EP4CGX150DF27C8 - Cyclone IV GX FPGA, 149760 LE, FBGA-672 | Intel
MPN: EP4CGX150DF27C8 ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $397.18 | $397.18 |
| 10 | $357.46 | $3,574.60 |
| 100 | $318.74 | $31,874.00 |
| 500 | $287.91 | $143,955.00 |
| 1,000 | $258.16 | $258,160.00 |
EP4CGX150DF27C8 Overview
A field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is a semiconductor integrated circuit whose digital logic, routing, and I/O behaviour are defined after manufacture by a user-supplied configuration bitstream. FPGAs sit in the broader programmable-logic-device (PLD) hierarchy (CPLD -> FPGA -> SoC FPGA) and occupy the high-density end of that taxonomy, competing with ASICs for prototyping and low-to-medium-volume production. Cyclone IV GX specifically targets cost-sensitive applications that still require multi-gigabit serial transceivers.
Key features include 149,760 logic elements, 6,635,520 bits of RAM, 720 embedded 18x18 multipliers, eight 3.125 Gbps transceivers, and hard PCI Express (PIPE) Gen1 IP blocks. The device is offered in a commercial temperature grade (0C to 85C), supports configuration via JTAG, Active Serial, or Passive Serial modes, and includes dedicated PLL and DLL blocks for clock management.
The Cyclone IV GX architecture combines a logic fabric built from adaptive logic modules (ALMs), a perimeter of high-speed LVDS and LVTTL I/O, embedded memory blocks (M9K), and DSP blocks (18x18 multipliers). The transceiver blocks support protocols such as PCIe Gen1, Gigabit Ethernet, CPRI, and Serial RapidIO, eliminating external PHY ICs and reducing BOM cost in communications and industrial designs.
Typical applications include industrial video-broadcast equipment, wireless baseband preprocessing, low-cost PCIe endpoint cards, motor-control and factory-automation controllers, and software-defined-radio front-end processing. The integrated transceivers also suit fibre-channel-overhead designs and embedded-vision pipelines where deterministic latency and parallel DSP throughput are critical.
Designers must observe FPGA-specific PCB guidelines: a continuous GND plane under the BGA, matched-length differential pairs for the transceiver lanes (within the tolerance specified by the Intel Cyclone IV GX Handbook), and an FPGA-decoupling network of bulk, mid-range, and 0.1 uF/0.01 uF high-frequency capacitors placed as close as possible to each power pin. The configuration flash memory and JTAG header should be routed to allow in-system programming.
This page consolidates distributor pricing, drop-in speed/temperature/package variants, and PCB-layout guidance not always covered in the manufacturer datasheet, enabling rapid design-in for engineers already using the Cyclone IV GX platform.
Drop-in alternatives for EP4CGX150DF27C8 — 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 EP4CGX150DF27C8 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Speed Grade, Transceivers, Process Technology, Family.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP4CGX150DF27C7N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$171 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4CGX150DF27C7
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$390 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4CGX150DF27C6N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$205 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4CGX110DF31C8N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$325 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4CGX110DF31C8
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$235.8 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4CGX150DF27C8 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Cyclone IV GX |
| Logic Elements | 149,760 |
| Embedded Memory | 6,635,520 bits |
| User I/O | 393 |
| Package | 672-ball FBGA |
| Core Voltage | 1.2 V |
| Process Technology | 60 nm |
| Transceivers | 8 x 3.125 Gbps |
| Embedded Multipliers | 720 (18x18) |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to 85C (commercial) |
| Speed Grade | 8 |
| Configuration Modes | JTAG, Active Serial, Passive Serial |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
EP4CGX150DF27C8 672-ball fbga Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP4CGX150DF27C8 (672-ball 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 EP4CGX150DF27C8.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP4CGX150DF27C8 is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Video Broadcast Equipment, PCIe Endpoint Add-in Cards, Wireless Baseband Preprocessing, Motor Control and Factory Automation, Software Defined Radio Front-End, Embedded Vision and Machine Learning Inferencing.
