EP4SGX530KF43C2N - 531K LE Stratix IV GX FPGA, 1760-FCBGA | Intel
MPN: EP4SGX530KF43C2N β End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $4250 | $4,250.00 |
| 10 | $4080 | $40,800.00 |
| 100 | $3850 | $385,000.00 |
| 500 | $3650 | $1,825,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $3450 | $3,450,000.00 |
EP4SGX530KF43C2N Overview
What is an FPGA? A Field-Programmable Gate Array is a reconfigurable integrated circuit that lets designers implement arbitrary digital logic, memory blocks, DSP functions, and serializer/deserializer (SerDes) channels in silicon after fabrication. Stratix IV GX belongs to the high-end tier of FPGAs, sitting between mid-range Cyclone devices and the very high-end Stratix V/V/Agilex families in Intel's programmable-logic taxonomy (FPGA -> programmable logic -> programmable logic device -> digital IC). The 530K logic-element density places it among the largest single-die FPGAs of its generation.
Key differentiating features include 24 full-duplex transceiver channels at data rates up to 8.5 Gbps, 21248 Logic Array Blocks (LABs), 1,920 embedded 18x18 multipliers for DSP workloads, embedded hard memory controllers, and dedicated PCle hard IP. The hard PCle Gen1/Gen2 endpoint and root-port blocks save thousands of logic elements while offloading a common high-speed protocol from soft logic. The device targets 0.9V core operation, with selectable speed grade -2 for a balance of timing margin and power.
Architecturally, Stratix IV GX uses Intel's 40 nm process node with an adaptive logic module (ALM) that combines fracturable 6-input LUTs with dedicated adders, registers, and carry chains. The 8.5 Gbps transceivers use a hardened PCS/PMA that supports CPRI, OBSAI, Serial RapidIO, 10 GbE (XAUI), PCIe Gen2, and HiGig/Interlaken-style protocols with on-chip channel bonding and clock data recovery.
Typical applications include high-end telecommunications line cards (e.g., 40G/100G framer/mapper), radar and electronic-warfare signal-processing front-ends, ASIC prototyping, high-frequency trading accelerators, broadcast video routers, and high-resolution medical imaging. The combination of density, DSP throughput, and 8.5 Gbps serial links is what differentiates it from lower-density Stratix IV E and Stratix IV GT (only transceivers) variants.
When designing with this device, plan the PCB escape carefully: the 1760-ball FCBGA needs a multilayer (typically 12+ layer) PCB with stacked via structures and impedance-controlled transceiver channels. Use the Quartus II design software (or newer Intel Quartus Prime) for synthesis, place-and-route, and timing closure; expect hours of compile time at this density. Allocate at least four dedicated transceiver power-supply rails (VCCA, VCCP, VCCR, VCCT) and follow Intel's transceiver layout guidelines for jitter compliance.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in alternatives within the Stratix IV GX family, and practical design notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet alone.
Drop-in alternatives for EP4SGX530KF43C2N 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 EP4SGX530KF43C2N (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Package, Operating Temperature, Speed Grade, Transceivers, RoHS Status.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP4SGX530KF43C2
β Drop-In β οΈ εζ°εΎ ιͺθ―β In Stock
$3755 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP4SGX530KF43I2N
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP4SGX360KF43C2N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$1975 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP4SGX530KF43C2N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Stratix IV GX |
| Series | EP4SGX530 |
| Logic Elements (LE) | 531,200 |
| Adaptive Logic Modules (ALM) | 212,480 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LAB) | 21,248 |
| Embedded Memory (bits) | 28,033,024 |
| Embedded Multipliers (18x18) | 1,920 |
| Transceiver Channels | 24 |
| Max Transceiver Data Rate | 8.5 Gbps |
| User I/Os | 880 |
| Core Voltage (VCCINT) | 0.9 V |
| Speed Grade | 2 (mid) |
| Operating Temperature | Commercial (0C to +85C) |
| Package | 1760-ball FCBGA (KF43) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Hard PCIe Gen2 IP | Yes |
| Process Node | 40 nm |
EP4SGX530KF43C2N Pin Configuration
| Pin A1 | VCC β Core supply (0.9V) |
| Pin A2 | GND β Ground |
| Pin A3 | I/O β User I/O bank reference (KF43 pin-map; full 1760-pin ball map in datasheet) |
| Pin B1 | XCVR_RX β Transceiver receive channel cluster |
| Pin B2 | XCVR_TX β Transceiver transmit channel cluster |
| Pin C1 | REFCLK β Transceiver reference clock input |
Typical Applications
EP4SGX530KF43C2N is suitable for 6 applications: 100G Optical Transport Line Card, Radar and Electronic-Warfare DSP Front-End, ASIC Prototyping and Emulation, Broadcast Video Router and Switcher, High-Frequency Trading Accelerator, High-Resolution Medical Imaging Back-End.
