EP2A70F1508C8ES - APEX II FPGA 1.14M Gates 1508-FCBGA | Intel
MPN: EP2A70F1508C8ES ⚠ Last Time Buy| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
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| 1 | $0 | $0.00 |
| 10 | $0 | $0.00 |
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| 500 | $0 | $0.00 |
| 1,000 | $0 | $0.00 |
EP2A70F1508C8ES Overview
An FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) is a type of programmable logic device that allows designers to implement custom digital circuits through configuration of internal logic blocks, embedded memory, and routing resources. APEX II sits in the hierarchy: FPGA -> programmable logic -> logic IC -> integrated circuit -> semiconductor, and is widely used as a flexible ASIC replacement in high-performance digital designs where time-to-market and design flexibility outweigh pure unit-cost optimization.
Key differentiating features include 1,146,880 system gates, 67,200 logic elements, embedded system blocks (ESBs) implementing dual-port RAM, ROM, FIFO and CAM, and 1,060 maximum user I/O. The -8 speed grade corresponds to approximately 100 MHz internal operation in APEX II silicon. The device supports multiple I/O standards including LVTTL, LVCMOS, PCI, SSTL, and LVDS through dedicated I/O banks.
The APEX II architecture combines a MultiCore interconnect fabric with embedded system blocks for memory-intensive functions. Each ESB provides up to 2,048 bits of dual-port RAM, and the embedded multipliers plus PLLs support DSP-style signal processing and clock management. The 1508-FCBGA package exposes the largest I/O count in the family, enabling high-bandwidth parallel interfaces.
Typical applications include high-speed communication ASIC prototyping, telecom line-card glue logic, industrial vision and image-processing pipelines, ASIC emulation, and high-performance data-path acceleration. The large gate count supports entire subsystems (RISC soft-cores plus peripherals) on a single device.
When designing with this part, plan power integrity carefully: a fully populated EP2A70 can exceed 2-3 A core current with transients during configuration. Use a multi-layer PCB with dedicated power planes and bulk ceramic decoupling at the FCBGA's underside balls.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in Altera/Intel alternatives from the APEX II family, and practical design notes not found in the datasheet alone.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2A70F1508C8ES — 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 EP2A70F1508C8ES (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Speed Grade, Operating Temperature, Mounting Type, Family.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2A70F1508C8
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$1495 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2A70F1508C7
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$645 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2A70F1508C7ES
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$250 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2A70F1508C7N
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
Contact for price
View Datasheet →EP2A70F1508C6
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$175 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2A70F1508C8ES Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | APEX II |
| Series | EP2A |
| System Gates | 1,146,880 |
| Logic Elements | 67,200 |
| Embedded System Blocks (ESB) | Available (dual-port RAM/ROM/FIFO/CAM) |
| Maximum User I/O | 1,060 |
| Core Voltage | 1.5 V |
| Speed Grade | -8 |
| Package | 1508-ball FCBGA (Fine-pitch Chip-Scale BGA) |
| Configuration Memory | SRAM (in-system programmable) |
| Operating Temperature | Commercial (0C to +85C) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
| MSL Level | 3 |
| RoHS Status | Check manufacturer page - APEX II is a mature family with mixed compliance |
EP2A70F1508C8ES 1508-ball fcbga (fine-pitch chip-scale bga) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2A70F1508C8ES (1508-ball fcbga (fine-pitch chip-scale bga) 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 EP2A70F1508C8ES.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2A70F1508C8ES is suitable for 6 applications: Telecom Line-Card Glue Logic, ASIC Emulation and Prototyping, High-Speed Industrial Imaging Pipeline, DSP-Style Signal Processing Accelerator, Data-Path Acceleration in Storage Systems, Legacy Industrial Control and Test.
Telecom Line-Card Glue Logic
The EP2A70F1508C8ES's 1,146,880 system gates and 1,060 user I/O make it ideal for telecom line-card glue logic where many disparate interfaces must be bridged. With 67,200 LEs available, designers can integrate multiple interface bridges (Utopia, POS-PHY, SerDes glue) plus framing logic and a soft RISC controller on a single device. The 1508-FCBGA package supports the high pin count needed for parallel data buses plus LVDS serial links, while the -8 speed grade (~100 MHz Fmax) is sufficient for most line-card glue functions. Its SRAM-based configuration allows field upgrades when protocol revisions arrive.
Recommended
ASIC Emulation and Prototyping
With 67,200 logic elements plus embedded dual-port RAM blocks, the EP2A70F1508C8ES serves as a multi-million-gate ASIC emulator for pre-silicon validation. Designers partition an ASIC RTL design across one or more EP2A70 devices, using the abundant ESB memory to model ASIC SRAM blocks. The 1508-FCBGA exposes all 1,060 user I/O for prototype boundary-scan, and the -8 speed grade supports emulation clock rates typically limited by ASIC floorplan rather than FPGA Fmax. Quartus II legacy support includes multi-FPGA partitioning flows for larger ASIC designs.
Recommended
High-Speed Industrial Imaging Pipeline
The EP2A70F1508C8ES's high logic density and 1,060 I/O suit industrial machine-vision pipelines where multiple Camera Link or LVDS image sensors must be aggregated, processed, and forwarded over Gigabit Ethernet or fibre channel. The ESB dual-port RAMs act as line buffers between sensor FIFOs and the processing datapath, while the 67,200 LEs implement image preprocessing (white balance, Bayer demosaic, edge detection). The 1508-FCBGA package provides the routing density for wide parallel sensor buses plus LVDS high-speed serial links, all under -8 speed grade timing.