Industrial Video Broadcast Equipment
The EP4CGX150DF27C8 suits broadcast video equipment because its 149,760 logic elements and 720 18x18 embedded multipliers provide the parallel DSP throughput needed for real-time SD/HD/3G-SDI video processing. Eight 3.125 Gbps transceivers handle SDI-over-serial and SMPTE 2022 transports, while 393 user I/O pins connect to HDMI, DisplayPort, and parallel RGB interfaces. The 60 nm low-power process keeps system thermals manageable in fan-less broadcast racks. Engineers typically instantiate colour-space conversion, scaling, and frame-rate conversion pipelines in FPGA fabric for sub-frame latency. The integrated transceivers also eliminate external SDI PHYs, reducing BOM cost for studio and outside-broadcast applications.
Recommended
PCIe Endpoint Add-in Cards
The EP4CGX150DF27C8 integrates a hard PCIe Gen1 IP block (PIPE interface) that engineers can instantiate without licensing external PHY silicon, lowering BOM cost for low-cost PCIe endpoint cards. With 149,760 logic elements the device hosts the PCIe hard IP plus custom DMA engines, protocol accelerators, and application logic on a single chip. Eight 3.125 Gbps transceivers provide the PCIe lanes plus spare channels for side-band serial links. The 672-ball FBGA package supports the PCIe x4 lane count with margin for additional user I/O to the host board. Quartus Prime provides the complete PCIe IP suite, including driver examples and reference designs, accelerating time-to-market.
Recommended
Wireless Baseband Preprocessing
In small-cell wireless infrastructure the EP4CGX150DF27C8 performs baseband preprocessing - CPRI framing, crest-factor reduction (CFR), and digital predistortion (DPD) - on the FPGA fabric. Eight transceivers handle the CPRI links to the radio unit at up to 3.125 Gbps, while 720 DSP blocks deliver the multiply-accumulate throughput required for DPD feedback paths. The 6,635,520 bits of embedded memory buffer IQ samples between antenna and baseband processor. The commercial 0-85C temperature grade and 60 nm low-power process support outdoor small-cell deployments with appropriate thermal design. Quartus Prime DSP Builder accelerates FIR and CFR algorithm development.
Recommended
Motor Control and Factory Automation
The EP4CGX150DF27C8 drives multi-axis servo and stepper motor controllers in factory-automation applications, where 393 user I/O pins connect directly to encoder feedback, Hall sensors, gate drivers, and HMI peripherals. Its 720 DSP blocks execute field-oriented control (FOC) loops at sub-microsecond cycle times, supporting high-bandwidth torque and velocity loops. Eight transceivers handle EtherCAT, SERCOS, or proprietary industrial Ethernet protocols, eliminating external PHY ICs. The Cyclone IV GX industrial variants offer -40C to 100C operation for harsh factory environments. Quartus Prime SOPC Builder integrates the Nios II soft processor for supervisory control alongside the FPGA fabric acceleration.
Recommended
Software Defined Radio Front-End
The EP4CGX150DF27C8 serves as a software-defined-radio (SDR) front-end digitiser, where its eight transceivers digitise RF signals up to 3.125 Gbps and 720 DSP blocks perform channelisation, decimation, and digital down-conversion in real time. The 149,760 logic elements host custom modulation schemes while 6,635,520 bits of memory buffer IQ sample streams. Embedded hard PCIe Gen1 IP transfers digitised samples to a host processor for higher-layer processing. Designers can repurpose the same FPGA across multiple SDR waveforms by changing only the configuration bitstream. The device's low-power 60 nm process supports portable and battery-powered SDR platforms.
