EP4SGX360KF43I4N - Stratix IV GX FPGA, 353K LE, 1760-BGA | Intel
MPN: EP4SGX360KF43I4N ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $4250 | $4,250.00 |
| 5 | $3995 | $19,975.00 |
| 10 | $3780 | $37,800.00 |
| 25 | $3525 | $88,125.00 |
| 100 | $3215 | $321,500.00 |
EP4SGX360KF43I4N Overview
A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a programmable logic device whose architecture is dominated by a regular array of configurable logic blocks (CLBs/LABs), programmable interconnect, and dedicated hard IP such as transceivers, memory controllers, DSP slices, and PLLs. FPGAs occupy a unique tier in the semiconductor hierarchy between general-purpose CPUs/GPUs (software-defined, sequential) and ASICs (fixed-function, lowest per-unit cost at volume). Compared to microcontrollers, FPGAs deliver massive parallelism and deterministic latency. Compared to ASICs, they offer post-fabrication reconfigurability and faster time-to-market. The Stratix IV family specifically targets high-end ASIC prototyping, high-speed serial I/O aggregation, and DSP acceleration in communications, defense, and high-performance computing infrastructure.
Key features of the EP4SGX360KF43I4N include 24 high-speed transceivers (up to 8.5 Gbps), 4 hard PCIe Gen2 x8 cores, on-chip memory bandwidth exceeding 10 Tbps, an adaptive logic module (ALM) architecture that delivers 50% higher performance per logic element versus prior generations, and dedicated 18x18 multipliers for DSP. The device also embeds transceivers that support backplane and chip-to-chip serial links at rates used in 40G/100G aggregation systems. Hard intellectual property (PCIe, memory controllers, variable-precision DSP blocks) reduces soft-logic resource usage and lowers system power.
Architecturally, the EP4SGX360KF43I4N combines a fine-grained ALM fabric (8-input fracturable look-up tables), embedded SRAM organized as M9K/M144K blocks, and a multi-tier routing hierarchy. The 40nm process provides a balanced trade-off between leakage, dynamic power, and performance. Designers typically use the Quartus Prime design suite to synthesize, place-and-route, and configure the device via JTAG or passive serial configuration. Power estimation is done with the Quartus PowerPlay analyzer; thermal analysis must account for the 1760-BGA FCBGA thermal resistance.
Typical applications include ASIC prototyping and emulation, high-frequency trading (HFT) acceleration, radar and digital array signal processing, 40G/100G Ethernet line card aggregation, software-defined radio (SDR), test and measurement instrumentation, and high-performance compute (HPC) hardware acceleration. Its combination of transceiver density and large logic capacity makes it a popular emulator vehicle for SoC and processor IP validation.
When designing with the EP4SGX360KF43I4N, the 1760-ball FCBGA requires a multi-layer PCB with buried vias, microvia stack-ups, and a controlled-impedance layer stack. Power delivery must include high-frequency decoupling at every transceiver power pin and bulk capacitance sized by the Quartus PDN tool. Thermal management typically requires a heatsink or cold-plate attachment due to the high static power of a fully utilized 360K-LE Stratix IV GX device.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in same-package alternatives from the Stratix IV GX family, and practical PCB/thermal design notes not consolidated in the manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for EP4SGX360KF43I4N — 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 EP4SGX360KF43I4N (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Process Technology, Speed Grade, Embedded Memory, Operating Temperature.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP4SGX360KF43I4
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$2350 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4SGX360KF43I3N
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View Datasheet →EP4SGX360KF43I3
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View Datasheet →EP4SGX360KF43C4N
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View Datasheet →EP4SGX360KF43C4
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$7268.19 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4SGX360KF43C3N
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View Datasheet →EP4SGX360KF43I4N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Stratix IV GX |
| Series | EP4SGX360 |
| Logic Elements (LE) | 353,600 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 14,144 |
| User I/Os | 880 |
| Embedded Memory (bits) | 23,105,536 |
| Total Transceivers | 24 |
| Max Transceiver Data Rate | 8.5 Gbps |
| Process Technology | 40 nm |
| Core Voltage | 0.9 V |
| Package | 1760-BBGA, FCBGA (KF43) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +100C (Industrial, 'I' grade) |
| Speed Grade | 4 (fastest) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
EP4SGX360KF43I4N 1760-bbga, fcbga (kf43) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP4SGX360KF43I4N (1760-bbga, fcbga (kf43) 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 EP4SGX360KF43I4N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP4SGX360KF43I4N is suitable for 6 applications: ASIC Prototyping and Emulation, High-Speed Serial Aggregation (40G/100G Line Cards), Radar and Digital Array Signal Processing, Software-Defined Radio (SDR) Baseband, Test & Measurement Instrumentation, High-Performance Compute (HPC) Acceleration.
