EP2AGZ300HF40I4 - Arria II GZ FPGA, 298K LE, 1517-BGA | Intel
MPN: EP2AGZ300HF40I4 ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2850 | $2,850.00 |
| 10 | $2710 | $27,100.00 |
| 100 | $2425 | $242,500.00 |
| 500 | $2140 | $1,070,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $1925 | $1,925,000.00 |
EP2AGZ300HF40I4 Overview
An FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is a class of programmable logic device (PLD) that allows hardware designers to configure digital logic blocks, interconnect, and I/O through a hardware description language. Within the semiconductor taxonomy, FPGAs sit between ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits) and microcontrollers: unlike ASICs, FPGAs are re-programmable in the field; unlike microcontrollers, FPGAs achieve true hardware parallelism. Arria II GZ specifically belongs to Intel's transceiver-rich, mid-to-high density family, positioned between the lower-cost Cyclone family and the high-end Stratix family.
Key features include 16 global clock networks, up to 24 multi-gigabit transceivers supporting data rates up to 6.375 Gbps (CPRI/OBSAI), 8 PLLs per device, dedicated DSP blocks for high-speed arithmetic, and support for external memory interfaces including DDR3, DDR2, QDR II+, and RLDRAM II. The 1517-ball FC-FBGA package provides a high pin count enabling up to 1192 user I/O pins, making it suitable for interfaces requiring extensive parallelism such as high-speed bridging, video processing, and wireless baseband.
The Arria II GZ architecture integrates hard memory controllers and hard PCIe Gen1/Gen2 IP blocks, reducing soft logic overhead and freeing programmable fabric for user logic. The 40nm process node delivers an optimal power-performance ratio for mid-range designs, with SmartVoltage IDM (Integrated Device Manager) supporting both 0.9V and 1.1V core operation depending on performance targets.
Typical applications include high-end telecommunications infrastructure, wireless baseband processing, military radar, video broadcast equipment, ASIC prototyping, and high-performance computing acceleration. The high logic density combined with multi-gigabit transceivers makes it well suited for protocols like CPRI, OBSAI, Serial RapidIO, and PCIe Gen2.
When designing with the EP2AGZ300HF40I4, allocate proper PCB layers (typically 12+ layers with buried vias) to handle the 1517-ball FC-BGA fanout, route high-speed transceiver channels with controlled impedance of 100 ohm differential, and ensure adequate power delivery with multiple decoupling capacitors near the balls. Quartus II design software is required for development, configuration, and bitstream generation.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, same-brand drop-in alternatives, and practical design notes for the EP2AGZ300HF40I4 that supplement the manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2AGZ300HF40I4 — 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 EP2AGZ300HF40I4 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Mounting Type, Core Voltage, Family, Logic Elements (LE).
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2AGZ300HF40I3N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$3820 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGZ300HF40C4N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$3950 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGZ300HF40C3N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$3623.45 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGZ225HF40I4N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$3500 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGZ300HF40I3G
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1995 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2AGZ300HF40I4 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | Arria II GZ |
| Family | Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) |
| Manufacturer | Intel (formerly Altera) |
| Process Node | 40 nm |
| Logic Elements | 298,000 |
| Embedded Memory | 18,854,912 bits (18.85 Mbit) |
| Block RAM | 19,200 Kbits |
| Number of Logic Cells | 298,000 |
| Maximum User I/O Pins | 1192 |
| Number of Transceivers | Up to 24 |
| Transceiver Data Rate (max) | 6.375 Gbps (CPRI/OBSAI) |
| Number of PLLs | 8 |
| Core Voltage | 0.9 V (1.1 V option via SmartVoltage IDM) |
| Core Performance (max) | 500 MHz |
| Number of Global Clock Networks | 16 |
| Package Type | 1517-ball FC-FBGA |
| Operating Temperature Grade | Industrial (I4): -40C to +100C |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (Flip-Chip BGA) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Lead-Free | Yes |
EP2AGZ300HF40I4 1517-ball fc-fbga Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2AGZ300HF40I4 (1517-ball fc-fbga 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 EP2AGZ300HF40I4.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2AGZ300HF40I4 is suitable for 6 applications: Wireless Baseband Processing, ASIC Prototyping, Military Radar Signal Processing, Video Broadcast Infrastructure, High-Performance Computing Acceleration, Industrial Test and Measurement.
