Spartan UltraScale+ is the latest addition to AMD's extensive portfolio of field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and cost-optimized adaptive SoCs. It was introduced to replace the Xilinx Spartan 6 and Spartan 7 lines.
The new Spartan UltraScale+ devices are designed for a wide range of I/O-intensive applications at the edge. AMD says its latest FPGAs can deliver up to 30 percent less total power consumption compared to the previous generation (power efficiency is a hot topic right now) while still boasting the feature set of Strongest security in AMD's cost-optimized portfolio.
“For more than 25 years, the Spartan FPGA family has helped power some of humanity's greatest achievements, from life-saving automated defibrillators to the CERN particle accelerator that advances the boundaries of human knowledge,” said Kirk Saban, vice president AMD Adaptive and Integrated Computing Group corporate. . “Based on the proven 16nm technology, the enhanced security and features of the Spartan UltraScale+ family, common design tools and long product lifecycles further strengthen our market-leading FPGA portfolio and underscore our commitment to offering products with optimized costs for customers.
To the 2040s… and beyond!
Spartan UltraScale+ FPGAs offer a host of next-generation security features, including support for post-quantum cryptography with NIST-approved algorithms to provide robust IP protection against evolving threats. They also include a physical non-clone feature, which provides each device with a unique fingerprint for added security.
Spartan UltraScale+ FPGA family sampling and evaluation kits are expected to be available in the first half of 2025, with tooling support, starting with AMD Vivado Design Suite, in Q4 2024.
What about that super long life cycle that is promised? AMD says the Spartan UltraScale+ FPGA will be supported into the 2040s, and this is just the standard life cycle. AMD will probably offer a extended on top of that (as it has with previous FPGAs), which will maintain chip support in the future.
This might seem like great generosity on AMD's part, but as Serve at home explains: “Spartan FPGAs are often found in products that take years to design and then are sold and used for decades into the future.”