ASIC Prototyping and Emulation
The EP4SGX360KF43I4N's 353,600 logic elements, 23.1 Mbit embedded memory, and 24 high-speed transceivers (up to 8.5 Gbps) make it a leading vehicle for ASIC and SoC prototyping in the Stratix IV family. With its industrial temperature grade and fastest speed bin, it supports timing closure for sub-100 MHz core clocks while partitioning a multi-million-gate ASIC across multiple FPGAs via the high-speed transceivers. Pair with Quartus II design suite for synthesis, place-and-route, and incremental compilation.
Recommended
High-Speed Serial Aggregation (40G/100G Line Cards)
The EP4SGX360KF43I4N integrates 24 transceivers at up to 8.5 Gbps, supporting CEI-6G, XAUI, PCIe Gen2 x8, Serial RapidIO, and CPRI aggregation. In a 40G or 100G line-card design, multiple Stratix IV GX devices can deserialize and re-multiplex 6.25 Gbps or 10.3125 Gbps optical lanes into the device's rich ALM fabric for protocol processing, MAC/PCS implementation, or traffic management. The KF43 package exposes enough transceiver pins to fan out a full duplex 100G path.
Recommended
Radar and Digital Array Signal Processing
Stratix IV GX devices are widely deployed in phased-array radar baseband processing because the 18x18 dedicated multipliers and rich ALM fabric deliver the GFLOPs needed for FFT, beamforming, and pulse compression. The EP4SGX360KF43I4N provides more than 1,000 DSP blocks (estimated from 360K-LE density) operating at up to 600 MHz, sufficient for real-time processing of multi-channel radar I/Q data. Industrial temperature grade ensures operation in outdoor or military enclosures.
Recommended
Software-Defined Radio (SDR) Baseband
The combination of high logic density and DSP blocks makes the EP4SGX360KF43I4N a frequent choice for SDR baseband processing in tactical radio, cellular base-station, and test-and-measurement systems. Its transceivers digitize IF signals at rates up to 8.5 Gbps while the ALM fabric runs polyphase channelizers, DDC/DUC chains, and protocol stacks. The Quartus II DSP Builder accelerates model-based development of complex DSP pipelines directly from MATLAB/Simulink.
Recommended
Test & Measurement Instrumentation
The EP4SGX360KF43I4N serves as the processing heart of high-end oscilloscopes, protocol analyzers, and bit-error-rate testers (BERT) because its 8.5 Gbps transceivers can capture and analyze multi-gigabit signals in real time. The 880 user I/Os support wide LVDS buses and high-speed parallel ADC/DAC interfaces, while the industrial temperature grade allows deployment in production-floor test equipment. Pattern generation, protocol decoding, and signal integrity algorithms map efficiently onto the ALM fabric.
