(iTers News) – Altera Corporation today released the Quartus II software Arria 10 edition, the industry’s first development tool support for 20 nm FPGAs and SoCs. Based on TSMC 20 nm process technology, Arria 10 FPGAs and SoCs effectively reinvent the midrange FPGA and SoC category by simultaneously delivering a 15% performance gain over current high-end FPGAs and up to 40% lower power than previous midrange devices. Customers can start developing Arria 10 FPGA and SoC-based systems today using the familiar and proven Quartus II design environment with the fastest compile times in the industry.

“For the past six months early access customers have successfully used Quartus II software to design Arria 10 FPGAs and SoCs, and today we are pleased to make this software support available to all users who want the quickest path to 20 nm devices,” said Premal Buch, vice president of software engineering at Altera. “Quartus II software uses leading-edge algorithms that take advantage of modern multi-core computing technologies. Architecting our software this way enables us to extend Quartus II software support to Altera’s next-generation product families and continue to deliver the industry’s fastest compile times.”

Customers can use the Quartus II software Arria 10 edition to get a jumpstart designing the device’s advanced features into next-generation systems. Users can design, simulate and compile Arria 10 FPGAs and SoCs using the software. The software release includes advanced timing models and final pin outs to enable board layout. The Quartus II software Arria 10 edition supports multiple FPGA and SoC devices, including the largest density midrange Arria 10 device, featuring up to 1.15 million logic elements (LEs).

Arria 10 FPGAs and SoCs offer 2X greater system integration than competitive midrange devices, including up to 1.15 million LEs, variable-precision digital signal processing (DSP) blocks with more than 3300 18x19 multipliers and integrated hard IP and the option of an integrated processor system that features a 1.5 GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor. Arria 10 FPGAs and SoCs also provide 4X greater bandwidth compared to the current generation, including 28-Gbps transceivers, and 3X higher system performance, including support for PCIe Gen3 x8, 2666 Mbps DDR4 and up to 15-Gbps Hybrid Memory Cube. Arria 10 FPGAs and SoCs devices will be supported by Altera’s Enprion optimized power solutions that deliver an industry-leading combination of high efficiency, small footprint, and low noise performance in an integrated product.

Arria 10 FPGAs and SoCs are optimized for systems that require high-performance features while being constrained by strict cost and power budgets. These midrange devices leverage an advanced 20 nm process and include features tailored to address the requirements of a variety of end markets, including communications, broadcast, and compute and storage.

• Arria 10 FPGAs and SoCs provide customers in the wireless communications market a high-performance, cost-optimized single-chip solution for mobile backhaul applications by integrating the control plane processor, network processor, switches, and IO expansion into a single chip. The devices also include support the latest wireless standards such as CPRI. Customers in the wireline transmission and networking segments will have early access to features like PCIe Gen3 x8, 28-Gbps transceivers, 100G Ethernet and 100G Interlaken, and support for the latest serial memory standards.


• Arria 10 FPGAs and SoCs provide developers of broadcast and studio equipment the most power-, space-, and cost-efficient solution for integrating video and image processing including 4K, 3D, and codecs. Customers can get started today developing next-generation broadcast and studio equipment that supports the latest ultra-high-definition video technologies.


• The era of cloud computing is straining today’s compute and storage systems, which are required to access more data in shorter amounts of time, while minimizing power consumption. Arria 10 FPGAs and SoCs are an ideal solution to target next-generation storage system due to their high-performance features and low power consumption, leading to lower operating expenses for customers.

The Quartus II software Arria 10 Edition is available now.  The software is available as a subscription edition and includes a free 30-day trial. The annual software subscription is US$2,995 for a node-locked PC license.