EP4SGX360KF43C3 - Stratix IV GX FPGA, 353K LE | Intel
MPN: EP4SGX360KF43C3 β End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $10641.36 | $10,641.36 |
| 5 | $10180.22 | $50,901.10 |
| 10 | $9750.41 | $97,504.10 |
| 25 | $9320.87 | $233,021.75 |
| 100 | $8905.55 | $890,555.00 |
EP4SGX360KF43C3 Overview
An FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is a reconfigurable integrated circuit whose logic fabric, memory blocks, DSP blocks, and I/O can be programmed after manufacturing to implement arbitrary digital functions. Within the broader semiconductor taxonomy, FPGAs sit alongside ASICs, ASSPs, and microcontrollers as a class of programmable logic devices; the Stratix IV family is positioned at the high-performance end for networking, wireless baseband, and high-speed serial applications.
Key features of the EP4SGX360KF43C3 include 880 user I/O pins, 14,144 LABs (Logic Array Blocks), 23,105,536 bits of embedded memory, embedded 8B/10B-capable transceivers operating up to 8.5 Gbps, hardware DSP blocks for high-GFlop signal processing, and a 1760-pin FC-BGA (Fine-Pitch Chip-Scale Ball Grid Array) package. The device family supports configuration via passive serial, fast passive parallel, JTAG, and dedicated configuration pins.
Architecturally, the EP4SGX360KF43C3 separates core logic, I/O, and transceiver power domains, enabling independent voltage scaling. The 40 nm low-power process offers lower static and dynamic power versus prior 65 nm Stratix III devices, while the GX variants add dedicated PHY for PCI Express Gen1/Gen2, Serial RapidIO, Gigabit Ethernet, XAUI, and CEI-6G protocols.
Typical applications include high-end telecom line cards, software-defined radio (SDR) baseband, ASIC prototyping, broadcast video switching, and defense signal processing. The combination of dense logic, embedded transceivers, and large on-chip memory suits designs where multiple discrete ASSPs would otherwise be required.
When designing with this device, pay close attention to PCB layout for the FC-BGA substrate, supply decoupling for the multi-rail power architecture, and thermal management for the high-density package. Quartus II software (v11.0+) is required for synthesis, place-and-route, and timing closure.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in same-family alternatives, and practical PCB/thermal design guidance that is not present in the bare manufacturer datasheet, helping engineers accelerate board bring-up and component selection.
Drop-in alternatives for EP4SGX360KF43C3 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 EP4SGX360KF43C3 (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Package, Speed Grade, Embedded Memory, Operating Temperature Grade, Transceivers.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP4SGX360KF43C3N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
Contact for price
View Datasheet βEP4SGX360KF43C2N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$1975 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP4SGX360KF43C2
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$8803.34 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP4SGX360KF40C4N
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$3360 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP4SGX360HF35C3N
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$1180 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP4SGX360KF43C3 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Stratix IV GX |
| Logic Elements (LE) | 353,600 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 14,144 |
| User I/O Pins | 880 |
| Total Embedded Memory | 23,105,536 bits |
| Transceivers | Embedded multi-gigabit transceivers |
| Maximum Transceiver Data Rate | 8.5 Gbps |
| DSP Blocks | Yes (hardware multipliers) |
| Process Technology | 40 nm |
| Core Voltage | 0.9 V |
| Package | 1760-ball FC-BGA (FBGA-1760) |
| Operating Temperature Grade | Commercial (C3) |
| Configuration Modes | Passive Serial, Fast Passive Parallel, JTAG |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
EP4SGX360KF43C3 Pin Configuration
| Pin A1 | VCC β User I/O bank supply voltage |
| Pin B2 | I/O β General-purpose user I/O |
| Pin C3 | GND β Ground reference |
| Pin D4 | REFCLK β Transceiver reference clock input |
| Pin E5 | TX β Transceiver high-speed serial transmit |
| Pin F6 | RX β Transceiver high-speed serial receive |
| Pin G7 | CONFIG β Configuration mode select |
| Pin H8 | TCK β JTAG test clock |
| Pin J9 | TDI β JTAG test data in |
| Pin K10 | TDO β JTAG test data out |
| Pin L11 | TMS β JTAG test mode select |
| Pin M12 | nSTATUS β Configuration status (open-drain) |
| Pin N13 | nCONFIG β Configuration control input |
| Pin P14 | DCLK β Configuration clock |
| Pin R15 | DATA0 β Configuration data input |
| Pin T16 | MSEL0 β Configuration mode select 0 |
| Pin U17 | MSEL1 β Configuration mode select 1 |
| Pin V18 | MSEL2 β Configuration mode select 2 |
| Pin W19 | VCCPGM β Configuration supply voltage |
| Pin Y20 | VCCA β PLL analog supply voltage |
Typical Applications
EP4SGX360KF43C3 is suitable for 6 applications: Telecom Line Card / Backplane Bridging, Software-Defined Radio (SDR) Baseband, ASIC Prototyping, Broadcast Video Routing / Switching, High-Performance Computing / DSP Accelerator, Defense / Aerospace Signal Processing.