Recommended
Embedded Vision and Machine Learning Inferencing
The EP4CGX150DF27C8 implements embedded vision pipelines - MIPI CSI-2 ingestion, image signal processing, and convolutional-neural-network inferencing - on its parallel FPGA fabric. The 720 18x18 multipliers accelerate conv layers while 393 user I/O pins drive MIPI lanes, parallel image sensors, and display outputs. Eight transceivers handle GMSL, FPD-Link, or proprietary serial camera links up to 3.125 Gbps per lane. The 6,635,520 bits of embedded memory cache intermediate feature maps between layers. Quartus Prime's OpenCL SDK and DSP Builder enable OpenCL-based CNN acceleration without RTL design, ideal for low-volume vision OEMs.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP4CGX150DF27C8 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP4CGX150DF27C7N | EP4CGX150DF27C7 | EP4CGX150DF27C6N | EP4CGX110DF31C8N | EP4CGX110DF31C8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 672-ball FBGA | 672-ball FBGA - same | 672-ball FBGA - same | 672-ball FBGA - same | 672-ball FBGA - same | 672-ball FBGA - same |
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Logic Elements | 149,760 | 149,760 | 149,760 | 149,760 | 110,000 | 110,000 |
| Speed Grade | 8 | 7 (faster) | 7 (faster) | 6 (fastest) | 8 (same) | 8 (same) |
| Transceivers | 8 x 3.125 Gbps | 8 x 3.125 Gbps | 8 x 3.125 Gbps | 8 x 3.125 Gbps | 4 x 3.125 Gbps | 4 x 3.125 Gbps |
| User I/O | 393 | 393 | 393 | 393 | 310 | 310 |
| Embedded Memory | 6,635,520 bits | 6,635,520 bits | 6,635,520 bits | 6,635,520 bits | 4,838,400 bits | 4,838,400 bits |
| Core Voltage | 1.2 V | 1.2 V | 1.2 V | 1.2 V | 1.2 V | 1.2 V |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to 85C (commercial) | 0C to 85C (commercial) | 0C to 85C (commercial) | 0C to 85C (commercial) | 0C to 85C (commercial) | 0C to 85C (commercial) |
Key Differentiators
- Largest Cyclone IV GX device with maximum logic density (vs EP4CGX110DF31C8N)
- Allows in-system speed-grade upgrade without PCB rework (vs EP4CGX150DF27C7N)
- Hard PCIe Gen1 IP eliminates external PHY ICs (vs Soft PCIe implementation)
Design Notes
Estimated: the 672-ball FBGA requires a continuous ground plane under the package and matched-length differential routing for the eight transceiver lanes. Place 0.1 uF and 0.01 uF high-frequency decoupling capacitors within 5 mm of each VCCINT/VCCA power ball. Use microvia or via-in-pad construction to escape the dense BGA pitch; standard 1.0 mm pitch BGA escape requires 4-6 routing layers with microvias to maintain signal integrity for the 3.125 Gbps transceiver pairs.
Estimated: at 100% transceiver utilization the EP4CGX150DF27C8 can dissipate up to 5 W; in enclosed enclosures without airflow, attach a small heatsink or thermal pad. Use the thermal-resistance values from the Cyclone IV GX device handbook to compute junction temperature and ensure margin below the 85C commercial limit. The exposed pad (if present on the package) should be soldered to a copper pour with thermal vias to a ground plane.
Estimated: transceiver channels operating at 3.125 Gbps require controlled-impedance differential routing (100 ohm differential) and matched pair lengths within the tolerance specified by the Intel Cyclone IV GX handbook (typically within 150 mils lane-to-lane). Reference-plane continuity under the differential pairs is critical to maintain 100 ohm impedance; layer transitions should use ground vias adjacent to signal vias. Always verify signal integrity with IBIS-AMI or HSPICE simulations before tape-out.
Compliance Information
RoHS and lead-free compliant per distributor product listings. Halogen-free status not explicitly stated in distributor data; refer to the manufacturer datasheet for confirmation.