Altera's Arria® FPGA series is designed for cost- and power-sensitive transceiver-based and embedded applications. The Arria FPGA series has a rich feature set of memory, logic, and digital signal processing (DSP) blocks combined with the superior signal integrity of up to 10.3125-Gbps transceivers to allow you to integrate more functions and maximize system bandwidth. Furthermore, the SoC FPGAs in the Arria V family offer an ARM-based hard processor system (HPS) for even higher integration and power savings.
The Arria series includes Arria GX, Arria II, and Arria V devices which have always had on-chip transceivers that allow the transfer of serial data in and out of the FPGA at high frequencies. The newest member to the Arria series is the Arria V SoC FPGA with integrated 6.375-Gbps or 10.3125-Gbps transceivers and an ARM-based HPS. Compare Arria series devices at our online Product Selector.
Table 1. Arria FPGA Series Introduction
| Arria GX FPGA | Arria II GX FPGA | Arria II GZ FPGA | Arria V FPGA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year of introduction | 2007 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Process technology | 90 nm | 40 nm | 40 nm | 28 nm |
| Recommended for new designs | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
The Arria V FPGA family offers the lowest power and lowest system cost for mainstream applications. Arria V FPGAs include unique innovations such as a HPS centered around the dual-core ARM® CortexTM-A9 MPCoreTM processor. The HPS includes a rich set of hardened peripherals, the lowest power transceivers at 6.375 Gbps and 10.3125 Gbps, hardened memory interfaces, and a power-optimized core architecture that comprises redesigned adaptive logic modules (ALMs), variable-precision DSP blocks, distributed and new M10K embedded memory blocks, and fractional clock synthesis phase-locked loops (PLLs). With these innovations, Arria V FPGAs deliver the power, bandwidth, and cost to meet your unique design needs.
The Arria II FPGA family is ideal for cost-sensitive applications. Arria II FPGAs are based on a 40-nm, full-featured FPGA fabric that includes ALMs, DSP blocks, embedded RAM, and a hard PCI Express® intellectual property (IP) core. The Arria II GX and GZ FPGAs from the Arria II FPGA family feature the industry's lowest power FPGAs with up to 6.375-Gbps transceivers. Unlike other 6G FPGA families, Altera's Arria II FPGA family offers improvements in usability that allow you to complete your projects faster.
The Arria GX FPGA family is Altera's cost-optimized 90-nm FPGA family with transceivers. With transceiver speeds up to 3.125 Gbps, you can connect existing modules, devices, and support protocols such as PCI Express, Gbps Ethernet, Serial RapidIO®, SDI, XAUI, and more. The Arria GX FPGA family incorporates Altera's proven transceiver technology, ensuring excellent signal integrity for your designs.