100G Optical Transport Line Card
The EP4SGX530KF43C2N fits 100G optical transport line cards because its 24 transceivers at 8.5 Gbps can be bonded into 10G lanes for OTU2/OTU3/OTU4 framers, and its 531K logic elements hold the framer, mapper, and FEC state machines on a single die. The hard PCIe Gen2 endpoint enables direct host-coprocessor attachment for packet processing. Designers typically pair it with 100G coherent DSP/optical modules on the same board; pin-compatible EP4SGX530KF43I2N serves industrial variants of the same card.
Recommended
Radar and Electronic-Warfare DSP Front-End
The EP4SGX530KF43C2N is well suited to radar and electronic-warfare DSP front-ends because its 1,920 18x18 multipliers deliver ~9.6 GMACs of fixed-point throughput at 250 MHz, and its 28 Mb of embedded memory absorbs the large FFT twiddle tables and window-coefficient buffers without external SRAM. The 8.5 Gbps transceivers connect directly to ADC/DAC JESD204B links or to a dedicated ADC front-end over a few lanes. Industrial-grade pin-compatible EP4SGX530KF43I2N is chosen for fielded airborne and naval radar.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping and Emulation
The EP4SGX530KF43C2N is frequently used as a building block in multi-FPGA ASIC prototyping because its 531K logic elements can partition large ASIC designs and its 8.5 Gbps transceivers model ASIC-to-ASIC SERDES lanes at near real-world speeds. Commercial temperature is acceptable for lab environments, and multiple EP4SGX530KF43C2N devices can be time-division multiplexed over the KF43 board to emulate a single 2-3M LE ASIC. Designers frequently pair this FPGA with structured-ASIC verification frameworks and Quartus II synthesis flows.
Recommended
Broadcast Video Router and Switcher
The EP4SGX530KF43C2N fits broadcast video routers and switchers because its 531K logic elements implement large crosspoint switches for uncompressed 3G-SDI/HD-SDI matrices, and its 24 transceivers at 8.5 Gbps carry multiple uncompressed SDI streams plus control channels. The 880 user I/Os drive LVDS video processing paths directly without external bus drivers. The hard PCIe Gen2 endpoint enables host control from a media-server-class CPU with sub-microsecond latency.
Recommended
High-Frequency Trading Accelerator
The EP4SGX530KF43C2N is attractive for high-frequency trading accelerators because its 28 Mb of embedded memory holds market-data order books in on-chip block RAM with single-cycle access, and its 1,920 18x18 multipliers implement order-matching and price-decoding pipelines with deterministic sub-microsecond latency. The 8.5 Gbps transceivers deliver raw market-data feeds at wire speed directly into the FPGA, bypassing CPU jitter. Pin-compatible EP4SGX530KF43I2N is sometimes chosen for colocation facilities with wider ambient tolerance.
