EP2AGX125DF25I3G - 118K LE Arria II GX FPGA, 3.75Gbps, FC-FBGA | Intel
MPN: EP2AGX125DF25I3G β Last Time Buy| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1280 | $1,280.00 |
| 10 | $1195 | $11,950.00 |
| 100 | $1085 | $108,500.00 |
| 500 | $985 | $492,500.00 |
| 1,000 | $895 | $895,000.00 |
EP2AGX125DF25I3G Overview
A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a reconfigurable semiconductor device that allows designers to implement custom digital logic, memory subsystems, and high-speed serial interfaces after fabrication. Within the broader programmable logic taxonomy, FPGAs sit alongside CPLDs as user-programmable logic, and the Arria II GX family specifically targets mid-range applications that require integrated transceivers, DSP blocks, and embedded memory for protocol bridging, video processing, and wireless baseband.
Key features of the EP2AGX125DF25I3G include 118,143 logic elements, 4,878 Kbits of embedded memory (M9K and MLAB blocks), 260 user I/O pins supporting single-ended and differential standards, and embedded 3.75 Gbps multi-gigabit transceivers optimized for PCIe Gen1/Gen2, Serial RapidIO, and CEI interfaces. The device also integrates dedicated 18x18 multipliers and variable-precision DSP blocks suitable for high-throughput signal processing. Industrial temperature grade (-40C to +100C) and 0.9 V core operation make it suitable for harsh-environment deployments.
Architecturally, the EP2AGX125DF25I3G combines an 8-lane transceiver PMA layer, dedicated PCS hard IP for PCIe and GIGE, and a rich general-purpose fabric built on 40 nm logic. This combination allows designers to replace multiple ASSP devices with a single programmable platform, reducing BOM count and enabling late-stage design changes.
Typical applications include wireless baseband processing, radar and signal-intelligence front-ends, broadcast video switching and processing, industrial machine vision, and PCIe Gen2 endpoint cards. Designers commonly pair it with DDR3 memory controllers and high-speed ADC/DAC front-ends for waveform generation and digitizer boards.
When designing with this FPGA, ensure proper power sequencing on the 0.9 V core rail, use the Quartus II design suite (or Intel Quartus Prime) for synthesis and place-and-route, and follow Altera's reference designs for transceiver channel layout. The 572-ball FC-FBGA package requires careful PCB stack-up planning to maintain signal integrity on multi-gigabit serial links.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, verified drop-in and same-family alternatives, and practical design notes not consolidated in the manufacturer's datasheet, helping engineers evaluate lifecycle risk and second-source options for the EP2AGX125DF25I3G.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2AGX125DF25I3G β 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 EP2AGX125DF25I3G (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Package, Speed Grade, Embedded Memory Bits, Mounting Type, DSP Blocks.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2AGX125DF25C6G
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$1295 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2AGX125DF25C5G
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$399.5 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2AGX125DF25C4G
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$399.95 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2AGX125DF25I3N
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP2AGX95DF25C6G
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$290 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2AGX125DF25I3G Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | Arria II GX |
| Logic Elements | 118,143 |
| Embedded Memory | 8,315,904 bits |
| Number of I/O | 260 |
| Package | 572-BGA, FCBGA (Flip-Chip FineLine BGA) |
| Core Voltage | 0.9 V |
| Process Technology | 40 nm |
| Maximum Operating Frequency | 500 MHz |
| Transceivers | Up to 12 (3.75 Gbps per channel) |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +100C (Industrial) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Supply Voltage | 0.9 V core |
| DSP Blocks | 18x18 multipliers |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
EP2AGX125DF25I3G 572-bga, fcbga (flip-chip fineline bga) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2AGX125DF25I3G (572-bga, fcbga (flip-chip fineline 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 EP2AGX125DF25I3G.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2AGX125DF25I3G is suitable for 7 applications: Wireless Baseband Processing, PCIe Gen2 Endpoint Card, Broadcast Video Switcher and Processor, Industrial Machine Vision Camera, Radar and SIGINT Front-End Digitizer, Medical Imaging Ultrasound Beamformer, Network Protocol Bridge and Packet Processor.
