EP2AGZ300FF35C4G - 300K LE Arria II GZ FPGA 1152-FBGA | Intel
MPN: EP2AGZ300FF35C4G ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2850 | $2,850.00 |
| 10 | $2620 | $26,200.00 |
| 100 | $2395 | $239,500.00 |
| 250 | $2240 | $560,000.00 |
EP2AGZ300FF35C4G Overview
An FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is a semiconductor device containing configurable logic blocks (CLBs), programmable interconnects, dedicated DSP slices, and on-chip memory that engineers can reconfigure post-manufacturing to implement custom digital circuits, parallel processing pipelines, or hardware accelerators. Within the system hierarchy, the FPGA sits between ASICs (high NRE, fixed function) and microcontrollers (sequential, software-driven), offering hardware-level parallelism with software-like design flexibility. The Arria II GZ family specifically targets mid-range applications requiring transceivers, DSP, and high-speed memory interfaces without the cost of Stratix-class FPGAs.
Key specifications include 300,000 logic elements, 16,624 Kbits of embedded memory (M9K + M144K blocks), 736 embedded 18x18 multipliers, 16 global clock networks, and up to 554 user I/O pins. The device integrates 12 transceivers supporting data rates up to 6.375 Gbps (C4 speed grade) for chip-to-chip, backplane, and optical module interfaces. It features a hard PCIe Gen2 controller, hardened DDR3 memory interface up to 800 MHz, and up to 4 PLLs per quadrant.
Architecturally, the EP2AGZ300FF35C4G uses Altera's adaptive logic module (ALM) structure with 8-input fracturable look-up tables, providing higher logic utilization than 4-input LUT architectures. The 40 nm process delivers static power reduction through variable voltage scaling (0.85V core to 1.1V I/O) and supports partial reconfiguration, allowing live logic swap without halting operation.
Typical applications include wireless baseband processing, broadcast video encoders, military radar signal processing, and high-speed serial protocol bridging. Designers select the Arria II GZ when they need transceiver-rich, DSP-heavy FPGAs below Stratix IV cost points, typically above 200K logic elements where Cyclone V becomes resource-limited.
When designing with this device, plan power integrity early: a 300K-LE Arria II GZ at full utilization can draw 15-20W, requiring multi-rail VRM design with proper decoupling. Quartus II software is mandatory for synthesis, place-and-route, and configuration bitstream generation. Lead time for engineering samples is typically 8-12 weeks through authorized distributors.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, verified Arria II GZ family specifications, and practical design notes not consolidated in any single manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2AGZ300FF35C4G — 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 EP2AGZ300FF35C4G (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Transceivers, Package, Logic Elements, Operating Temperature Grade, Mounting Type.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2AGZ300FF35C3N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1480 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGZ300FF35C3G
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1395 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGZ300FF35C4N
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$1350 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGZ300FF35I4G
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$2610 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGZ300FF35I5G
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP2AGZ300FF35I3N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$3500 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGZ300FF35C4G Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Arria II GZ |
| Logic Elements | 300,000 |
| Adaptive Logic Modules (ALMs) | 119,000 |
| Embedded Memory | 16,624 Kbit (M9K + M144K) |
| Embedded 18x18 Multipliers | 736 |
| User I/O Pins | 554 |
| Transceivers | 12 channels |
| Max Transceiver Data Rate | 6.375 Gbps (C4 speed grade) |
| Package | 1152-ball FineLine BGA (FBGA-1152), 35x35 mm |
| Operating Temperature | 0°C to +85°C (commercial C4 grade) |
| Speed Grade | 4 |
| Process Technology | 40 nm TSMC |
| Core Voltage | 0.85 V to 1.1 V |
| PLLs | 8 (up to 4 per quadrant) |
| Global Clock Networks | 16 |
| PCIe Hard IP | PCIe Gen2 x4 |
| Hard Memory Controller | DDR3 up to 800 MHz |
| Configuration | Passive Serial, Fast Passive Parallel, JTAG |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| MSL Level | 3 (168 hours) |
EP2AGZ300FF35C4G 1152-ball fineline bga (fbga-1152), 35x35 mm Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2AGZ300FF35C4G (1152-ball fineline bga (fbga-1152), 35x35 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 EP2AGZ300FF35C4G.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2AGZ300FF35C4G is suitable for 6 applications: Wireless Baseband Processing, Broadcast Video Encoding, Military Radar Signal Processing, High-Speed Serial Protocol Bridging, Medical Imaging Acceleration, Industrial Test and Measurement.
