As Intel Altera’s (now part of Intel FPGA) 10nm process flagship FPGA family launched for next-generation high-performance computing, AI, and communication scenarios, the Agilex series marks the leap of FPGAs from "general-purpose logic devices" to "heterogeneous computing platforms". From Altera’s early FPGA series (Series I to V, Series 10, based on 28nm process) to the Agilex series, which fully transitions to the advanced 10nm process, the product positioning has evolved from the traditional "three-tier high-medium-low end" (Stratix/Arria/Cyclone) to four performance tiers (3/5/7/9). This tiering accurately caters to full-scenario needs from edge to cloud. This article comprehensively breaks down the technical details, series differences, and selection logic of the Agilex family.

I. Overall Evolution and Positioning of the Agilex Series

The evolution of Altera FPGAs follows the dual main threads of "process iteration + function enhancement":

• Early series (Series I-V, Series 10): Based on mature processes of 28nm and above, divided into three series (Stratix for high-end, Arria for mid-end, Cyclone for low-end), with positioning differentiated by Logic Element (LE) density;
• Agilex series (10nm process): Breaks away from traditional naming, adopting numeric grading (3/5/7/9) — the higher the number, the stronger the performance. Series 9 is ultra-high-end RF-grade, Series 7 is the core high-end lineup, Series 5 is the mid-end supplement, and Series 3 is the entry-level low-end option. It covers a full range of logic densities from 25K LEs to 4M LEs, integrating advanced heterogeneous resources such as HBM, NOC, Tensor DSP, and 112G PAM4.

II. In-Depth Analysis of the Full Agilex Series

1. Agilex 9: Ultra-High-End RF Flagship, Currently Unavailable in China

Agilex 9 is the highest-positioned series in the family, only available in the RF sub-series. Its core highlight is the integration of high-speed AD/DA converters with a maximum sampling rate of 64Gbps, specifically designed for ultra-high-speed RF signal processing. Its architecture supports direct connection to RF front-ends such as millimeter-wave and radar, enabling integrated "signal sampling-processing-output". Typical applications include national defense and military, aerospace, and high-end Software-Defined Radio (SDR) scenarios.Due to export control restrictions, the Agilex 9 RF series is currently unavailable in the Chinese market, so no further elaboration is provided.

2. Agilex 7: Core High-End Lineup, Covering Data Center and Communication Core Scenarios

Agilex 7 is the core shipment lineup of the family, targeting core scenarios such as high-end computing, AI inference, and high-speed communication. It has Logic Elements (LEs) ranging from 600K to 4.1M, supports 32G NRZ/56G/112G PAM4 High-Speed Serial Transceivers (XCVR), and integrates advanced technologies such as Network-on-Chip (NOC), HBM memory, and reconfigurable Fabric. It is divided into three sub-series: M, I, and F.

(1) Agilex 7 M Series: AI Computing Flagship with HBM Support

• Core Specifications: Only two high-density LE options are available (3.2M and 3.9M), with models divided into "HBM-equipped" and "non-HBM-equipped". The HBM-equipped versions integrate HBM2e memory (up to 16GB capacity) with a bandwidth of 1TB/s;
• Architecture Highlights: Adopts a reconfigurable Fabric architecture, increasing logic utilization by over 20%; supports DDR5-4800/LPDDR5-6400 memory; integrates Network-on-Chip (NOC) to enable low-latency interconnection between HBM, Fabric, and XCVR; XCVR performance is consistent with the I series, supporting up to 112G PAM4;
• Typical Applications: AI inference (e.g., computer vision, natural language processing), High-Performance Computing (HPC) acceleration, high-end industrial vision inspection.

(2) Agilex 7 I Series: Expert in High-Speed Interfaces and Network Processing

• Core Specifications: LEs range from 1.9M to 4.1M; XCVR supports up to 112G PAM4, adopting "R+F Tile" (RF Tile + Logic Tile) configuration; supports mainstream configurations of PCIe Gen5*16 (64GB/s bandwidth) + 400GE (single-port or multi-port aggregation);
• Special Model: The AGI041 device (4.1M LEs) has no DSP resources, customized for data center network processing. It optimizes functions such as packet forwarding and routing table lookup, with 15% higher performance than peer models with DSPs. It is suitable for 400GE switches, routers, and Smart Network Interface Cards (Smart NICs);
• Typical Applications: High-speed interconnection in data centers, 5G/6G base station baseband processing, high-end storage controllers.

(3) Agilex 7 F Series: Flexible Mid-to-High-End Transition Option

• Core Specifications: LEs range from 600K to 2.7M; XCVR supports up to 56G PAM4, offering two configurations: "P+E Tile" (older version: PCIe + Ethernet Tile) and "F Tile" (newer version: flexible Tile supporting more protocols);
• Packaging Advantage: The R24C package is recommended, enabling pin2pin compatibility across the full series (600K~2.7M LEs). Customers can replace models with different LE densities in the same PCB design without re-layout, significantly reducing development costs and cycles;
• Typical Applications: Industrial Ethernet gateways, mid-to-high-end video processing (e.g., 4K/8K live streaming encoding), mid-end communication devices (25GE/100GE routers).