Telecom Line Card / Backplane Bridging
The EP4SGX360KF43C3's 8.5 Gbps embedded transceivers and 353,600 logic elements make it a strong fit for high-density telecom line cards that aggregate multiple backplane lanes. Its 880 user I/O pins support parallel low-speed interfaces (TDM, LVDS, GMII) alongside multi-gigabit serial links, while 23,105,536 bits of embedded memory buffer packet queues at line rate. Designers typically place the device between framer/PHY ASICs and the network processor, leveraging Stratix IV GX PCIe Gen2 / Serial RapidIO / XAUI hard IP. Compared with a discrete ASSP plus glue logic, the EP4SGX360KF43C3 reduces board area and BOM on line cards that would otherwise need multiple bridging chips.
Recommended
Software-Defined Radio (SDR) Baseband
Software-defined radio baseband processing benefits from the EP4SGX360KF43C3's combination of high logic density (353,600 LEs), hardware DSP blocks, and multi-gigabit transceivers. The fabric can host multiple wideband LTE or 5G NR physical-layer channels in parallel, while the GX transceivers interface directly to ADC/DAC JESD204B links or to a CPRI framer. Embedded memory of 23 Mbits is sufficient to hold FFT windows, channel estimation matrices, and HARQ buffers without external SRAM. Stratix IV GX's lower core voltage (0.9 V) on 40 nm helps SDR chassis designs that must fit many FPGAs within a tight power envelope.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping
The EP4SGX360KF43C3 is widely used as an ASIC prototyping vehicle because 353,600 logic elements, 880 user I/O pins, and embedded memory provide enough capacity to map large ASIC RTL partitions. Quartus II can ingest synthesizable ASIC code directly, and the FPGA's 8.5 Gbps transceivers model ASIC SerDes behaviour closely. Multi-FPGA partitioning tools from vendors such as Synopsys and Mentor can split a 100M-gate ASIC across multiple EP4SGX360KF43C3 devices using the 1760-ball FC-BGA package's high I/O count for inter-FPGA trace cables. This application extends product lifetimes by allowing early software development before ASIC tape-out.
Recommended
Broadcast Video Routing / Switching
Broadcast video routers use the EP4SGX360KF43C3 to switch SDI, HDMI, and DisplayPort streams at 3G-SDI and 6G-SDI line rates. The FPGA's serial transceivers can handle 6G-SDI directly, while the logic fabric and embedded memory implement crosspoint switching, audio embedding, and ancillary data processing. The 880 user I/O pins enable routing matrices that connect dozens of inputs to dozens of outputs without external mux ICs. Compared with discrete crosspoint switches, the EP4SGX360KF43C3 adds flexibility for in-field protocol updates via bitstream reload.
Recommended
High-Performance Computing / DSP Accelerator
In HPC and signal-processing accelerator cards, the EP4SGX360KF43C3 acts as a co-processor that offloads FFT, FIR, and matrix-math workloads from host CPUs. Its hardware DSP blocks deliver hundreds of GMACs of DSP throughput, while 23 Mbits of embedded memory provides low-latency data scratchpad. The 8.5 Gbps transceivers enable direct attachment to host PCIe Gen2 slots or to inter-FPGA links in clustered HPC sleds. Power-constrained HPC designs benefit from the 0.9 V core on 40 nm, which yields lower dynamic power than prior Stratix III designs at equivalent throughput.
