Introduction
FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) are integrated circuits that can be reconfigured to implement custom hardware functions as needed. High-end FPGAs offer immense processing power and advanced features, but come at a premium price.
This article will explore the fastest and most expensive FPGA processors on the market today from leading vendors like Xilinx and Intel (Altera). We will analyze their architectures, performance specifications, advanced capabilities, target applications, and cost factors.
What are High-End FPGAs?
FPGAs consist of a fabric of basic logic blocks and interconnects that can be programmed to synthesize desired hardware functionality. High-end FPGAs push the limits in:
- Logic density – More logic blocks and memory blocks for larger/complex designs.
- Performance – Fast clock speeds, wide bus widths, and high throughput.
- Features – Advanced I/O, hard blocks for functions like processing and security.
- Software – Mature tool chains for programming and debugging.
These capabilities come at a price premium, but enable much higher implementation complexity and performance vs mainstream FPGAs.
The largest high-end FPGAs today offer ~10 million logic elements, terabits per second of bandwidth, hardened processor cores, and extensive software ecosystems for development.
Fastest FPGA Processors
Let’s analyze the fastest FPGA processors currently available from the leading vendors Xilinx and Intel/Altera:
Xilinx Versal ACAP
The Versal ACAP (Adaptive Compute Acceleration Platform) is the latest flagship series from Xilinx combining FPGA fabric with hardened processor cores, DSP blocks, and AI Engines.
Specifications:
- Up to 3.7 million logic cells
- AI Engines deliver up to 72 TMACs (trillion MACs per second)
- 8 high performance ARM cores clocked up to 2.5 GHz
- 112G transceivers with up to 58Gb/s bandwidth
- 11500 DSP slices capable of up to 36 TFLOPs
With its massive scale, Versal excels at data center acceleration, 5G networking, test & measurement, and aerospace/defense applications. The ACAP architecture brings tighter coupling between the FPGA fabric and processing subsystems.
Intel Stratix 10 GX/SX
The Stratix 10 series represents the flagship FPGAs from Intel (formerly Altera) providing high performance logic, DSP, and transceiver integration.
Highlights:
- Up to 9.8 million adaptive logic modules (ALMs)
- Up to 5818 Kb of Hyper-RAM blocks
- Up to 2592 DSP blocks with adaptive signal processing
- 56G transceivers with up to 112 Gbps per channel
- Hardened HBM2 PHY supporting up to 16GB of memory
Stratix 10 provides leading performance for 5G wireless, software defined networks (SDN), mid-range high performance computing (HPC), and test and measurement systems.
Performance Comparison
The table below compares the key performance specs between the Versal and Stratix 10 FPGA families:
| Metric | Xilinx Versal | Intel Stratix 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Logic Cells | Up to 3.7 million | Up to 9.8 million |
| Transceiver Speed | Up to 58 Gbps | Up to 112 Gbps |
| DSP Slices | Up to 11500 | Up to 2592 |
| AI Engines | Up to 72 TMACs | N/A |
| Processor Cores | Up to 8x ARM at 2.5GHz | N/A |
While the Stratix 10 leads in pure FPGA fabric performance, the Versal adds considerable processing power through its hardened AI Engines and multicore ARM processors. Both represent the cutting edge of speed and capabilities in high-end FPGA technology today.
Most Expensive FPGA Processors
In addition to being the fastest, high-density FPGAs also carry premium price tags. Here are examples of the most expensive FPGA processors and their costs:
Xilinx Versal Premium ACAP VCK5000
The Versal VCK5000 series includes the largest and highest performance options. The VCK5000 is available in 3 variants:
- VCK5000T – Top tier with full AI Engine complement
- VCK5000L – Mid-range model
- VCK5000H – Optimized for high memory bandwidth
List pricing for commercial grade VCK5000 FPGAs ranges from $18,600 to $44,500 based on density configuration.
Intel Stratix 10 GX 2800
Among the Stratix 10 family, the GX 2800 offers the maximum transceiver count and bandwidth. Key specs:
- 112G transceivers for dense 4T4R configurations
- 8752K adaptive logic modules (ALMs)
- 5818Kb of Hyper-RAM
- Fast DDR4 multi-bank memory interfaces
The Stratix 10 GX 2800 retails for $59,465 per unit at the high end. Lower density options with fewer transceivers and ALMs are priced from $18k to $30k.
