EP4SGX530KH40C4N - 531K LE Stratix IV GX FPGA 1517-BGA | Intel
MPN: EP4SGX530KH40C4N ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $4850 | $4,850.00 |
| 10 | $4580 | $45,800.00 |
| 100 | $4210 | $421,000.00 |
| 250 | $3920 | $980,000.00 |
| 500 | $3680 | $1,840,000.00 |
EP4SGX530KH40C4N Overview
What is an FPGA? A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a semiconductor IC whose logic function is defined by the customer after manufacturing. FPGAs sit within the broader taxonomy of programmable logic devices (PLDs) and complement ASICs and microcontrollers in systems that require parallel processing, high I/O bandwidth, or hardware-level reconfigurability. Stratix IV GX specifically targets high-speed serial I/O, DSP, and embedded memory bandwidth applications.
Key features include 21,248 Adaptive Logic Modules (ALMs), 1,288 embedded 18x18 multipliers for DSP, 12 phase-locked loops (PLLs), and 24 transceiver channels. The device operates from a 0.9 V core supply and supports commercial (0 C to 85 C) ambient temperature. Architecture is built on a 40 nm CMOS process with embedded memory blocks (M9K/M144K) optimized for high-throughput packet processing.
Typical applications include 40G/100G optical transport line cards, high-end ASIC prototyping, broadcast video processing, high-performance computing accelerators, and PCIe Gen2 root-complex designs. Compared with ASICs, the EP4SGX530KH40C4N provides design-time flexibility at a per-unit cost premium; compared with microcontrollers, it offers massive parallelism and deterministic latency for data-path workloads.
When designing with this device, allocate at least four PCB layers for transceiver routing with controlled impedance of 100 ohm differential. Use the Quartus II design software (release 11.0 or later) for place-and-route and timing closure; JTAG configuration via the EPCS64 flash loader is standard. Decoupling requires 0402/0201 ceramics distributed around the perimeter of the BGA.
Drop-in alternatives for EP4SGX530KH40C4N — 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 EP4SGX530KH40C4N (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Operating Temperature, Mounting Type, Process Technology, Speed Grade.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP4SGX530KH40C3N
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View Datasheet →EP4SGX530KH40C4N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Stratix IV GX |
| Logic Elements | 531,200 |
| Adaptive Logic Modules (ALMs) | 21,248 |
| Embedded Memory | 27,480 Kbits |
| User I/Os | 744 |
| Transceivers | 24 channels |
| Max Transceiver Data Rate | 8.5 Gbps |
| DSP Blocks (18x18 Multipliers) | 1,288 |
| Phase-Locked Loops (PLLs) | 12 |
| Process Node | 40 nm |
| Core Voltage | 0.9 V |
| Operating Temperature | 0 C to 85 C (Commercial) |
| Package | 1517-ball FCBGA (HBGA), 42.5 x 42.5 mm |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Lead Free / RoHS | Yes / Compliant |
EP4SGX530KH40C4N 1517-ball fcbga (hbga), 42.5 x 42.5 mm Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP4SGX530KH40C4N (1517-ball fcbga (hbga), 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 EP4SGX530KH40C4N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP4SGX530KH40C4N is suitable for 6 applications: 40G/100G Optical Transport Line Card, ASIC Prototyping Platform, Broadcast Video Processing, High-Performance Computing Accelerator, PCIe Gen2 Root-Complex Design, Software-Defined Radio Baseband.
40G/100G Optical Transport Line Card
The EP4SGX530KH40C4N's 24 transceivers at 8.5 Gbps aggregate 204 Gbps of serial bandwidth, sufficient to drive four 10G SFP+ optics in parallel or a single CFP-based 40G link with hardware-accelerated PCS. In an OTN muxponder design, the FPGA sits between the framer ASIC and the optical module, performing GFP-F mapping, FEC, and per-wavelength statistics. Its 27 Mbits of embedded memory buffer packet bursts across OTN frames without external SRAM, saving BOM cost and latency.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping Platform
With 531,200 logic elements and 1,288 18x18 multipliers, the EP4SGX530KH40C4N provides the capacity to prototype ASICs up to ~3 million gates before tape-out. Designers partition the ASIC across multiple FPGAs using partial reconfiguration or pin-multiplexing schemes, with the KH40 1517-ball FCBGA supplying 744 user I/Os for prototype board bring-up. Quartus II's TimeQuest timing analyzer correlates FPGA timing back to the ASIC static-timing analysis (STA), reducing re-spin risk.
Recommended
Broadcast Video Processing
The EP4SGX530KH40C4N supports real-time processing of uncompressed SDI/HD-SDI/3G-SDI video streams, where its transceivers drive SDI cable drivers and its 1,288 multipliers perform chroma resampling and deinterlacing. Embedded memory blocks (M9K/M144K) buffer line-scan data with deterministic latency critical for broadcast timing. Designers use Altera's Video and Image Processing Suite (VIP) IP cores to accelerate time-to-market for production switchers and video walls.