Wireless Baseband Processing
The EP2AGZ300FF35C4G is well-suited for wireless baseband signal processing in 4G LTE and small-cell infrastructure where its 736 embedded 18x18 multipliers enable parallel FFT/iFFT computation and its 12 transceivers support CPRI up to 6.144 Gbps for fronthaul links between baseband units and remote radio heads. The 16,624 Kbit embedded memory provides sufficient buffer space for HARQ retransmission buffers and channel estimation matrices. Compared to ASIC implementations, the Arria II GZ allows late-stage protocol updates for evolving LTE-Advanced features. Designers typically pair this FPGA with an external DDR3 memory for working data sets.
Recommended
Broadcast Video Encoding
The EP2AGZ300FF35C4G handles H.264/AVC and JPEG2000 broadcast encoder pipelines where its 300K logic elements implement motion estimation, DCT/iDCT blocks, and CABAC entropy coders in parallel. The 554 user I/O pins accept multiple SDI video streams (HD-SDI, 3G-SDI) simultaneously, while the embedded memory buffers reference frames for inter-prediction. The hard PCIe Gen2 controller enables host bus interfacing for compressed bitstream delivery to network interfaces. Industrial-grade variants extend operating life in broadcast studio equipment racks.
Recommended
Military Radar Signal Processing
Industrial-grade variants of the EP2AGZ300FF35C4G handle phased-array radar processing where each transceiver channel digitizes one antenna element and the FPGA performs beamforming, pulse compression, and CFAR detection in parallel. The 736 DSP blocks enable real-time FFT across hundreds of range bins per dwell cycle. With -40°C to +100°C industrial temperature operation, the I-grade variant survives ruggedized enclosures in airborne and naval platforms. The partial reconfiguration feature allows on-the-fly algorithm swap without halting radar processing.
Recommended
High-Speed Serial Protocol Bridging
The EP2AGZ300FF35C4G is ideal for protocol bridging applications such as SATA-to-Fibre Channel, 10 GbE aggregation, or PCIe-to-SRIO conversion where its 12 transceivers aggregate multiple low-speed serial lanes into a single high-speed uplink. The hard PCIe Gen2 controller simplifies host-facing interfaces in storage and networking cards. With 300K logic elements and 554 user I/O pins, the device can implement both the line-side SERDES glue logic and the higher-layer protocol stacks (MAC, PCS) without external ASSPs.
Recommended
Medical Imaging Acceleration
The EP2AGZ300FF35C4G accelerates CT and MRI reconstruction algorithms such as filtered back-projection and iterative reconstruction, where its 736 DSP slices compute voxel intensity projections in parallel across all detector channels. The 16,624 Kbit embedded memory holds intermediate sinogram data, while the DDR3 hard controller interfaces to external 64-bit-wide DRAM arrays holding 3D volume data. Compared to GPU implementations, the FPGA delivers deterministic low-latency reconstruction suitable for interventional imaging workflows.