Recommended
High-Resolution Medical Imaging Back-End
The EP4SGX530KF43C2N is suitable for high-resolution medical imaging back-ends such as CT, MRI, and PET pre-processing because its 1,920 DSP blocks perform image-reconstruction kernels (filtered back-projection, parallel MRI SENSE/GRAPPA) in real time, and the 28 Mb embedded memory buffers raw k-space or projection data without external SRAM. Its 8.5 Gbps transceivers link to detector arrays and downstream host processors. The commercial temperature grade is sufficient for hospital-imaging-room environments; industrial pin-compatible EP4SGX530KF43I2N fits mobile X-ray carts.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP4SGX530KF43C2N β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP4SGX530KF43C2 | EP4SGX530KF43I2N | EP4SGX360KF43C2N | EP4SGX230KF40C2N | EP4SE530H35C4N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 1760-ball FCBGA (KF43) | 1760-ball FCBGA (KF43) - same | 1760-ball FCBGA (KF43) - same | 1760-ball FCBGA (KF43) - same | 780-ball FCBGA (KF40) - different | 1152-ball FCBGA (H35) - different |
| Logic Elements | 531,200 | 531,200 | 531,200 | 360,000 (-32%) | 228,000 (-57%) | 531,200 (no transceivers) |
| Embedded Memory | 28,033,024 bits (~28 Mb) | ~28 Mb | ~28 Mb | ~18.4 Mb (-34%) | ~14 Mb (-50%) | ~28 Mb (no transceivers) |
| Transceivers | 24 x 8.5 Gbps | 24 x 8.5 Gbps | 24 x 8.5 Gbps | 24 x 8.5 Gbps | 24 x 8.5 Gbps | 0 (no transceivers) |
| User I/Os | 880 | 880 | 880 | 880 | ~372 | ~744 |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial 0C to +85C | Commercial 0C to +85C | Industrial -40C to +100C | Commercial 0C to +85C | Commercial 0C to +85C | Commercial 0C to +85C |
| Lifecycle Status | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND |
| Pin-to-Pin Compatible with KF43 | Yes (KF43) | Yes | Yes | Yes | No (KF40) | No (H35) |
Key Differentiators
- Highest density in the Stratix IV GX KF43 package tier (vs EP4SGX360KF43C2N)
- Pin-compatible industrial-temp upgrade available (vs EP4SGX530KF43I2N)
- Hard PCIe Gen2 endpoint for direct host attachment (vs EP4SE530H35C4N)
Design Notes
Estimated: the 1760-ball KF43 FCBGA requires a 12+ layer PCB with stacked micro-vias or HDI structures. Ball pitch is 1.0 mm. Plan escape routing on the top layer with 4-mil trace-and-space and use inner layers for high-speed transceiver channels. Decoupling: place 0.1 uF X7R capacitors within 100 mil of every VCC/GND pair; add bulk 22 uF tantalum or ceramic for each power rail. Transceiver channels require 100-ohm differential routing with intra-pair skew < 1 ps and length matching within 5 mil to the connector.
Estimated: at 0.9V core and typical 70% utilization with all 24 transceivers active, the EP4SGX530KF43C2N can dissipate 15-20W. With FCBGA theta_JA of ~5 C/W for the KF43 package, that translates to a 75-100C junction temperature rise above ambient. A heat sink with thermal interface material and at least 200 LFM of forced airflow is required. For commercial grade with max ambient 85C, the heat sink must keep junction below 100C; for industrial deployments choose EP4SGX530KF43I2N and ensure junction below 125C.
The EP4SGX530KF43C2N requires multiple supply rails: VCCINT (0.9V core), VCCIO (1.2/1.5/1.8/2.5/3.3V I/O banks), VCCA (2.5V transceiver analog), VCCP (0.9V transceiver PCS), VCCR (1.4V transceiver receiver), VCCT (1.4V transmitter), and VCCPD (2.5/3.0V pre-driver). Use a dedicated power-supply sequencer (e.g., TPS65086 or UCD90120A) to enforce the required power-up sequence - VCCINT must come up before VCCA, and VCCIO before VCCPD. Estimated total board-level supply current at full load: 20A on VCCINT, 5A on VCCA, 3A on VCCR/VCCT combined.
Common pitfalls when designing with EP4SGX530KF43C2N: (1) forgetting the power-up sequence leads to long-term damage of I/O banks; (2) routing transceiver channels over a power-plane split creates impedance discontinuities and jitter; (3) using too few ground vias under the FCBGA thermal pad creates thermal hot-spots; (4) omitting the differential REFCLK termination causes link-up failures; (5) configuring JTAG chain with the wrong BSDL file locks up the configuration controller. Always use the Quartus II TimeQuest timing analyzer for transceiver timing closure and follow Intel application note AN531 for 8.5 Gbps layout.
Transceiver channel layout is the most demanding part of the design. Route each transceiver differential pair on the top microstrip or stripline layer with continuous reference plane (no plane splits), maintain 100-ohm differential impedance, and length-match within 5 mil intra-pair and within 50 mil inter-pair for multi-lane protocols (PCIe, XAUI). Add DC-blocking capacitors (0.1 uF) on TX outputs and RX inputs when connecting to external optical modules or backplanes. Per Intel AN531, isolate the transceiver analog section with a moat and bridge it with a single-point ferrite to keep PLL noise out of the analog supply.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per Intel product page (N-suffix). Not AEC-Q100 qualified - this is a commercial/industrial-grade FPGA, not an automotive part. Halogen-free per Intel material declaration.
