Unlock High Performance with Intel's Agilex FPGA Development Kit

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to Intel's Agilex FPGA Development Kit
2. Overview of Intel's FPGA Portfolio
3. Agilex Architecture and Performance
4. Agilex Design and Development Kits
5. Agilex Family Variants and Transceiver Tiles
6. Comparison of Agilex with Stratix 10 and Arria 10
7. Agilex Power and Performance Advantages
8. Fabric Enhancements in Agilex
9. Agilex Hardware Features and Security
10. Transitioning from Stratix 10 to Agilex
11. Agilex Development Kits

Introduction to Intel's Agilex FPGA Development Kit

Intel's Agilex FPGA Development Kit is a powerful tool for designing and developing high-performance FPGA solutions. This kit provides designers with access to the latest Intel Agilex 10 nanometer superfin FPGAs, offering significant performance gains and power reduction compared to previous generation FPGAs.

Overview of Intel's FPGA Portfolio

Intel's FPGA portfolio offers a range of FPGAs optimized for different market segments. The portfolio includes:

• Max 10 FPGAs: Non-volatile, low-cost, and low-power devices.
• Cyclone 10 FPGAs: Cost-sensitive, low-power devices with improved performance.
• Rear 10 FPGAs: Mid-range devices with a Blend of high performance and low power features.
• Stratix 10 FPGAs: Intel's highest performance FPGAs, intended for demanding applications.
• Agilex FPGAs: Intel's next generation, high-performance FPGAs optimized for data-centric applications.

Agilex Architecture and Performance

The Agilex architecture is based on an improved Second-generation HyperFlex architecture, which delivers up to 40% higher performance or up to 40% lower power compared to previous generation FPGAs. The architecture incorporates enhancements to the ALM (Adaptive Logic Module), routing, and fabric floor plans, resulting in predictable timing and higher performance.

Agilex FPGAs utilize Intel's 10 nanometer superfin technology, which is optimized specifically for Agilex and delivers improved performance and power benefits. The devices also feature an innovative tiled architecture, with transceiver tiles connected using Intel's EMIB (Embedded Multi-Die Interconnect Bridge) technology.

Agilex Design and Development Kits

Designing with Agilex FPGAs is made easier with the availability of development kits. The Intel Agilex FPGA Development Kit provides a comprehensive set of tools, including a small-form-factor board with cooling system, PCIe Gen4x16 connectivity, on-chip DRAM, high-speed connectors, and evaluation capabilities for signal integrity and system performance.

Another development kit option is a full-Height, three-quarter-length PCIe form factor board with PCIe Gen4x16 connectivity, QFSFP DD cages, DDR4 DIMM connectors, and an optional Hard Processor System (HPS). These kits enable designers to explore and evaluate the features and capabilities of Agilex FPGAs.

Agilex Family Variants and Transceiver Tiles

The Agilex family includes several different variants, each optimized for specific applications. The F-series devices are flexible and suitable for a wide range of general-purpose FPGA applications, offering up to 58 gigabits per second bandwidth for transceivers and PCIe Gen4 support.

The I-series devices are designed for high-speed interfaces, featuring higher speed transceivers up to 116 gigabits per second, PCIe Gen5 and CXL support, and a quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 processor.

The M-series devices, still in the roadmap stage, are intended for high-performance memory applications. These devices include HPM (High Performance Memory) connected to the FPGA inside the Package, support for higher speed external memory interfaces such as DDR5, and compatibility with Intel Optane Persistent Memory.

Agilex devices use different transceiver tiles to support various protocols. These tiles include the H, E, F, P, and R tiles, each offering different numbers of transceivers and maximum data rates. The transceiver tiles are designed to provide the highest bandwidth and flexibility for processor communication and support advanced protocols like PCIe Gen5 and CXL.

Comparison of Agilex with Stratix 10 and Arria 10

When choosing between Agilex, Stratix 10, and Arria 10 FPGAs, several factors need to be considered. Agilex offers significant performance gains and power reduction compared to Stratix 10, making it an attractive choice for high-performance designs.

However, Stratix 10 may still be the best option for certain applications, as it offers a higher number of transceivers, a wider range of operating voltages, and more flexibility in terms of general-purpose IO and external memory interfaces. Arria 10 FPGAs, on the other HAND, are suitable for designs that require a balance between performance and cost.

Agilex Power and Performance Advantages

The power and performance advantages of Agilex FPGAs are derived from a combination of Intel's 10 nanometer superfin technology, improved HyperFlex architecture, advanced ALMs, and optimized routing. These innovations result in up to 40% higher performance and up to 40% lower power compared to Stratix 10 FPGAs.

Intel's 10 nanometer superfin process provides optimizations that benefit both performance and power. The transistor types are tuned to provide high performance and low leakage options, reducing power consumption in areas where high performance is not required. The metal stack is also optimized to improve performance and reduce power by reducing capacitance in the metal layers.

Agilex FPGAs have been benchmarked against representative designs, demonstrating a push-button performance improvement of 40% on average compared to Stratix 10. The fabric enhancements, including the tile architecture improvements and improved Hyper registers, contribute to the improved performance and power efficiency of Agilex FPGAs.

