Intel Unveils Next-Gen Agilex Series, Expanding FPGA Portfolio for Enhanced Performance

Intel is expanding its Intel Agilex FPGA portfolio and broadening its Programmable Solutions Group (PSG) offerings to meet the increasing demand for customized workloads and enhanced AI capabilities. These new products and technologies will be showcased at Intel’s FPGA Technology Day (IFTD) on Sept. 18, where industry professionals can engage with Intel and partner experts.

FPGAs play a crucial role in Intel’s portfolio by providing flexible and customizable platform capabilities for demanding applications. With AI capabilities across silicon, IP, and software, Intel FPGAs address customer challenges from cloud to edge. The company’s recent announcements demonstrate its commitment to investing in its FPGA portfolio. In 2023 alone, Intel has already released 11 out of the expected 15 new products, marking a significant expansion in its FPGA business.

Intel’s expanded Intel Agilex portfolio caters to various programmable logic needs with FPGAs, offering feature advancements that enable developers to build solutions more efficiently. Additionally, Intel is open-sourcing the Open FPGA Stack (OFS), making it accessible to developers for platform and workload development. This move allows hardware and software developers to leverage the capabilities of Intel Agilex FPGAs and Intel Stratix 10 FPGAs for their solution development.

Among the new products unveiled by Intel are the Intel Agilex 3 FPGA Series. These power and cost-optimized FPGAs come in compact form factors and serve as essential building blocks for a wide range of applications across markets. The B-Series FPGAs offer higher I/O density in smaller form factors, making them suitable for board and system management applications. On the other hand, the C-Series FPGAs provide added capabilities for complex programmable logic devices (CPLD) and FPGA applications across vertical markets.

Intel is also expanding its early access program for the Intel Agilex 5 FPGA E-Series, which delivers cost-effective power and performance for embedded edge applications. These FPGAs offer up to 1.6 times better performance per watt compared to competitors and are equipped with the industry’s first AI tensor block from Intel’s high-end offerings. The company plans to begin sampling to early access customers in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Furthermore, Intel Agilex 7 FPGAs with R-Tile are now shipping CXL IP with 2.0 features in volume. These FPGAs provide leading technology capabilities, including 2 times faster PCIe 5.0 bandwidth and 4 times higher CXL bandwidth per port compared to other competitive FPGA products. The configurable and scalable architecture of Intel Agilex 7 FPGAs allows customers to deploy customized technology at scale, reducing design costs and development processes.

Intel’s commitment to open-source initiatives is evident with the launch of the Open FPGA Stack (OFS). This offering provides developers with full access to the hardware code, software code, and technical documentation for platform and workload development. Partners like BittWare, Hitek Systems, and SigmaX already have deployable OFS-based platform and application offerings available.

Additionally, Intel is introducing the first production adapters based on the F2000X infrastructure processing unit (IPU) platform. These adapters, developed by Napatech, enable TCO improvements for cloud and networking applications.

Lastly, Intel is launching the Nios V/c compact microcontroller, a new processor in the Nios V family. Based on the RISC-V architecture, this free, soft-core IP targets devices supported in Intel Quartus Prime Pro software, with plans to expand support to devices in Quartus Prime Standard software. The Quartus Prime software is a programmable logic device design software that provides customers with a comprehensive ecosystem to bring their designs to market efficiently.

Overall, Intel’s expanded FPGA portfolio and new product offerings demonstrate its commitment to meeting customers’ evolving needs for customized workloads and enhanced AI capabilities. With a focus on providing lower TCO and complete solutions, Intel continues to drive innovation in the FPGA space.

Background Information

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About Intel: Intel Corporation, a global technology leader, is renowned for its semiconductor innovations that power computing and communication devices worldwide. As a pioneer in microprocessor technology, Intel has left an indelible mark on the evolution of computing with its processors that drive everything from PCs to data centers and beyond. With a history of groundbreaking advancements, Intel's relentless pursuit of innovation continues to shape the digital landscape, offering solutions that empower businesses and individuals to achieve new levels of productivity and connectivity.

  

Technology Explained

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PCIe: PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard for connecting components such as graphics cards, sound cards, and network cards to a motherboard. It is the most widely used interface in the computer industry today, and is used in both desktop and laptop computers. PCIe is capable of providing up to 16 times the bandwidth of the older PCI standard, allowing for faster data transfer speeds and improved performance. It is also used in a variety of other applications, such as storage, networking, and communications. PCIe is an essential component of modern computing, and its applications are only expected to grow in the future.