EP4SGX530HH35C4 - 531K LE Stratix IV GX FPGA | Intel | Altera
MPN: EP4SGX530HH35C4 ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $3850 | $3,850.00 |
| 10 | $3700 | $37,000.00 |
| 100 | $3490 | $349,000.00 |
| 500 | $3295 | $1,647,500.00 |
| 1,000 | $3120 | $3,120,000.00 |
EP4SGX530HH35C4 Overview
What is a Stratix IV GX FPGA? A Stratix IV GX is a high-performance FPGA that combines logic fabric, embedded memory blocks (M9K/M144K), DSP blocks, and multi-gigabit transceivers (MGTs) on a single die. Within the broader taxonomy, the EP4SGX530HH35C4 sits at FPGA -> programmable logic -> semiconductor IC. It is engineered for wireline communications, ASIC prototyping, and high-throughput signal processing applications where both massive parallel compute and serial I/O bandwidth are required.
The device features 21,248 adaptive logic modules (ALMs), 564 maximum user I/O pins, dedicated hardware multipliers and DSP blocks for fixed- and floating-point arithmetic, and eight fractional phase-locked loops. Hard PCI Express and memory controller IP cores shorten time-to-prototype for embedded systems. The HH35 speed grade and commercial 0 C to 85 C operating temperature band (-C4 suffix) target lab, prototyping, and commercial deployment workloads.
Architecturally, the EP4SGX530HH35C4 exploits Altera's partial reconfiguration and the Quartus II / Quartus Prime design toolchain. Designers can configure multi-gigabit transceivers across CPRI, OBSAI, Serial RapidIO, PCIe Gen1/Gen2, and 10 Gigabit Ethernet physical layers, while programmable logic capacity supports chip-level protocol bridges and channel aggregation.
Typical applications include 100G line-card forwarding engines, software-defined radio baseband processing, ASIC emulation platforms, high-frequency trading acceleration, and high-end test and measurement instrumentation. The wide transceivers also suit radar and EW signal capture backplanes.
Designers should account for power-plane decoupling of the flip-chip BGA, multi-rail sequencing, and JTAG-based configuration from EPCS or external flash. The 1152-ball FCBGA package requires careful PCB stack-up planning for signal integrity across 8.5 Gbps links.
This page synthesizes real-time distributor pricing, drop-in Stratix IV GX family alternatives from the Site MPN list, and practical FPGA power/thermal design notes not consolidated in the original datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for EP4SGX530HH35C4 — 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 EP4SGX530HH35C4 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Operating Temperature, Speed Grade, Transceivers, Mounting Type.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP4SGX530HH35C3
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$2398 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4SGX530HH35C3N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$13200 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4SGX530HH35C2N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$3500 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4SGX530HH35C2
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$4500 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4SGX530HH35C2NES
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$3750 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP4SGX530HH35C4 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | Stratix IV GX |
| Device Type | FPGA |
| Logic Elements | 531,200 |
| Adaptive Logic Modules (ALMs) | 21,248 LABs / 212,480 equivalent LEs |
| Embedded Memory (bits) | 28,033,024 |
| Maximum User I/O Pins | 564 |
| Process Technology | 40 nm |
| Core Supply Voltage | 0.9 V |
| Package | 1152-ball FCBGA / FBGA (42.5 x 42.5 mm) |
| Speed Grade | HH35 |
| Operating Temperature | 0 C to 85 C (Commercial, -C4 suffix) |
| PLLs | 8 fractional PLLs |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (flip-chip BGA) |
| MSL Level | MSL3 (per BGA package standard) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
EP4SGX530HH35C4 1152-ball fcbga / fbga (42.5 x 42.5 mm) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP4SGX530HH35C4 (1152-ball fcbga / fbga (42.5 x 42.5 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 EP4SGX530HH35C4.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP4SGX530HH35C4 is suitable for 6 applications: 100G Wireline Communications Line Card, Software-Defined Radio Baseband Processing, ASIC Prototyping and Emulation, High-Frequency Trading Acceleration, High-End Test and Measurement Instrumentation, Radar and Electronic Warfare Signal Capture.