Fabric Enhancements in Agilex

Agilex introduces several fabric enhancements to improve performance and reduce disruptions caused by the array structure in Stratix 10 FPGAs. The rectangular sector array in Stratix 10, which includes STM, HPS, and eSRAM blocks, can cause timing issues when routing across these blocks.

To address this, the Agilex floor plan has been reconstructed to remove disruptions from the sector array. Blocks such as STM, HPS, and eSRAM are moved to the corners of the die, allowing for more predictable timing and higher performance. Additionally, GPIO cells and external memory interfaces are moved to the edges of the die, further improving performance and ease of design.

The transceiver tiles in Agilex FPGAs are designed using Intel's EMIB technology, which offers several advantages. It allows for the use of different process technologies for the transceiver tiles and the fabric die, enabling flexibility and reuse across multiple product families. This approach also supports different combinations of tiles to meet specific market needs.

Agilex Hardware Features and Security

Agilex FPGAs come with a range of advanced hardware features and security capabilities. The devices support high-speed external memory interfaces, such as DDR4 up to 3200 megabits per second, DDR5, and Intel Optane Persistent Memory.

In terms of security, Agilex devices incorporate a Triple Redundant Processor known as Secure Device Manager (SDM). The SDM manages configuration, security keys, anti-tamper sensors, secure boot support, and multi-factor authentication. By using a software-based approach, the SDM provides flexibility to adapt to evolving security threats and techniques.

Transitioning from Stratix 10 to Agilex

For those currently using Stratix 10 FPGAs, transitioning to Agilex can offer significant performance improvements and power reduction. Agilex devices offer up to 40% faster performance and up to 40% less power compared to Stratix 10.

The transition from Stratix 10 to Agilex can be made seamlessly, as both device families are based on the HyperFlex architecture. Designs developed with Stratix 10 can be easily migrated to Agilex devices, allowing for the extension of previous investments.

Agilex Development Kits

Intel provides a range of development kits to support the design and development of Agilex FPGA solutions. The Agilex FPGA Development Kit offers a compact board with cooling system, PCIe Gen4x16 connectivity, on-chip DRAM, and evaluation capabilities for signal integrity and performance.

Another option is a full-height, three-quarter-length PCIe form factor board with PCIe Gen4x16 connectivity, QFSFP DD cages, DDR4 DIMM connectors, and an optional Hard Processor System (HPS). These development kits provide designers with the tools and resources needed to explore and evaluate the capabilities of Agilex FPGAs.

To learn more about Agilex FPGAs and access additional resources, please visit the links provided in the resources section at the end of this presentation.

Thank you for watching this presentation on Intel's Agilex FPGA Development Kit. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to your local Arrow sales person or Arrow FAE.

🚀 Highlights:

• Intel's Agilex FPGA Development Kit offers access to high-performance Agilex FPGAs.
• The FPGA portfolio includes Max 10, Cyclone 10, Rear 10, Stratix 10, and Agilex FPGAs.
• Agilex FPGAs deliver up to 40% higher performance or 40% lower power compared to Stratix 10.
• Agilex architecture is based on an improved second-generation HyperFlex architecture.
• The Agilex FPGA Development Kit provides evaluation capabilities for signal integrity and system performance.
• Agilex family variants include F-series, I-series, and M-series devices, optimized for different applications.
• Agilex devices feature transceiver tiles for high-speed communication protocols.
• Agilex offers power and performance advantages, including faster DDR4 memory speeds.
• Fabric enhancements in Agilex improve performance and predictability of timing.
• Agilex devices have advanced hardware features and security, including a Triple Redundant Processor for secure management.
• Agilex FPGAs can be seamlessly transitioned from Stratix 10, offering improved performance and power reduction.
• Intel provides a range of development kits for Agilex FPGA design and development.

Resources:

• Intel's Agilex FPGA Development Kit
• Intel FPGA Portfolio
• Agilex FPGA Overview
• Agilex Design Handbook

📚 FAQ:

Q: What are the advantages of Agilex FPGAs? A: Agilex FPGAs offer significant performance gains and power reduction compared to previous generation FPGAs. They also feature advanced hardware capabilities, support high-speed interfaces, and provide enhanced security features.

Q: Can designs developed with Stratix 10 be migrated to Agilex FPGAs? A: Yes, designs developed with Stratix 10 can be seamlessly migrated to Agilex FPGAs. Both device families are based on the HyperFlex architecture, allowing for the extension of previous investments.

Q: What are the key features of the Agilex Development Kits? A: The Agilex Development Kits provide access to high-performance Agilex FPGAs and include evaluation capabilities for signal integrity and system performance. They offer PCIe connectivity, on-chip DRAM, and development resources for designers.

Q: Which applications are suitable for Agilex FPGAs? A: Agilex FPGAs are ideal for data-centric applications, high-speed interfaces, and memory-intensive designs. They are well-suited for a wide range of applications, including AI, networking, storage, and acceleration.

Q: How do Agilex FPGAs compare to Stratix 10 and Arria 10 FPGAs? A: Agilex FPGAs offer improved performance and power reduction compared to Stratix 10 FPGAs. They provide higher data rates, support advanced protocols like PCIe Gen5 and CXL, and have advanced hardware features. Arria 10 FPGAs offer a balance between performance and cost.