EP2AGX95EF29I5G - Arria II GX FPGA, 95K LE, 780-FBGA | Intel
MPN: EP2AGX95EF29I5G ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $285 | $285.00 |
| 10 | $271.5 | $2,715.00 |
| 100 | $254 | $25,400.00 |
| 250 | $238 | $59,500.00 |
| 500 | $221 | $110,500.00 |
EP2AGX95EF29I5G Overview
An FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is a reprogrammable semiconductor device whose logic fabric, interconnect, and I/O can be configured by the end user via a hardware description language (HDL) flow. Within the broader programmable-logic taxonomy, the EP2AGX95EF29I5G belongs to: FPGA -> programmable logic device -> logic IC -> integrated circuit. Arria II GX is positioned between the lower-density Cyclone families and the higher-end Stratix families, balancing cost and transceiver bandwidth for mid-volume designs.
Key specifications include 372 maximum user I/Os, 6,839,296 embedded memory bits distributed across M9K and M144K blocks, integrated transceivers up to 3.75 Gbps, an industrial operating temperature grade (-40C to +100C) per the 'I' speed-grade suffix, and the -5 speed grade targeting higher Fmax. The device supports hard IP for PCIe Gen1 x1/x4, external memory interfaces up to DDR3 SDRAM, and a wide variety of I/O standards including LVDS, SSTL, HSTL, and LVPECL.
The Arria II GX architecture combines a Logic Array Block (LAB)-based fabric with MultiTrack interconnect, dedicated DSP blocks (up to 232 18x18 multipliers), and the hard PCIe IP block. The transceiver block uses a PLL-based CDR supporting CPRI, OBSAI, Serial RapidIO, Gigabit Ethernet, SDI, and XAUI protocols, making the part well-suited for wireless baseband, broadcast, and serial backplane designs.
Typical applications include wireless infrastructure (LTE/3G baseband and fronthaul), broadcast video processing, military radar and signal intelligence, serial backplane aggregation, PCIe accelerator cards, and industrial imaging pipelines. The combination of transceivers, hard PCIe, and DDR3 EMIF removes the need for companion PHY devices, reducing BOM cost and board area.
When designing with the EP2AGX95EF29I5G, ensure the PCB stackup supports 3.75 Gbps signaling on transceiver channels - controlled-impedance striplines with reference planes and matched-length routing within the skew budget are mandatory. Use the Quartus II design suite (13.0 or later for full Arria II support) and respect the thermal envelope of the FCBGA package with adequate via arrays beneath the exposed die area.
This page synthesizes pricing across multiple distributors, drop-in same-package alternatives drawn from the Arria II GX family, and practical design considerations not found in the manufacturer datasheet alone.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2AGX95EF29I5G — 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 EP2AGX95EF29I5G (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Speed Grade, Package, Operating Temperature, Embedded Memory Bits, Number of Transceivers.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2AGX95EF29I5
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP2AGX95EF29I3G
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$899 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGX95EF29I3N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1280 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGX95EF29C6N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$555.1 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGX95EF29C6G
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$465 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGX95EF29C5N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$990 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGX95EF29C5G
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1305 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGX95EF29C4N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$855 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGX95EF29I5G Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | Arria II GX |
| Manufacturer | Intel (formerly Altera) |
| Logic Elements (LE) | 89,178 |
| Number of LABs/CLBs | 1136 |
| Total RAM Bits | 6,839,296 |
| Number of I/O | 372 |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +100C (industrial) |
| Speed Grade | -5 |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Package / Case | 780-BBGA, FCBGA (29 mm) |
| Number of Transceivers | Up to 12 |
| Transceiver Data Rate | Up to 3.75 Gbps |
| DSP Blocks | Up to 232 18x18 multipliers |
| Hard IP | PCIe Gen1 x1/x4 endpoint |
| External Memory Interface | DDR3 up to 800 MHz, DDR2, QDR II+ |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
EP2AGX95EF29I5G 780-bbga, fcbga (29 mm) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2AGX95EF29I5G (780-bbga, fcbga (29 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 EP2AGX95EF29I5G.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2AGX95EF29I5G is suitable for 6 applications: Wireless Baseband and Fronthaul, Broadcast Video Processing, Serial Backplane Aggregation, PCIe Accelerator Cards, Military Radar and Signal Intelligence, Industrial Imaging and Machine Vision.