Wireless Baseband Processing
The EP2AGX125DF25I3G's 118,143 logic elements and dedicated 18x18 multipliers make it well suited for wireless baseband processing in 3G/4G picocell and femtocell designs. The integrated 3.75 Gbps transceivers handle CPRI or OBSAI backhaul to the base station controller, while the industrial temperature rating supports outdoor deployment. Designers can implement FFT/iFFT, channel coding, and digital up/down-conversion in the DSP blocks, eliminating the need for a separate DSP chip and reducing BOM cost.
Recommended
PCIe Gen2 Endpoint Card
With hard PCIe Gen1/Gen2 IP blocks and integrated 3.75 Gbps transceivers, the EP2AGX125DF25I3G functions as a PCIe Gen2 x4 or x8 endpoint for DSP accelerator cards, frame grabbers, and protocol analyzers. The 118K LE fabric provides ample room for user application logic, while 8.3 Mbits of embedded memory buffers DMA transfers. The 572-ball FC-FBGA package supports the 100-ohm differential impedance requirements of PCIe edge fingers, and the industrial temperature rating is valuable for test-and-measurement cards operating in unconditioned lab environments.
Recommended
Broadcast Video Switcher and Processor
The EP2AGX125DF25I3G's high logic density and embedded memory bandwidth make it appropriate for broadcast video switchers, format converters, and multiviewer processors. The 260 user I/O pins accept multiple SDI or HDMI inputs after external deserialization, and the DSP blocks handle scaling, deinterlacing, and chroma keying in real time. The 40 nm Arria II GX architecture balances cost against the high LUT and block-RAM requirements of full-HD multi-channel processing, while the industrial temperature rating supports equipment racks in temperature-controlled broadcast studios.
Recommended
Industrial Machine Vision Camera
The EP2AGX125DF25I3G supports high-speed image sensor interfaces such as Camera Link, CoaXPress, or MIPI CSI-2 via its integrated transceivers, with 118K LE reserved for image processing pipelines including color conversion, defect detection, and compression. The industrial temperature rating (-40C to +100C) and surface-mount FC-FBGA package suit harsh factory-floor deployments, and the embedded memory buffers line-scan data without external SRAM. The Arria II GX architecture is widely supported in the Quartus II ecosystem with reference designs for popular image sensors.
Recommended
Radar and SIGINT Front-End Digitizer
In radar and signal-intelligence digitizers, the EP2AGX125DF25I3G sits between multi-GSPS ADCs and downstream DSP processors, implementing digital down-conversion, pulse compression, and channelization in its DSP blocks. The 3.75 Gbps transceivers capture JESD204B-converter data streams, while the 8.3 Mbits of embedded memory buffer cross-ambiguity function calculations. The industrial temperature rating suits airborne and shipboard platforms where commercial FPGAs would fail thermal qualification, and the 572-ball FC-BGA supports controlled-impedance PCB stack-ups required for 6 Gbps JESD204B links.
Recommended
Medical Imaging Ultrasound Beamformer
The EP2AGX125DF25I3G's combination of 118K LE, DSP multipliers, and embedded memory makes it appropriate for portable and cart-based ultrasound beamformer boards. Each transducer channel's delay-and-sum beamforming is implemented in parallel across multiple Arria II GX devices, with LVDS pairs on the 260 user I/O pins carrying raw ADC samples at hundreds of MHz. The industrial temperature rating supports continuous operation in climate-controlled hospital equipment rooms, and the integrated transceivers serialize processed beam data over a high-speed link to the host CPU, reducing board-to-board cable complexity.