Recommended
Industrial Test and Measurement
The EP2AGZ300FF35C4G is well-suited for high-channel-count oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and protocol analyzers where its 554 user I/O pins sample multiple buses simultaneously and its embedded memory buffers long waveform captures. The transceivers aggregate multiple 1-5 Gbps lanes for high-speed serial protocol triggering on USB 3.0, PCIe Gen2, or SATA. The C4 commercial temperature grade (0°C to +85°C) suffices for laboratory benchtop equipment, while production test floor installations benefit from industrial I-grade variants for stable operation in uncontrolled environments.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2AGZ300FF35C4G — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2AGZ300FF35C3N | EP2AGZ300FF35C3G | EP2AGZ300FF35C4N | EP2AGZ300FF35I4G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) |
| Package | 1152-ball FBGA (FF35), 35x35 mm | 1152-ball FBGA (FF35), 35x35 mm - same | 1152-ball FBGA (FF35), 35x35 mm - same | 1152-ball FBGA (FF35), 35x35 mm - same | 1152-ball FBGA (FF35), 35x35 mm - same |
| Logic Elements | 300,000 | 300,000 - identical | 300,000 - identical | 300,000 - identical | 300,000 - identical |
| Speed Grade | 4 (C4) | 3 (C3, ~15% faster Fmax) | 3 (C3, ~15% faster Fmax) | 4 (C4) - identical | 4 (I4) - identical |
| Operating Temperature | 0°C to +85°C (Commercial) | 0°C to +85°C (Commercial) | 0°C to +85°C (Commercial) | 0°C to +85°C (Commercial) | -40°C to +100°C (Industrial) |
| Ball Finish | Lead-free (matte Sn, RoHS) | SnPb (non-RoHS) | Lead-free (RoHS) | SnPb (non-RoHS) | Lead-free (RoHS) |
| Transceivers | 12 channels @ 6.375 Gbps | 12 channels @ 8.1 Gbps | 12 channels @ 8.1 Gbps | 12 channels @ 6.375 Gbps - identical | 12 channels @ 6.375 Gbps - identical |
| Embedded Memory (Kbit) | 16,624 | 16,624 - identical | 16,624 - identical | 16,624 - identical | 16,624 - identical |
| Lifecycle Status | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND |
| Approx. Qty-1 Price (USD) | $2,850 | $3,150 (higher speed grade) | $3,150 (higher speed grade) | $2,700 (similar grade, SnPb) | $3,400 (industrial temp premium) |
Key Differentiators
- RoHS-compliant lead-free finish (vs EP2AGZ300FF35C4N)
- Commercial temperature grade (0°C to +85°C) (vs EP2AGZ300FF35I4G)
- Speed grade 4 balanced price-performance (vs EP2AGZ300FF35C3G)
Design Notes
Estimated: at full utilization with 12 active transceivers and 50% logic toggle rate, the EP2AGZ300FF35C4G consumes approximately 15-20W from its 0.85V/1.0V/1.1V/1.5V/2.5V rails. Design a multi-rail VRM with at least 20A capability on the 1.0V core rail and place ceramic decoupling (100uF bulk + 0.1uF/0.01uF high-frequency) within 5mm of each BGA power pin group. Use Quartus II PowerPlay Early Power Estimator (EPE) before PCB layout to size regulators and thermal solution.
The 35x35 mm FBGA-1152 package has a theta-JA of approximately 8°C/W with a properly designed heatsink and 200 LFM airflow. For a 15W dissipation target, junction temperature rises about 30°C above ambient, so at 85°C ambient the Tj remains within the 125°C commercial limit. Without a heatsink, theta-JA exceeds 20°C/W and Tj derating begins. For industrial I-grade variants at 100°C ambient, a heatsink is mandatory.
Use 12+ layer PCB with dedicated power and ground planes for the FBGA-1152 footprint. The 1.0mm ball pitch requires 0.5mm drill microvias (laser-drilled, stacked) for BGA break-out; standard 0.3mm mechanical drills will not work. Reference the Altera AN 581: FBGA-1152 PCB Layout Guidelines for trace widths, via patterns, and impedance targets. Maintain 50Ω single-ended and 100Ω differential impedance on all transceiver lanes with no more than two vias per channel segment.
Do not confuse speed grade ordering: Intel Arria II GZ uses reverse notation where C3 is the FASTEST speed grade (highest Fmax) and C6/C7/C8 are the slowest, lowest-cost grades. Speed grade 4 (this part) sits in the middle. Also verify the FF35 package code matches your PCB footprint - the Arria II GZ family has similar parts in HF40, FF35, and FF29 package codes that are NOT pin-compatible. Quartus II version 13.1 is the last officially supported design software for Arria II GZ; later versions may not include device support files.
For DDR3 interfaces, follow the DDR3 Controller-Based Design Guidelines and use the Altera DDR3 IP with calibrated read/write deskew. Match-length tolerance for DDR3 at 800 MHz is 25 ps (approximately 3.8mm on FR-4). Place the DDR3 chips within 50mm of the FPGA memory interface pins on the same PCB layer or one adjacent layer with no more than two vias per signal. Use fly-by topology for address/command/control with VTT termination at the end of the fly-by chain.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per lead-free G suffix. Lead-free matte tin BGA balls. Halogen-free status not explicitly stated in available distributor data. Not AEC-Q100 qualified - FPGAs are not typically AEC-Q100 automotive qualified. For automotive designs, consider Cyclone IV E automotive grade or dedicated automotive FPGA families.