Wireless Baseband and Fronthaul
The EP2AGX95EF29I5G is well matched to LTE and 3G wireless baseband processing. Its 12 integrated transceivers at 3.75 Gbps support CPRI and OBSAI fronthaul protocols used between baseband units and remote radio heads. The 89,178 logic elements handle PHY-layer signal processing including channel estimation, FFT/iFFT, and turbo decoding. The hard PCIe Gen1 endpoint block enables direct connection to a host baseband processor without an external bridge. Industrial -40C to +100C temperature rating supports outdoor telecom enclosures. Designers typically allocate ~30K LEs for PHY and ~20K LEs for MAC-layer processing, leaving headroom for custom features.
Recommended
Broadcast Video Processing
The EP2AGX95EF29I5G supports SDI (Serial Digital Interface) video standards including SD-SDI, HD-SDI, and 3G-SDI through its integrated transceivers. The 6.84 Mbit embedded memory buffer line-by-line video frames, while 372 user I/Os enable parallel bus connections to HDMI, DisplayPort, or video DAC companion chips. The hard DSP blocks (up to 232 18x18 multipliers) accelerate chroma resampling, scaling, and color-space conversion. DDR3 EMIF at 800 MHz provides frame-buffer memory bandwidth. Industrial temperature grade supports rack-mounted broadcast equipment. Designers typically allocate ~40K LEs for video pipeline and ~10K LEs for control-plane logic.
Recommended
Serial Backplane Aggregation
The EP2AGX95EF29I5G is designed for serial backplane switching and aggregation applications. With 12 transceivers at 3.75 Gbps, the device aggregates multiple lower-speed serial links (Gigabit Ethernet, Serial RapidIO, XAUI) into higher-bandwidth uplinks. The 89K logic elements and 232 DSP blocks handle protocol bridging, packet classification, and QoS scheduling. Hard PCIe Gen1 endpoint simplifies host interfacing. Industrial temperature supports unconditioned telecom closet deployments. Typical designs allocate ~25K LEs per switch port and ~10K LEs for shared traffic manager fabric.
Recommended
PCIe Accelerator Cards
The EP2AGX95EF29I5G is ideal for PCIe form-factor accelerator cards thanks to its hard PCIe Gen1 x4 endpoint block. The block eliminates the need for an external PHY, reducing BOM cost. The 89K logic elements and 232 DSP blocks accelerate workloads such as FFT-based spectral computation, video transcoding, or cryptography. DDR3 EMIF at 800 MHz provides high-bandwidth host-memory-bypass data movement. Industrial temperature supports edge-computing installations. Designers typically allocate ~50K LEs for accelerator logic and reserve ~20K LEs for PCIe DMA engine.
Recommended
Military Radar and Signal Intelligence
The EP2AGX95EF29I5G serves well in military radar and SIGINT systems where industrial temperature, deterministic latency, and DSP throughput matter. Its 232 18x18 multipliers accelerate FFT, pulse compression, and digital down-conversion pipelines. The 12 transceivers connect to multi-channel ADC and DAC companion chips for phased-array radar. Industrial -40C to +100C rating supports vehicle-mounted and outdoor installations. The 6.84 Mbit embedded memory buffers samples between FFT stages. Typical designs allocate ~30K LEs for radar signal processing and ~15K LEs for control and timing logic.
