The Intel 10AS066K3F40E2SG is a high-performance System-on-Chip FPGA (SoC FPGA) from Intel’s Arria 10 SX family (formerly Altera). It represents the pinnacle of mid‑range FPGAs built on a 20‑nm process, combining a dual‑core ARM Cortex‑A9 hard processor system (HPS) with 660,000 logic elements of programmable fabric on a single die – a true fusion of software programmability and hardware reconfigurability.
The Intel 10AS066K3F40E2SG is a high-performance System-on-Chip FPGA (SoC FPGA) from Intel’s Arria 10 SX family (formerly Altera). It represents the pinnacle of mid‑range FPGAs built on a 20‑nm process, combining a dual‑core ARM Cortex‑A9 hard processor system (HPS) with 660,000 logic elements of programmable fabric on a single die – a true fusion of software programmability and hardware reconfigurability.
This device is RoHS‑compliant, packaged in a 1517‑pin FBGA with a 40 mm × 40 mm footprint, and its product status is officially “Active” – meaning it remains in full production and is readily available through authorised channels.
With 660,000 logic elements (LEs), the 10AS066K3F40E2SG offers more than 12 times the logic resources of the XC2VP50‑5FF1152I (53,136 LEs). This enables the implementation of extremely complex digital designs – from multi‑core processor systems and AI accelerators to high‑speed network protocol stacks and advanced video processing pipelines – all within a single chip.
| Feature | XC2VP50 5FF1152I | 10AS066K3F40E2SG |
| Processor Core | PowerPC 405 (×2) | Dual core ARM Cortex A9 MPCore |
| Max Frequency | ~400 MHz | 1.5 GHz |
| Embedded RAM | 4.27 Mb (~0.5 MB) | 256 KB (plus FPGA RAM) |
| Process Technology | 130 nm | 20 nm |
| Package | 1152 BBGA (35×35 mm) | 1517 FCBGA (40×40 mm) |
| User I/O | 692 | 696 |
| Operating Temp. | –40 °C to +100 °C (industrial) | 0 °C to +100 °C |
| RoHS Compliance | No (leaded) | Yes |
| Product Status | Partly obsolete / high counterfeiting risk | Active |
The ARM Cortex‑A9 architecture offers superior power efficiency, a vast ecosystem of development tools, and seamless support for mainstream operating systems (Linux, Android, etc.). At 1.5 GHz, the processor runs nearly 4 times faster than the PowerPC 405, enabling complex software algorithms and full‑featured OSes to run smoothly.
The 10AS066K3F40E2SG integrates up to 48 full‑duplex transceivers capable of running at up to 17.4 Gbps per lane. In contrast, the XC2VP50’s RocketIO transceivers top out at 3.125 Gbps. The improvements are staggering:
- Per‑lane bandwidth – 17.4 Gbps vs. 3.125 Gbps (5.5× increase)
- Number of lanes – up to 48 vs. 8 (6× increase)
- Total aggregate bandwidth – from ~25 Gbps to over 800 Gbps
This enables native support for 100‑Gigabit Ethernet, PCIe Gen3 x16, multiple SFP+ optical modules, and other high‑end interfaces.
Moving from 130 nm to 20 nm allows over 12 times more logic integration in the same silicon area while significantly reducing dynamic power consumption. The core voltage is only 0.9 V (compared to 1.5 V for the XC2VP50), delivering a remarkable performance‑per‑watt improvement.