Recommended
High-Performance Compute (HPC) Acceleration
Before the GPU compute era took over, Stratix IV GX devices were widely used as co-processors for low-latency trading, financial Monte Carlo simulation, genomics sequence alignment, and seismic processing. The EP4SGX360KF43I4N provides enough logic and DSP resources to accelerate custom algorithms at line-rate, and its 8.5 Gbps transceivers enable direct FPGA-to-FPGA links for multi-device HPC clusters. Industrial temperature grade supports deployment in data centers with elevated inlet temperatures.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP4SGX360KF43I4N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP4SGX360KF43I4 | EP4SGX360KF43I3N | EP4SGX360KF43I3 | EP4SGX360KF43C4N | EP4SGX360KF43C4 | EP4SGX360KF43C3N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 1760-BBGA, FCBGA (KF43) | 1760-BBGA, FCBGA (KF43) - same | 1760-BBGA, FCBGA (KF43) - same | 1760-BBGA, FCBGA (KF43) - same | 1760-BBGA, FCBGA (KF43) - same | 1760-BBGA, FCBGA (KF43) - same | 1760-BBGA, FCBGA (KF43) - same |
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Logic Elements | 353,600 | 353,600 | 353,600 | 353,600 | 353,600 | 353,600 | 353,600 |
| Speed Grade | 4 (fastest) | 4 | 3 (slower) | 3 (slower) | 4 | 4 | 3 (slower) |
| 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) | 0C to +85C (Commercial) |
| User I/Os | 880 | 880 | 880 | 880 | 880 | 880 | 880 |
| Transceivers | 24 up to 8.5 Gbps | 24 up to 8.5 Gbps | 24 up to 8.5 Gbps | 24 up to 8.5 Gbps | 24 up to 8.5 Gbps | 24 up to 8.5 Gbps | 24 up to 8.5 Gbps |
| Packaging (N suffix) | Tape and Reel (N suffix) | Tray (no N suffix) | Tape and Reel (N suffix) | Tray (no N suffix) | Tape and Reel (N suffix) | Tray (no N suffix) | Tape and Reel (N suffix) |
Key Differentiators
- Fastest speed grade (4) within the Stratix IV GX family (vs EP4SGX360KF43I3N (speed grade 3))
- Industrial temperature grade (-40C to +100C) (vs EP4SGX360KF43C4N (commercial 0C to +85C))
- Highest user-I/O count in Stratix IV GX (880) (vs EP4SGX360HF35I4N (HF35 1152-ball BGA, fewer transceiver balls))
Design Notes
The 1760-ball FCBGA (KF43) has a 1.0 mm ball pitch, which requires a multi-layer PCB with microvia (laser-drilled) stack-ups on the top one or two layers and buried vias for inner-layer fan-out. Signal integrity for the 8.5 Gbps transceivers demands a controlled-impedance layer stack with 85 ohm differential for transceivers and 50 ohm single-ended for general-purpose I/O. Use the Stratix IV pin connection guidelines and Intel-provided IBIS models to verify signal integrity pre-layout.
Power delivery for the EP4SGX360KF43I4N requires separate rails for VCC (core, 0.9 V), VCCAUX (2.5 V), VCCIO (per bank, 1.2 V-3.3 V), VCCR/VCTT (transceiver analog supplies), and VCCPGM (configuration). Use the Quartus II PowerPlay early power estimator to size bulk capacitance, then refine with the PowerPlay Power Analyzer post place-and-route. High-frequency decoupling (0.1 uF + 1 uF + 10 uF ceramic per bank) must be placed within 100 mils of each power pin.
A fully utilized 360K-LE Stratix IV GX device can dissipate 15-25 W under worst-case workload, requiring careful thermal management of the KF43 1760-ball FCBGA package. Use the Stratix IV thermal resistance (theta_JC) value from the device handbook and size a heatsink or cold-plate accordingly. Estimated junction-to-ambient thermal resistance is 12-18 C/W depending on PCB copper area and airflow; a thermal interface material (TIM) with conductivity >3 W/m-K is recommended between the package lid and heatsink.
Transceiver channels on the EP4SGX360KF43I4N support rates up to 8.5 Gbps and require matched impedance, length-matched differential pairs (skew <5 mil for >6 Gbps), and AC-coupling capacitors (0.1 uF X7R) on each transmit pair. Reference clock jitter must be below 1 ps RMS for 8.5 Gbps operation. Use the Stratix IV transceiver user guide and the Altera/Intel Transceiver Toolkit for pre-compliance eye-diagram and jitter measurements.
Do not mix 2.5 V and 3.3 V LVCMOS signaling on adjacent I/O banks without careful VCCIO planning - banks share a VCCIO rail. Strapping pins (MSEL[3:0], nIO_PULLUP) must be set via external resistors per the Stratix IV configuration user guide, and the configuration mode (AS, PS, JTAG, FPPx8) must be selected correctly before power-up. Programming files generated for one speed grade (e.g. I3) cannot be used on a different speed grade (I4) without recompilation.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per Intel product page. The 'N' suffix indicates Pb-free tape-and-reel packaging. AEC-Q100 not applicable for FPGAs - the part is rated to industrial -40C to +100C but is not AEC-Q100 qualified.