100G Wireline Communications Line Card
The EP4SGX530HH35C4 fits 100G line-card forwarding engines because its 531,200 logic elements support deep packet inspection pipelines while 24 multi-gigabit transceivers at 8.5 Gbps aggregate to 100G+ fabric uplinks. The 28 Mbits of embedded memory buffer header tables and lookup engines close to the SERDES lanes, minimizing external memory latency. PCI Express hard IP blocks accelerate host-line-card interconnect, and the 0.9 V core supply keeps per-port power within thermal envelopes. Designers typically pair this FPGA with external QDR-IV SRAM and 10G/40G optics.
Recommended
Software-Defined Radio Baseband Processing
The EP4SGX530HH35C4 serves SDR baseband processing because its 21,248 ALMs and dedicated DSP blocks implement LTE and 5G NR physical-layer channels at sample rates exceeding 245.76 MHz. Transceivers digitize CPRI/OBSAI links from RF front-ends at up to 8.5 Gbps, eliminating external SERDES glue logic. The 28 Mbits of block RAM carry constellation de-mapping buffers, while 564 user I/Os connect to analog data converters and JESD204B interfaces.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping and Emulation
ASIC prototyping platforms use the EP4SGX530HH35C4 because its 531,200 logic elements map large SoC RTL partitions at near-100 MHz multi-clock-domain operation. The 1152-ball FCBGA package exposes abundant user I/O to bridge multiple FPGAs in a multi-FPGA emulation chassis. Partial reconfiguration supports swapping design partitions in seconds. The -C4 speed grade preserves timing margin for critical-path ASIC blocks, and Quartus Prime's synthesis flow shortens compile iteration.
Recommended
High-Frequency Trading Acceleration
The EP4SGX530HH35C4 accelerates low-latency trading strategies because its 0.9 V 40 nm fabric achieves sub-100 ns tick-to-trade latency at 200+ MHz core clock rates. Embedded M9K and M144K blocks implement order-book caches, while the 24 transceivers fan out 10G market-data feeds from FPGA to host with deterministic latency. The 564 user I/Os expose parallel market-data taps, and the 1152-ball FCBGA provides the signal-integrity headroom needed for sub-nanosecond clock distribution across the fabric.
Recommended
High-End Test and Measurement Instrumentation
Test and measurement instruments use the EP4SGX530HH35C4 because its 531,200 logic elements implement deep acquisition memory, FFT pipelines, and protocol decoding in a single device. The 28 Mbits of embedded memory sample at full ADC converter rates without off-chip buffering, while transceivers shuttle digitized waveforms to host PCs over PCIe Gen2 or 10G Ethernet. The 564 user I/Os interface with parallel ADCs, DACs, and front-panel connectors, and partial reconfiguration enables field firmware updates.
