HyperTransport up to 1 Gbps |
| Programmable Logic Type | Loadable PLD (in-system programmable) |
| Embedded Memory | Embedded System Blocks (ESB) configurable as dual-port RAM/ROM |
| PLLs | Up to 4 |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
EP2A25F672C7N 27 x 27 mm Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2A25F672C7N (27 x 27 mm package). This digital IC includes GPIO, communication interfaces (UART, SPI, I2C), and power pins. Refer to the manufacturer datasheet for alternate pin functions and configuration options. Essential for embedded system design and PCB layout.
No detailed pinout data available for EP2A25F672C7N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2A25F672C7N is suitable for 6 applications: High-Speed Communications Line Card, ASIC Prototyping Platform, DSP Front-End Pre/Post-Processing, Image Processing Pipeline, Industrial Automation Controller, Legacy Test and Measurement Equipment.
High-Speed Communications Line Card
The EP2A25F672C7N is well suited to telecommunications line-card designs that require simultaneous DSP and SERDES functionality. Its 24,320 logic elements and 492 user I/Os provide the capacity to implement packet-processing state machines, traffic shapers, and framing logic, while the 1 Gbps True-LVDS and HyperTransport interfaces enable direct connection to network processors and backplane transceivers. The 1.5 V VCCINT core keeps power dissipation tractable for fan-cooled systems. Engineers typically place the FPGA between a network processor and framer devices, using its embedded ESB blocks as dual-port FIFOs for cell buffering. The 672-ball FC-FBGA package with 1 mm pitch requires 4-6 layer PCB stack-up with continuous VCCINT and GND planes for simultaneous-switching-noise suppression across the high I/O count.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping Platform
With approximately 900,000 system gates and 24,320 logic elements, the EP2A25F672C7N provides enough logic capacity to prototype medium-complexity ASIC designs before committing to a mask set. The MultiCore architecture with embedded system blocks lets engineers map dual-port RAMs, FIFOs, and small register files directly without consuming logic. Quartus II software supports Verilog, VHDL, and AHDL entry, and the JTAG-based configuration via ByteBlasterMV enables rapid iteration. Designers typically allocate ~70% of the device for ASIC logic under test and reserve the remainder for prototyping infrastructure (BIST, observability, and clock generation). Migration to production silicon uses the same RTL, preserving verification investment made during prototyping.
Recommended
DSP Front-End Pre/Post-Processing
The EP2A25F672C7N's combination of high logic density and up to four PLLs makes it effective for DSP front-end tasks such as digital upconversion/downconversion, pulse shaping, and correlation in software-defined radio systems. The 500 MHz internal operating frequency allows parallel multiplier-accumulator chains to handle sample rates beyond 100 MSPS, while the 1 Gbps LVDS links provide high-throughput data paths to downstream ADCs and DACs. Embedded system blocks can be configured as coefficient ROMs for FIR filters, reducing logic utilization. The 492 user I/Os accommodate wide parallel data buses plus control and timing signals. Designers should budget roughly 25% of logic for clock-domain crossing and synchronization to keep metastability risk low across multiple asynchronous interfaces.
Recommended
Image Processing Pipeline
The EP2A25F672C7N can implement real-time image processing pipelines for industrial inspection, medical imaging, and broadcast video. Its 24,320 logic elements are sufficient for line buffers, convolution engines, color-space converters, and basic motion estimation at HD video rates. The dual-port ESB memory acts as line stores, eliminating the need for external SRAMs in many designs. With 492 user I/Os, the FPGA can ingest parallel camera data and drive multiple display outputs simultaneously. The 1.5 V core reduces dynamic power, while the 0-85 °C commercial temperature range suits indoor equipment. Layout should allocate dedicated I/O banks for incoming video and clock signals to maintain signal integrity at high pixel clock rates.
Recommended
Industrial Automation Controller
In industrial control applications, the EP2A25F672C7N serves as a high-density glue logic and protocol-bridging device, implementing real-time Ethernet protocols, motor-control interfaces, and safety interlocks. The 492 I/Os can directly connect to multi-axis motor drivers, encoder inputs, and sensor arrays, while the embedded PLLs generate precisely timed PWM and quadrature signals. Logic capacity supports soft-core processors (NIOS or custom) for sequencing and supervisory control. The 0-85 °C commercial temperature range is acceptable for control cabinets; designers needing -40 to +100 °C must specify industrial-screened variants. The FC-FBGA package provides good thermal dissipation when mounted to internal PCB copper planes, eliminating the need for heatsinks in typical industrial environments.