Recommended
Network Protocol Bridge and Packet Processor
The EP2AGX125DF25I3G bridges Ethernet, Serial RapidIO, and custom serial fabrics in telecom and datacom equipment. The integrated 3.75 Gbps transceivers terminate SRIO, Gigabit Ethernet, and CEI links without external PHYs, while the 118K LE fabric implements custom packet parsers, classification engines, and traffic shapers. The 8.3 Mbits of embedded memory buffers packet headers and lookup tables, and the industrial temperature rating supports outdoor cell-site gateways. This is the same role the part plays in Altera/Intel reference designs for LTE eNodeB and small-cell platforms.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2AGX125DF25I3G β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2AGX125DF25C6G | EP2AGX125DF25C5G | EP2AGX125DF25C4G | EP2AGX125DF25I3N | EP2AGX95DF25C6G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 572-BGA, FCBGA (DF25) | 572-BGA, FCBGA (DF25) - same | 572-BGA, FCBGA (DF25) - same | 572-BGA, FCBGA (DF25) - same | 572-BGA, FCBGA (DF25) - same | 572-BGA, FCBGA (DF25) - same |
| Logic Elements | 118,143 | 118,143 | 118,143 | 118,143 | 118,143 | 95,000 (-19%) |
| Embedded Memory | 8,315,904 bits | 8,315,904 bits | 8,315,904 bits | 8,315,904 bits | 8,315,904 bits | 6,475,776 bits (-22%) |
| User I/O Pins | 260 | 260 | 260 | 260 | 260 | 212 (-18%) |
| Temperature Grade | Industrial (-40C to +100C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Industrial (-40C to +100C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) |
| Speed Grade | 3 (slowest of family) | 6 (fastest) | 5 | 4 (closest) | 3 (identical) | 6 (fastest) |
| Transceiver Data Rate | Up to 3.75 Gbps | Up to 3.75 Gbps | Up to 3.75 Gbps | Up to 3.75 Gbps | Up to 3.75 Gbps | Up to 3.75 Gbps |
| Process Technology | 40 nm | 40 nm | 40 nm | 40 nm | 40 nm | 40 nm |
| Lifecycle Status | Last-Time-Buy | Last-Time-Buy | Last-Time-Buy | Last-Time-Buy | Last-Time-Buy | Last-Time-Buy |
Key Differentiators
- Industrial temperature grade (-40C to +100C) (vs EP2AGX125DF25C6G)
- Drop-in compatibility with full-density 118K LE alternative (vs EP2AGX95DF25C6G)
- Speed-grade 3 (slower) gives timing margin headroom (vs EP2AGX125DF25C6G)
Design Notes
The EP2AGX125DF25I3G requires multiple power rails: 0.9 V core, 1.1 V transceiver analog, 1.2 V transceiver auxiliary, 2.5 V/3.3 V I/O banks, and a 1.8 V configuration supply. Estimated: at full transceiver utilization (12 lanes at 3.75 Gbps, PRBS31 pattern) and 70% logic utilization, total power consumption reaches approximately 14-18 W. Use Intel's Early Power Estimator (EPE) spreadsheet before board layout to budget regulator capacity and thermal solution sizing. Power-on sequencing must follow Intel's specified rail order to avoid latch-up; consult the Arria II GX device handbook section on power management for the exact sequence.
The 572-ball FC-FBGA package uses 1.0 mm ball pitch and requires microvia (HDI) PCB technology for fanout. Estimated: 6 or 8-layer stack-up with sequential lamination is standard for transceiver-bearing Arria II GX designs. AC-coupled 100-ohm differential traces are required for all transceiver channels, with intra-pair length matching tighter than 5 mil. Reference Intel's AN 530 and AN 532 transceiver layout guidelines for via pattern, decoupling capacitor placement, and stitching-via recommendations around the BGA field. Avoid routing any high-speed signal across BGA anti-pad regions.
Common mistakes when designing with the EP2AGX125DF25I3G include: (1) omitting the external configuration flash memory (EPCS16 or compatible) which is required for single-device boot - the FPGA will not self-configure from internal flash; (2) leaving the MSEL[3:0] pins floating or incorrectly strapped, which selects the wrong configuration scheme and causes configuration failure; (3) failing to instantiate the reset and clock management PLLs before user logic, leading to non-deterministic startup; (4) using 1.8 V LVCMOS signals directly on 3.3 V-tolerant I/O without a level shifter; (5) ignoring the I/O bank VCCIO grouping in the pinout file, which causes simultaneous switching noise on incompatible standards.
Compliance Information
RoHS and REACH compliant per Intel product documentation. AEC-Q100 not applicable (FPGA is not an automotive-qualified part). Lead-free confirmed. Halogen-free status not explicitly stated in available web data.