3. Agilex 5: Mid-End Supplement, Single-Die Low-Power Option for Edge and Industrial Scenarios

Positioned as a "low-density supplement to the Agilex 7 series", Agilex 5 adopts a full-chip single-die structure (integrating the F-Tile XCVR of Agilex 7 into the Fabric die). Compared with multi-die solutions, it reduces interconnection losses, lowers power consumption by over 30%, supports DDR5/LPDDR5, and features full-series MIPI interface support with AI-customized Tensor DSP. It is divided into two sub-series: D and E.

(1) Agilex 5 D Series: High-Performance Industrial Core

• Core Specifications: LEs range from 100K to 640K; M20K embedded memory (2.5 M20Ks per 1K LEs) and DSP resources are doubled compared to the E series with the same LE density; DDR frequency is higher; XCVR supports up to 28Gbps, with PCIe Gen4x8 (32GB/s bandwidth) and 10GE/25GE support;
• Typical Applications: Industrial robot control, high-end Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), edge AI inference (e.g., machine vision defect detection).

(2) Agilex 5 E Series: Cost-Effective Segmented Option, Divided into Group A/B

The E series is further divided into Group A (high-end) and Group B (entry-level), focusing on cost-effectiveness and small size:

• Group A: LEs range from 130K to 650K; DDR frequency is lower than the D series but higher than Group B; XCVR supports up to 28Gbps, with 10GE/25GE and PCIe Gen4x4 support;
• Group B: LEs range from 50K to 650K; DDR frequency is the lowest; XCVR supports up to 17Gbps, with only 10GE support; models with 50K/70K LEs have no XCVR;
• Typical Applications: Consumer electronics (smart home main control), low-end industrial automation (sensor data acquisition), in-vehicle infotainment systems.

(3) Core Highlights of Agilex 5: AI and Interface Optimization

• Tensor DSP: Customized for AI inference, supporting INT8/FP16 operations with a computing power of 2 TOPS (3.1 GOPS per 1K LEs), suitable for lightweight AI tasks at the edge (e.g., face recognition, object classification);
• MIPI Interface: Full-series support for MIPI CSI-2 v2.0 (4 channels, 4Gbps rate) and DSI-2, enabling direct connection to multi-channel cameras or displays, suitable for in-vehicle surround view and smart camera scenarios.

4. Agilex 3: Entry-Level Low-End, Edge Control Preference with HPS Integration

Agilex 3 is the low-end series of the family, with Logic Elements (LEs) ranging from 25K to 135K. Based on the 14nm process (lower cost than 10nm), it focuses on "cost-effectiveness + embedded control", with the core highlight being the integration of Hard Processor System (HPS) in some models:

• Core Specifications:
  • HPS-equipped models (100K/135K LEs): Integrate a quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 processor (up to 1.5GHz), with supporting peripherals such as Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0, and CAN-FD, enabling "FPGA logic + processor" integration;
  • Non-HPS models (25K/50K/70K LEs): Pure logic design without processors or XCVR, supporting only basic interfaces (SPI, I2C, UART);
  • XCVR support: Only 100K/135K LE models have 4 channels of 12.5Gbps, suitable for 10GE/25GE (12.5Gbps corresponds to 10GE); supports PCIe Gen3x4 (8GB/s bandwidth);
• Typical Applications: Low-end industrial control (e.g., sensor nodes, small PLCs), edge data acquisition (e.g., IoT gateways), auxiliary control in consumer electronics (e.g., smart home central control).

III. Core Technical Highlights of the Agilex Series

1. Advanced Process and Heterogeneous Integration: Mainstream models adopt the 10nm process, while Agilex 3 uses 14nm. It integrates heterogeneous resources such as HBM2e, NOC, and Tensor DSP, breaking the "pure logic" limitation of traditional FPGAs;
2. Leading High-Speed Interfaces: Supports up to 112G PAM4 XCVR, PCIe Gen5*16, and DDR5-4800, meeting ultra-high-speed interconnection needs in data centers and communications;
3. Low-Power Optimization: The single-die structure of Agilex 5 reduces interconnection losses; Agilex 3/5 feature intelligent power management (dynamic voltage/frequency adjustment), reducing power consumption by 30%~50% compared to the previous generation;
4. Flexible Scalability: The Agilex 7 F series achieves pin2pin compatibility with the R24C package; the entire Agilex 5/3 series offers software compatibility, reducing customer upgrade and selection costs.

IV. Agilex Series Selection Guide (By Scenario)

ICgoodFind Perspective

With "10nm process + heterogeneous resources + full-scenario coverage", the Intel Altera Agilex series has become a benchmark product in the current FPGA market. ICgoodFind has established a full-model spot inventory and technical support system for the Agilex series:

• For data center customers, it prioritizes the provision of Agilex 7 I/M series (e.g., AGI041, AGFM039) to meet high-speed interface and AI computing needs;
• For industrial customers, it focuses on the Agilex 5 D/E series (e.g., AGFD064, AGFE065) to match low-power requirements and MIPI/industrial Ethernet needs;
• For edge control customers, it recommends Agilex 3 (e.g., AGF3100) to provide an integrated "HPS + FPGA" solution.

ICgoodFind also offers selection consulting, hardware design references, and software debugging support to help customers quickly implement cost-effective solutions based on Agilex, driving FPGA application innovation from edge to cloud.