Recommended
Legacy Test and Measurement Equipment
The EP2A25F672C7N is used inside legacy test and measurement instruments such as logic analyzers, protocol exercisers, and bit-error-rate testers, where its 1 Gbps LVDS/LVPECL I/O directly captures high-speed signals from the device under test. The 24,320 logic elements are sufficient to implement pattern generators, comparator trees, and channel-skew calibration in parallel. Designers exploit the embedded ESB blocks as deep capture buffers to hold extended PRBS sequences. The 672-ball FC-FBGA delivers the I/O count needed for parallel multi-channel architectures. Replacement and refurbishment of legacy instruments is the most common sourcing scenario for this part today; OEM service organizations verify operation against original factory test patterns using the same JTAG-based configuration flow.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2A25F672C7N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2A25F672C7 | EP2A25B724C7 | EP2A25B652C7 | EP2A25B652C8 | EP2A15F672C7N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 672-ball FC-FBGA (27x27 mm) | 672-ball FC-FBGA - same | 724-ball BGA | 652-ball BGA | 652-ball BGA | 672-ball FC-FBGA - same |
| Brand | Altera (now Intel) | Altera - same brand | Altera - same brand | Altera - same brand | Altera - same brand | Altera - same brand |
| System Gates | ~900,000 | ~900,000 | ~900,000 | ~900,000 | ~900,000 | ~600,000 (-33%) |
| Logic Elements | 24,320 | 24,320 | 24,320 | 24,320 | 24,320 | ~15,320 (-37%) |
| Core Voltage | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V |
| Speed Grade | C7 | C7 | C7 | C7 | C8 (slower) | C7 |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial (0 to 85 °C) | Commercial (0 to 85 °C) | Commercial (0 to 85 °C) | Commercial (0 to 85 °C) | Commercial (0 to 85 °C) | Commercial (0 to 85 °C) |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
Key Differentiators
- Highest logic density in the APEX II 672-ball package family (vs EP2A15F672C7N)
- Same die, flexible package migration within APEX II family (vs EP2A25B724C7 / EP2A25B652C7)
- Dual-package flexibility with same speed-grade logic (vs EP2A25B652C8)
Design Notes
The 672-ball FC-FBGA with 1.0 mm pitch requires PCB microvia or via-in-pad technology for reliable assembly. Use a 4- to 6-layer stack-up with continuous VCCINT and GND planes to provide low-impedance power delivery to the 1.5 V core and to suppress simultaneous-switching noise (SSN) across the 492 I/Os. Per the APEX II datasheet DS-APEXII-3.0, place at least 16 via-in-pad balls under the package thermal pad to the inner GND plane for thermal dissipation.
Estimate: at 500 MHz toggle rate with 60-70% logic utilization, core current draw typically ranges 1.5-3 A at 1.5 V. Provide a buck regulator followed by an LDO post-regulator for low-noise VCCINT, or use a dedicated point-of-load converter with at least 1.5x current headroom. Decoupling combines 4x 100 µF bulk polymer, 16x 10 µF mid-frequency ceramics, and 60+ 0.1 µF/1 nF high-frequency caps distributed around the BGA perimeter.
The 'N' suffix in EP2A25F672C7N historically denotes a non-lead-free finish variant; verify current compliance with the distributor before placing orders for RoHS-restricted geographies. Configuration mode (Fast AS, Passive Serial, JTAG) is selected via MSEL pins - these must be tied to the correct logic levels on the PCB at power-up, otherwise the device will not configure. JTAG chain integrity must include 10 kΩ pull-downs on TCK per IEEE 1149.1 to avoid spurious clocking during power-up.
High-speed 1 Gbps LVDS and HyperTransport pairs require 100 Ω differential impedance, length-matched within 10 mil across each byte lane, and routed on a stripline layer referenced to a continuous ground plane. Use only AC-coupled LVDS termination with 100 nF capacitors on each receiver pin. For LVPECL outputs, provide 150 Ω to GND at the source and 100 Ω differential at the receiver for proper biasing.
Compliance Information
Compliance status was not present in the verified distributor data. The 'N' suffix in the part number historically denotes a non-lead-free finish variant, but buyers should request a current compliance certificate from the selling distributor before placing orders for RoHS-restricted regions. AEC-Q100 is not applicable because this is a commercial-grade FPGA, not an automotive-qualified part.