Driving Factors for Cost
What accounts for the steep price tags for high-performance FPGAs? Here are some of the key factors:
State-of-the-Art Fabrication
Leading edge fabrication processes are used to manufacture high-density FPGAs such as TSMC’s 7nm. The latest lithography techniques and wafer technologies are employed.
Precise DieYield Management
To maximize usable dies per wafer, laser and design techniques are used to enable complex FPGAs with minimal defects. This improves costs but requires extremely tight process control.
Advanced Packaging
High pin counts, thermal management, and interconnect bandwidth require advanced substrate and flip-chip packaging technologies. This increases materials and assembly costs.
Rigorous Qualification
Extensive product qualification including hot temperature testing and burn-in screening ensure the reliability demanded by aerospace, defense and networking customers.
Software Ecosystems
Mature software tool chains for programming, debugging and analysis have been developed around flagship FPGAs, improving productivity but requiring tremendous R&D investments.
Customer Support Infrastructure
For large accounts using high-end FPGAs, significant technical account management and field application engineering resources provide design support and training.
By targeting the highest densities, performance levels and capabilities, premium FPGAs ultimately entail greater costs across the entire product life cycle.
Applications Demanding Maximum Performance
What types of applications utilize the most advanced FPGAs despite their high price?
Aerospace and Defense Systems
Real-time sensor processing, radar/image processing, and encrypted communications require the performance and reliability provided by top-tier FPGAs.
Data Center Acceleration
Cloud service providers use high-end FPGAs for low latency financial analytics, software defined networking, and machine learning inference acceleration.
Test and Measurement
Leading-edge FPGAs keep pace with emerging standards for networking, automotive, and communications equipment testing.
5G Wireless Infrastructure
Early 5G base stations and core network elements often adopt large FPGAs for their performance, reconfigurability and rapid time to market.
Deep Learning
For training and deploying cutting edge neural networks, high-end FPGAs coupled with high bandwidth memory provide the horsepower needed.
For these mission-critical workloads, customers are willing to adopt expensive, top-of-the-line FPGA solutions to future-proof their systems and gain a competitive edge.
Conclusion
Key takeaways:
- High-end FPGAs push the envelope on logic density, performance, features and software maturity.
- Xilinx Versal and Intel Stratix 10 represent the fastest FPGA processors today, each with unique strengths.
- Largest FPGAs can cost from $18k up to nearly $60k for flagship offerings.
- Cutting-edge fabrication, packaging, reliability and software development increase costs.
- Aerospace, defense, 5G wireless, data center acceleration, and ML inference demand and justify high-end FPGAs.
As FPGA architectures continue evolving, we can expect more integration of processor cores along with larger and faster programmable fabrics. The fastest and most expensive FPGAs will remain sought after in applications where performance is paramount despite the premium price.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some key characteristics of high-end FPGAs?
High logic density, fast transceivers, abundant DSP blocks, advanced I/O, hardened IP blocks, and mature software toolchains distinguish high-end FPGAs. They enable much more complex designs vs mainstream FPGAs.
Which FPGA offerings are currently the fastest in the market?
The Xilinx Versal ACAP and Intel Stratix 10 FPGA families represent the top-tier for performance presently. Both support complex designs with 10+ million logic cells and transceiver speeds above 100Gbps.
Why do the largest FPGAs cost tens of thousands of dollars?
Cutting-edge fabrication, precision manufacturing, extensive qualification, advanced packaging, and full-fledged software ecosystems contribute to the steep cost of high-end FPGAs targeted at top performance.
What types of applications require and justify such expensive FPGAs?
Aerospace/defense, 5G infrastructure, data center acceleration, test systems, and AI inference rely on the capabilities of expensive, high-end FPGAs to future-proof their systems and gain a competitive edge.
How do costs scale with the size and performance level of the FPGA?
There is an exponential increase in cost as FPGAs climb the ladder from low-cost/low-density to mainstream and finally high-end. The largest FPGAs can cost up to 10-20X more than entry-level devices.