Recommended
Industrial Imaging and Machine Vision
The EP2AGX95EF29I5G supports industrial imaging pipelines including line-scan and area-scan camera processing. The 372 user I/Os interface with high-speed image sensors (LVDS-based MIPI-CSI, sub-LVDS, or parallel CMOS). The DSP blocks accelerate Bayer demosaicing, color correction, and edge-detection algorithms. Hard PCIe endpoint enables direct host attachment in PC-based vision systems. Industrial temperature supports factory-floor deployment. The 6.84 Mbit embedded memory holds line buffers for multi-tap filtering. Typical designs allocate ~35K LEs for image processing and ~10K LEs for sensor interface logic.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2AGX95EF29I5G — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2AGX95EF29I5 | EP2AGX95EF29I3G | EP2AGX95EF29I3N | EP2AGX95EF29C6N | EP2AGX95EF29C5G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 780-BBGA, FCBGA (29 mm) | 780-BBGA, FCBGA (29 mm) - same | 780-BBGA, FCBGA (29 mm) - same | 780-BBGA, FCBGA (29 mm) - same | 780-BBGA, FCBGA (29 mm) - same | 780-BBGA, FCBGA (29 mm) - same |
| Logic Elements | 89,178 | 89,178 | 89,178 | 89,178 | 89,178 | 89,178 |
| Embedded Memory (bits) | 6,839,296 | 6,839,296 | 6,839,296 | 6,839,296 | 6,839,296 | 6,839,296 |
| User I/O | 372 | 372 | 372 | 372 | 372 | 372 |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +100C (Industrial) | -40C to +100C (Industrial) | -40C to +100C (Industrial) | -40C to +100C (Industrial) | 0C to +85C (Commercial) | 0C to +85C (Commercial) |
| Speed Grade | -5 | -5 | -3 | -3 | -6 | -5 |
| Lead-Free / Green | Yes (G suffix) | No | Yes (G suffix) | No | No | Yes (G suffix) |
Key Differentiators
- Industrial temperature with -5 speed grade in same part (vs EP2AGX95EF29C5G)
- Higher Fmax than -3 speed grade variants (vs EP2AGX95EF29I3G)
- Lead-free green packaging for RoHS-critical markets (vs EP2AGX95EF29I5)
- Same density as family, drops into any EP2AGX95EF29 design (vs EP2AGX125EF29I5G)
Design Notes
The 780-FBGA package requires a high-density PCB with via-in-pad or microvia technology to fan out signals. Estimated: with 0.8 mm ball pitch, an 8-layer stackup with 1 oz copper is typical. Place a solid ground plane beneath the BGA to provide a low-impedance return path for transceivers running at 3.75 Gbps; matched differential pair lengths must be within 150 mils of each other to meet transceiver skew budgets.
The 780-FBGA package dissipates significant heat at full transceiver utilization. Estimated: at full 12-transceiver aggregate of ~3 W and 80% logic utilization, junction-to-ambient thermal resistance requires a heatsink with 4-6 C/W or thermal-via array (>= 50 vias under the package center). For industrial applications, derate to 70% of max transceiver utilization to stay below 100C junction.
Transceiver channels operating at 3.75 Gbps require controlled impedance of 100 ohm differential +/-10%. Use a 4-layer PCB minimum with stripline routing for transceiver pairs, and keep AC-coupling capacitors (0.1 uF X7R) within 250 mils of the FPGA ball pads. Reference each transceiver pair to a continuous ground plane with no plane splits under the routing path. Validate signal integrity with 3D EM simulation (HFSS or Cadence PowerSI).
The EP2AGX95EF29I5G requires multiple supply rails including core, I/O, transceiver, and auxiliary voltages. Estimated: use a sequencer (e.g. LTC2928 or ADM1184) to enforce power-up ordering; missing the sequence can cause latch-up. Decouple each rail with 0.1 uF, 1 uF, and 10 uF ceramic capacitors placed within 100 mils of the corresponding supply balls. Place bulk decoupling (>= 100 uF) near the package perimeter.
A common design pitfall is configuring the JTAG chain incorrectly when multiple devices share TDI/TDO. Ensure the EP2AGX95EF29I5G is placed first in the chain with TCK pulled to a known state via a 1 kohm pull-down. Also note that the configuration flash must match the device density; using a flash sized for EP2AGX125 will fail programming for EP2AGX95. Always verify configuration file generation in Quartus II before taping out the PCB.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per the -G suffix in the ordering code. AEC-Q100 not applicable as this is an FPGA, not a discrete automotive-grade IC. Halogen-free status not explicitly stated in the verified data - consult Intel product page for full material disclosure.