Wireless Baseband Processing
The EP2AGZ300HF40I4's 24 transceivers running up to 6.375 Gbps and 298,000 logic elements make it ideal for wireless baseband signal processing. The 1517-ball FC-FBGA package provides the I/O bandwidth required for CPRI (Common Public Radio Interface) and OBSAI (Open Base Station Architecture Initiative) links between baseband units and remote radio heads, supporting 4G LTE and early 5G fronthaul deployments. With 18.85 Mbit of embedded memory, the FPGA can buffer multiple OFDM symbol windows and FFT processing stages on-chip, reducing external memory accesses. Quartus II IP cores for CPRI v4.0, FFT, and channel coding accelerate development cycles for telecom OEMs targeting 3GPP-compliant base station designs.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping
With 298,000 logic elements, the EP2AGZ300HF40I4 offers the capacity to prototype mid-to-large ASICs before committing to silicon fabrication. The 18.85 Mbit of embedded memory allows verification of memory subsystems at near-ASIC speeds, while the 24 multi-gigabit transceivers emulate high-speed serial interfaces like PCIe Gen2 and Serial RapidIO. The 1517-ball FC-FBGA package exposes up to 1192 user I/Os, sufficient for parallel stimulus/observation ports in validation testbenches. Quartus II's incremental compilation feature lets design teams partition the ASIC RTL across the FPGA for multi-engineer concurrent development, cutting prototype bring-up time from months to weeks.
Recommended
Military Radar Signal Processing
The industrial temperature grade (-40C to +100C) of the EP2AGZ300HF40I4 supports military and aerospace radar applications where temperature extremes are routine. The 298,000 logic elements combined with dedicated DSP blocks handle pulse-Doppler radar signal processing, MTI filtering, and CFAR detection in real time. The 24 transceivers at 6.375 Gbps aggregate raw ADC samples from multiple antenna channels onto a single FPGA, while the 18.85 Mbit embedded memory acts as a high-speed sample buffer between ADC and processing fabric. Military radar programs value the Arria II GZ family for its balance of logic density, I/O bandwidth, and long-term Intel product support, making it suitable for LRU retrofits in legacy defense platforms.
Recommended
Video Broadcast Infrastructure
The EP2AGZ300HF40I4 supports professional video broadcast equipment requiring simultaneous multi-stream SDI processing, format conversion, and overlay generation. The 24 transceivers at 6.375 Gbps aggregate multiple 3G-SDI or HD-SDI streams, while the 298,000 logic elements implement color space conversion, scaling, and frame synchronization in real time. The 1517-ball package provides sufficient I/O to interface with external DDR3 memory, which acts as a frame buffer for up/down/cross-conversion. Broadcast OEMs use the Arria II GZ in studio switchers, contribution encoders, and playout servers, where the 0.9V core voltage and SmartVoltage IDM enable fine-grained power optimization across broadcast duty cycles.
Recommended
High-Performance Computing Acceleration
In HPC and data center acceleration roles, the EP2AGZ300HF40I4 acts as a coprocessor for compute-intensive workloads such as genomic sequence alignment, financial Monte Carlo simulation, and image processing. The 298,000 logic elements implement custom datapaths 10-100x faster than general-purpose CPUs, while the 24 transceivers provide high-bandwidth PCIe Gen2 links to host servers. The 18.85 Mbit embedded memory and 19,200 Kbit block RAM store intermediate compute results close to logic, reducing latency versus off-chip DRAM access. HPC integrators value the Arria II GZ for its long-term supply stability and Quartus II OpenCL support, which lets algorithm developers program the FPGA using familiar C-based languages rather than RTL.