Recommended
High-Performance Computing Accelerator
The 1,288 DSP blocks deliver ~1 TeraMAC/s of fixed-point throughput, suitable for financial Monte Carlo simulation, genomic alignment, and signal-intelligence workloads. PCIe Gen2 x8 hard IP block in the EP4SGX530KH40C4N connects to host CPUs at 4 GB/s, allowing the FPGA to act as a coprocessor behind an Intel Xeon in financial trading platforms. The KH40 1517-ball FCBGA exposes sufficient LVDS pairs for multi-channel memory expansion to QDR-II+ SRAM.
Recommended
PCIe Gen2 Root-Complex Design
The integrated PCIe Gen2 hard IP block supports x1/x2/x4/x8 lane configurations with 5 Gbps signaling, allowing the EP4SGX530KH40C4N to implement a PCIe root complex with up to 4 endpoints. The 27 Mbits embedded RAM allocate to MSI-X interrupt tables and DMA descriptor rings. Industrial PCIe cards (frame grabbers, software-defined radio, medical imaging) leverage the FPGA to bridge PCIe to proprietary high-speed backplanes while the host OS treats the device as a standard endpoint.
Recommended
Software-Defined Radio Baseband
The 24 embedded transceivers and 1,288 DSP blocks make the EP4SGX530KH40C4N well-suited to LTE/5G NR baseband processing, where multiple antenna streams require independent FFT and channel-estimation pipelines. The FPGA performs CPRI/OBSAI fronthaul aggregation at 4.9 Gbps per antenna path. Real-time LDPC/turbo decoding engines map onto the DSP blocks, and the 27 Mbits of memory buffer HARQ retransmissions without external SRAM.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP4SGX530KH40C4N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP4SGX530KH40C3N | EP4SGX530KH40C2N | EP4SGX530KH40C4 | EP4SGX530KH40C3 | EP4SGX530KH40C2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) |
| Package | 1517-ball FCBGA (KH40), 42.5x42.5 mm | 1517-ball FCBGA (KH40), 42.5x42.5 mm - same | 1517-ball FCBGA (KH40), 42.5x42.5 mm - same | 1517-ball FCBGA (KH40), 42.5x42.5 mm - same | 1517-ball FCBGA (KH40), 42.5x42.5 mm - same | 1517-ball FCBGA (KH40), 42.5x42.5 mm - same |
| Logic Elements | 531,200 | 531,200 | 531,200 | 531,200 | 531,200 | 531,200 |
| Speed Grade | C4 (fastest) | C3 (mid) | C2 (slowest) | C4 (fastest, non-N) | C3 (mid, non-N) | C2 (slowest, non-N) |
| User I/Os | 744 | 744 | 744 | 744 | 744 | 744 |
| Transceivers | 24 ch up to 8.5 Gbps | 24 ch up to 8.5 Gbps | 24 ch up to 8.5 Gbps | 24 ch up to 8.5 Gbps | 24 ch up to 8.5 Gbps | 24 ch up to 8.5 Gbps |
| Embedded Memory | 27,480 Kbits | 27,480 Kbits | 27,480 Kbits | 27,480 Kbits | 27,480 Kbits | 27,480 Kbits |
| Lead-Free / RoHS | Yes (N suffix) | Yes | Yes | Non-N variant | Non-N variant | Non-N variant |
Key Differentiators
- Highest speed grade available in 530 LE family (vs EP4SGX530KH40C3N)
- Lead-free RoHS-compliant variant (N suffix) (vs EP4SGX530KH40C4)
- Identical die and pinout across entire KH40 family (vs EP4SGX530KF43I4N)
Design Notes
The 1517-ball FCBGA at 1.0 mm pitch requires a minimum 4-layer PCB with 0.5 oz copper outer layers and 1 oz inner power planes. Use a 12 x 12 microvia-in-pad stack-up with buried capacitance of 0.4 pF/cm^2 in the core. Escape routing must use 4 mil traces with 6 mil clearances to break out from the BGA perimeter; a 4-6-4 HDI stack-up is the practical minimum for the entire signal breakout.
Estimated: a fully populated EP4SGX530KH40C4N with all 24 transceivers active draws 18-22 W from a 0.9 V core rail, requiring a switching regulator capable of 25 A continuous and 35 A peak. Use a 4-phase PWM controller with output inductors of 0.47 uH and ceramic output capacitors totaling at least 800 uF. Add 0402-size 0.1 uF + 10 uF decoupling distributed 1 cap per BGA power-ball cluster.
Transceiver channel placement is fixed in the KH40 package; do not swap signal assignments across transceiver banks without re-validating SI. JTAG chain order matters when multiple FPGAs share a JTAG bus - use the BYPASS instruction correctly. The 0.9 V VCC core must ramp within 100 ms of VCCIO at 1.0 V, or the device will not configure; add a power-good sequencing IC (e.g., LTC2924).
Compliance Information
N suffix indicates lead-free matte-tin finish per Altera ordering information. Commercial temperature grade; not AEC-Q100 qualified. Halogen-free status not stated in available data.