Recommended
Radar and Electronic Warfare Signal Capture
Radar and EW systems leverage the EP4SGX530HH35C4 because its 24 multi-gigabit transceivers capture wideband digitized RF from A/D converters via JESD204B/C links, and the 531K logic-element fabric performs real-time pulse compression, beamforming, and Doppler processing. The 28 Mbits of embedded memory store cross-correlation buffers, while the 564 user I/Os connect to RF front-end controls and timing distribution. The HH35 speed grade preserves timing margin for 200+ MHz signal-processing kernels.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP4SGX530HH35C4 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP4SGX530HH35C3 | EP4SGX530HH35C3N | EP4SGX530HH35C2N | EP4SGX530HH35C2 | EP4SGX530HH35C2NES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 1152-BBGA, FCBGA (42.5 x 42.5 mm) | 1152-BBGA, FCBGA (42.5 x 42.5 mm) - same | 1152-BBGA, FCBGA (42.5 x 42.5 mm) - same | 1152-BBGA, FCBGA (42.5 x 42.5 mm) - same | 1152-BBGA, FCBGA (42.5 x 42.5 mm) - same | 1152-BBGA, FCBGA (42.5 x 42.5 mm) - same |
| Logic Elements | 531,200 | 531,200 - same | 531,200 - same | 531,200 - same | 531,200 - same | 531,200 - same |
| Embedded Memory | 28,033,024 bits | 28,033,024 bits - same | 28,033,024 bits - same | 28,033,024 bits - same | 28,033,024 bits - same | 28,033,024 bits - same |
| Speed Grade | 4 (fastest) | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 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) | 0 C to 85 C (Commercial) | 0 C to 85 C (Commercial) |
| Pb-free Reflow (N suffix) | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Transceivers (max) | Up to 24 at 8.5 Gbps | Up to 24 at 8.5 Gbps - same | Up to 24 at 8.5 Gbps - same | Up to 24 at 8.5 Gbps - same | Up to 24 at 8.5 Gbps - same | Up to 24 at 8.5 Gbps - same |
| Maximum User I/O | 564 | 564 - same | 564 - same | 564 - same | 564 - same | 564 - same |
| Lifecycle Status | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND |
Key Differentiators
- Highest-density member of Stratix IV GX family (vs EP4SGX360HF35C4)
- Speed grade 4 timing margin over speed grade 2 (vs EP4SGX530HH35C2N)
- Commercial vs industrial temperature targeting (vs EP4SGX530HH35I4N (industrial -I variant))
Design Notes
Estimated: The EP4SGX530HH35C4 in full-fabric utilization with 24 active transceivers at 8.5 Gbps draws approximately 12-18 W from the 0.9 V core supply and an additional 3-5 W from the 1.1 V/1.2 V/2.5 V/3.0 V auxiliary rails. Designers must provision at least 4 voltage rails (VCC, VCCPT, VCCAUX, VCCA_GXB) per the Stratix IV GX PowerPlay Early Power Estimator, with bulk decoupling of 220 uF polymer + 4.7 uF ceramic per rail. Use the Quartus PowerPlay tool to validate worst-case dissipation before committing the PCB stack-up.
The 1152-ball FCBGA at 42.5 x 42.5 mm mandates a high-density PCB stack-up: minimum 12 layers (8 signal, 4 plane) with via-in-pad and microvia technology to fan out the 1.0 mm ball pitch. Per the Stratix IV GX package guidelines, keep all transceiver differential pairs within 5 mil width/7 mil spacing tolerance and length-match to within 150 mil across an 8.5 Gbps channel. Allocate a continuous ground plane directly beneath the FPGA to provide both signal return paths and thermal dissipation.
The flip-chip BGA package exposes a top-side heat spreader interface; for >10 W dissipation a heatsink with thermal interface material (TIM) is required. Estimated theta_JA for the FCBGA-1152 with 0 LFM airflow is approximately 0.7 C/W, meaning 15 W dissipation yields a 10.5 C junction-to-ambient rise. Always validate thermal design with the Stratix IV PowerPlay EPE plus a thermal model in the PCB CAD tool, especially for chassis-mounted applications with limited airflow.
Configuration pitfalls: the EP4SGX530HH35C4 requires MSEL pin strap settings to select the configuration scheme (AS, AP, PS, JTAG, FPP). Mixing MSEL settings with the wrong EPCS flash device is a common board bring-up failure. Additionally, partial reconfiguration requires both a PR-enabled bitstream and a Quartus PR license; verify tooling compatibility before committing to PR in your design. Finally, JTAG chain integrity across the 1152-ball package demands careful TCK TMS TDI TDO routing with 33 ohm series termination.
Compliance Information
RoHS and REACH compliance per Intel/Altera product environmental documentation. AEC-Q100 not applicable (FPGA is not an automotive-qualified IC; industrial-grade -I variant available for non-automotive harsh environments). Lead-free reflow compatible per package datasheet.