Recommended
Industrial Test and Measurement
The EP2AGZ300HF40I4 powers high-channel-count test and measurement instruments such as protocol analyzers, BERTs (Bit Error Rate Testers), and logic analyzers. The 24 transceivers at 6.375 Gbps support protocols like USB 3.0, SATA, and PCIe Gen2 simultaneously, while the 1192 user I/Os fan out to hundreds of test points. The industrial temperature grade (-40C to +100C) and 0.9V low-power operation are ideal for benchtop instruments deployed in factory-floor environments. Test equipment manufacturers use the Arria II GZ for protocol-aware triggering, on-the-fly data reduction, and real-time statistics accumulation where the 18.85 Mbit embedded memory stores measurement windows without round-tripping to host software.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2AGZ300HF40I4 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2AGZ300HF40I3N | EP2AGZ300HF40C4N | EP2AGZ300HF40C3N | EP2AGZ225HF40I4N | EP2AGZ300HF40I3G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 1517-ball FC-FBGA | 1517-ball FC-FBGA - same | 1517-ball FC-FBGA - same | 1517-ball FC-FBGA - same | 1517-ball FC-FBGA - same | 1517-ball FC-FBGA - same |
| Logic Elements | 298,000 | 298,000 | 298,000 | 298,000 | 225,000 | 298,000 |
| Temperature Grade | Industrial I4 (-40C to +100C) | Industrial I3 (-40C to +85C) | Commercial C4 (0C to +85C) | Commercial C3 (0C to +85C) | Industrial I4 (-40C to +100C) | Industrial I3 (-40C to +85C), G suffix lead-free |
| Transceivers (max) | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 |
| Core Voltage | 0.9 V (1.1 V option) | 0.9 V | 0.9 V | 0.9 V | 0.9 V | 0.9 V |
| Approximate Unit Price (qty 100) | USD 2,425 | USD 2,425 (similar) | USD 2,100 (commercial grade, lower cost) | USD 2,050 (commercial grade, lower cost) | USD 1,900 (lower density, lower cost) | USD 2,425 (similar) |
Key Differentiators
- Highest temperature grade in same-family variants (vs EP2AGZ300HF40C4N)
- Full 298,000 logic element capacity versus reduced-density variant (vs EP2AGZ225HF40I4N)
- 6.375 Gbps transceiver speed (vs EP2AGX260FF35I5)
Design Notes
The 1517-ball FC-FBGA package requires a 12+ layer PCB with HDI (High-Density Interconnect) microvia construction. Escape routing from the inner ball rows must use stacked microvias or laser-drilled vias. Maintain a continuous reference plane beneath the BGA to control impedance for the 24 transceiver channels. The 1.0mm ball pitch typical of FC-FBGA packages at this density means PCB fabrication tolerances of +/- 0.05mm or tighter are essential. Plan for a reflow profile that does not exceed the FC-BGA maximum body temperature of 245C for 60 seconds, with pre-bake of MSL3/4 components before assembly.
Estimated: With all 24 transceivers active at 6.375 Gbps and the logic fabric at 70% utilization, core power consumption can reach 15-18W at 0.9V. The device requires at least 8 dedicated power supply rails: VCC (0.9V core), VCCD_PLL (PLL analog), VCCPT (programmable logic), VCCIO (per I/O bank), VCCPGM (configuration), VCCA_GXB (transceiver analog), VCCR_GXB (transceiver receive), VCCT_GXB (transceiver transmit). Each rail needs bulk decoupling of 22-100uF plus 0.1uF and 1nF high-frequency ceramics within 5mm of the supply balls. Power sequencing must follow the Altera/Intel recommended sequence to avoid in-rush latch-up.
The 24 multi-gigabit transceivers at 6.375 Gbps require 100 ohm differential impedance with length matching within 0.127mm (5 mils) on the P and N traces. Use 8B/10B or 64B/66B encoding per channel and maintain AC-coupling capacitors of 100nF close to the receiver pins. Transceiver reference clocks require their own dedicated low-jitter oscillator (typical jitter <300fs RMS for 6.375 Gbps operation) with the clock traces routed as 50 ohm single-ended with isolation from switching signals. For external memory interfaces like DDR3, use the Altera/Intel DDR3 hard memory controller and follow the ALTMEMPHY pin-connection guidelines for matched-length, fly-by topology.
A common mistake is attempting to use the EP2AGZ300HF40I4 with a generic 0.9V regulator rather than the Altera/Intel-recommended PowerTree architecture - this can cause the core voltage to droop below 0.9V under load transient, triggering memory bit flips. Another pitfall is configuring I/O banks at 2.5V when neighboring banks operate at 1.8V without proper VREF isolation, causing I/O contention. Always download the latest Quartus II .qdf file for the specific speed grade, validate bitstream with the Quartus II PowerPlay Power Analyzer, and run Static Timing Analysis across all corners (fast/typical/slow silicon, -40C to +100C junction).
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per Intel product page; AEC-Q100 not applicable (FPGA is not an automotive-qualified IC). Lead-free FC-FBGA ball composition. Halogen-free per Intel material declaration.