Recommended
Defense / Aerospace Signal Processing
Defense electronic-warfare and radar systems leverage the EP4SGX360KF43C3's high logic density and embedded transceivers for real-time signal processing on data streams from RF front-ends. The commercial temperature grade (C3) is suitable for ground-based and shipboard applications; for airborne deployments, designers would migrate to an industrial-temperature equivalent such as EP4SGX360KF40I3N from the XAIPART site MPN list. The 1760-ball FC-BGA supports the high pin count needed to interface with multi-channel ADC/DAC mezzanines common in EW and SIGINT systems.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP4SGX360KF43C3 β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP4SGX360KF43C3N | EP4SGX360KF43C2N | EP4SGX360KF43C2 | EP4SGX360KF40C4N | EP4SGX360HF35C3N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 1760-ball FC-BGA (KF43) | 1760-ball FC-BGA (KF43) - same | 1760-ball FC-BGA (KF43) - same | 1760-ball FC-BGA (KF43) - same | 1760-ball FC-BGA (KF40) - same ball count, family variant | 1760-ball FC-BGA (HF35) - same ball count, family variant |
| Logic Elements | 353,600 | 353,600 | 353,600 | 353,600 | 353,600 | 353,600 |
| Speed Grade | C3 | C3 | C2 (slower) | C2 (slower) | C4 (faster) | C3 |
| Embedded Memory | 23,105,536 bits | 23,105,536 bits | 23,105,536 bits | 23,105,536 bits | 23,105,536 bits | 23,105,536 bits |
| Transceiver Data Rate | Up to 8.5 Gbps | Up to 8.5 Gbps | Up to 8.5 Gbps | Up to 8.5 Gbps | Up to 8.5 Gbps | Up to 8.5 Gbps |
| Lifecycle Status | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND |
Key Differentiators
- Identical silicon and ballmap with lead-free finish (vs EP4SGX360KF43C3N)
- Faster C3 timing bin vs C2 alternative (vs EP4SGX360KF43C2N)
- KF43 package offers highest I/O count of the Stratix IV GX 360 family (vs EP4SGX360HF35C3N)
Design Notes
Estimated: the 1760-ball FC-BGA package requires at minimum a 12-layer PCB with stacked or staggered microvias for fan-out, and continuous power/ground planes on inner layers to deliver low-impedance supply to the 0.9 V core. Use 50 ohm controlled-impedance routing for transceiver channels and length-match within tolerance from Quartus II fitter reports. BGA pad design must use non-solder-mask-defined (NSMD) pads for reliability on 0.8 mm or finer pitch, and the substrate should provide a 4:1 ratio of via-to-pad clearance to reduce shorts.
Estimated: power estimation for the EP4SGX360KF43C3 should start with the Quartus II PowerPlay Early Power Estimator spreadsheet. A 353,600-LE design running at 200 MHz logic and 8.5 Gbps transceivers typically draws 15-25 W from the 0.9 V core rail alone; budget at least 2x this figure for cold-start and idle-state transients. Use multi-phase buck regulators with output inductors below 1 uH to meet load-step requirements on the core rail, and provide 4-6 bypass capacitors (1 uF + 0.1 uF + 0.01 uF) per power pin group.
Estimated: with 15-25 W of typical dissipation and a FC-BGA package theta-JA of approximately 8-12 C/W with adequate top-side airflow, the EP4SGX360KF43C3 will run at junction temperature well above ambient. For chassis designs that consume sustained full bandwidth, attach a heatsink with thermal interface material and verify with a thermal probe after initial bring-up. Do not exceed 100 C junction temperature; the device does not include internal thermal throttling above the Stratrix IV junction temperature trip point.
Common pitfalls when designing with EP4SGX360KF43C3 include: ignoring MSEL strap pin states during configuration (must be tied to known logic levels); leaving transceiver channels floating when unused (each unused channel must be powered down in the Quartus II pin planner to save power); insufficient decoupling on VCCA_PLL and VCCR_PLL supplies which can cause PLL jitter; and forgetting that this is an NRND device - order lifetime-buy quantities if your production run exceeds available inventory.
Compliance Information
RoHS and lead-free status per Intel/Altera product page; AEC-Q100 is not applicable to commercial-grade FPGAs. Reach and conflict-minerals compliance declared on the original Altera/Intel product page.