Recommended
DSP-Style Signal Processing Accelerator
The APEX II architecture's embedded system blocks and abundant logic make the EP2A70F1508C8ES a capable co-processor for DSP-style workloads such as radar baseband processing, software-defined radio channelizers, or polyphase filterbanks. Each ESB can implement 2,048 bits of dual-port RAM used as coefficient or data buffers, while the LE fabric hosts the arithmetic datapath. The -8 speed grade enables approximately 100 MHz operation, sufficient for moderate-bandwidth channelization. The 1508-FCBGA exposes sufficient LVDS pairs for high-speed data ingress from front-end ADCs.
Recommended
Data-Path Acceleration in Storage Systems
Storage system designers use the EP2A70F1508C8ES to accelerate data-path functions such as RAID XOR, encryption (AES), and Reed-Solomon encoding, where the 67,200 LEs implement datapath state machines and the ESBs hold intermediate operands. The 1508-FCBGA's 1,060 I/O expose multiple SAS/SATA host interfaces and DDR memory channels in parallel, enabling sustained multi-gigabyte-per-second throughput. The -8 speed grade sustains the clock rates needed for line-rate processing on 6 Gb/s SAS links, and the SRAM programmability allows field-upgrading codec implementations as standards evolve.
Recommended
Legacy Industrial Control and Test
The EP2A70F1508C8ES continues to serve in long-lifecycle industrial controllers and ATE platforms where the original design cannot be respun. Its 67,200 LEs handle custom test-pattern generation, fixture control, and instrument-bus bridging in legacy ATE platforms. The -8 speed grade provides deterministic timing suitable for instrumentation synchronization, while the 1508-FCBGA's high pin count to drive fixture I/O without external muxing. SRAM configurability enables field updates when test programs change.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2A70F1508C8ES — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2A70F1508C8 | EP2A70F1508C7 | EP2A70F1508C7ES | EP2A70F1508C7N | EP2A70F1508C6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 1508-FCBGA | 1508-FCBGA - same | 1508-FCBGA - same | 1508-FCBGA - same | 1508-FCBGA - same | 1508-FCBGA - same |
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel - same | Intel - same | Intel - same | Intel - same | Intel - same |
| Speed Grade | -8 | -8 | -7 (faster) | -7 (faster) | -7 (faster) | -6 (slower) |
| Logic Elements | 67,200 | 67,200 | 67,200 | 67,200 | 67,200 | 67,200 |
| System Gates | 1,146,880 | 1,146,880 | 1,146,880 | 1,146,880 | 1,146,880 | 1,146,880 |
| Maximum User I/O | 1,060 | 1,060 | 1,060 | 1,060 | 1,060 | 1,060 |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial (ES extended screening) | Commercial | Commercial | Extended screening | Commercial lead-free | Commercial |
| Core Voltage | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V |
Key Differentiators
- Highest-density APEX II device in 1508-FCBGA package (vs EP2A40F1508C8ES)
- Balanced -8 speed grade vs faster -7 (vs EP2A70F1508C7)
- ES extended-screening variant (vs EP2A70F1508C8)
Design Notes
The EP2A70F1508C8ES core can pull 2-3 A at 1.5 V under full switching activity, with large transient currents during SRAM configuration. Use a multi-layer PCB with a dedicated 1.5 V plane and place bulk ceramic capacitors (>= 100 uF total) directly under the FCBGA footprint. Decoupling: 0.1 uF X7R at every active VCCIO ball group, plus 10 uF bulk per bank. Estimated: at VIN=1.5 V, ICC=2.5 A, total core power ~3.75 W plus I/O bank power.
The 1508-FCBGA package has a typical theta-JA of approximately 8-12 C/W (exact value [DATA_NEEDED] from APEX II thermal model) when mounted on a 4-layer JEDEC test board with thermal vias. Total device power can exceed 5 W under sustained high activity, requiring either forced-air cooling or a heat spreader. Place 4 thermal vias minimum under the central die-expose region to pull heat into an inner copper plane.
FCBGA 1508 assembly with 1.0 mm or finer ball pitch demands careful PCB fabrication: microvia or stacked-via technology is required for inner-row fan-out, and ENIG or OSP surface finish is recommended for fine-pitch BGA reliability. Use 0.4 mm-diameter solder mask-defined (SMD) pads, and run X-ray inspection on assembled boards to verify joint integrity under the central balls (which are not visually inspectable).
The APEX II MultiCore interconnect benefits from uniform routing density - avoid routing long parallel tracks over many rows, which consume scarce routing tracks and degrade Fmax. For high-speed I/O (DDR, LVDS), match trace impedance to 50 dΩ single-ended or 100 dΩ differential, and keep stubs shorter than 3 mm. Place series resistors at the FPGA driver pins for SSTL/SSTL-II outputs.
Do not assume the APEX II family is still in production - it has been moved to last-time-buy by Intel. Always check the latest PCN before committing to a new design. The -8 speed grade is the baseline; faster -7 grade provides only ~10-15% Fmax improvement at higher dynamic power, so do not over-specify. Finally, ensure JTAG chain integrity: APEX II JTAG pins require external 1k pull-ups to VCCIO of the JTAG bank for reliable configuration.
Compliance Information
Compliance status not explicitly provided in Verified Web Data. APEX II is a mature Intel/Altera FPGA family; refer to the manufacturer PCN and material declaration for definitive compliance information. Not AEC-Q100 qualified (FPGA is not typically AEC-Q100).