| Parameter | Specification |
| Manufacturer | Intel (formerly Altera) |
| Family | Arria 10 SX |
| Logic Elements (LE) | 660,000 |
| Adaptive Logic Modules (ALM) | 251,680 |
| Embedded Memory (RAM) | 41.62 Mbit |
| User I/O Pins | 696 |
| Processor System | Dual core ARM Cortex A9 MPCore with CoreSight™ |
| Processor Clock Speed | 1.5 GHz |
| HPS RAM | 256 KB |
| High Speed Transceivers | 36 ~ 48, up to 17.4 Gbps |
| Package Type | 1517 FCBGA (40 mm × 40 mm) |
| Core Voltage | 0.87 V ~ 0.93 V (typical 0.9 V) |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to +100 °C |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| MSL Level | 3 (168 hours) |
| Product Status | Active |
The integrated dual‑core ARM Cortex‑A9 MPCore subsystem includes:
- 256 KB on‑chip RAM
- Rich peripherals: DMA, POR, WDT
- Multiple connectivity options: EBI/EMI, Ethernet, I²C, MMC/SD/SDIO, SPI, UART/USART, USB OTG
This allows developers to run Linux, VxWorks, FreeRTOS and other OSes directly on the chip while offloading compute‑intensive tasks to the FPGA fabric – enabling true heterogeneous computing (software programmable + hardware reconfigurable).
- 660K LEs for massive user logic
- 41.62 Mbit of embedded RAM for large data buffering and caching
- 696 user I/Os supporting LVTTL, LVCMOS, and numerous other standards
- Abundant clock management resources for complex timing designs
Up to 48 full‑duplex transceivers at 17.4 Gbps per lane natively support:
- PCI Express Gen1/2/3
- 10G/40G/100G Ethernet
- SATA 3.0
- USB 3.0
- HDMI 2.0 (4K2K@60)
The device supports EBI/EMI, Ethernet, I²C, MMC/SD/SDIO, SPI, UART/USART, and USB OTG, making it easy to interface with a wide variety of external sensors and devices.
With its combination of 660K LEs and a 1.5‑GHz dual‑core ARM Cortex‑A9, the 10AS066K3F40E2SG is ideal for high‑end applications including:
- Data Centres & Network Acceleration
- 100G packet processing and protocol offload
- Storage acceleration (NVMe, SAS controllers)
- Cryptographic hardware acceleration
- Communications Infrastructure
- 5G baseband processing
- Microwave and millimetre‑wave backhaul
- Software‑defined radio (SDR)
- Video & Image Processing
- 4K/8K codec and transcoding
- Multi‑channel surveillance and intelligent analytics
- Broadcast‑grade video switching and effects
- Industrial Automation & Robotics
- Real‑time industrial Ethernet (Profinet, EtherCAT)
- Multi‑axis motion control and machine vision
- High‑end PLCs and industrial controllers
- Automotive & Aerospace
- ADAS (Advanced Driver‑Assistance Systems)
- Avionics and radar signal processing
- High‑performance test and measurement equipment
- AI & Machine Learning
- Edge AI inference acceleration
- Neural network hardware accelerator deployment
- Real‑time signal processing and pattern recognition
This device is already integrated into popular development platforms such as the Terasic HAN Pilot Platform and DE10‑Advanced, and is fully supported by the Intel Quartus Prime development suite.
- Product Status: Active – still in regular production and supply.
- Reference Prices (subject to change):
- Mouser: ~ NZ$3,150.49 per unit
- DigiKey: ~ US$6,113.43 per unit (tray packaging, 3‑piece min.)
- RMB estimate: ~ ¥12,799.39 per unit
- Lead Times: Factory lead time is typically 8‒24 weeks; DigiKey shows ~23 weeks. It is advisable to plan procurement well in advance and check with authorised distributors for real‑time quotes.
The Intel 10AS066K3F40E2SG marks a major milestone in the evolution from traditional FPGAs to SoC FPGAs. Compared to the XC2VP50‑5FF1152I, it delivers overwhelming improvements across every critical metric:
- 12× more logic capacity
- 4× faster processor performance
- 5.5× higher per‑lane transceiver bandwidth and 6× more lanes
- 20‑nm technology for superior performance and power efficiency
Moreover, it offers:
- ✅ Active production status – no obsolescence risk
- ✅ RoHS‑compliant – meets environmental regulations
- ✅ ARM ecosystem – access to the world’s largest embedded processor development community
- ✅ Broad peripheral support – simplifies system integration
For complex embedded system designs that demand both high‑performance computing and flexible hardware acceleration, the 10AS066K3F40E2SG stands out as a highly competitive choice.
