Compute & Density Boosted for Next-Generation RF Systems

Altera Corporation has announced the engineering sample availability of its next-generation Agilex 9 Direct RF-Series SoC FPGAs at the International Microwave Symposium.

The latest addition to the company’s portfolio is designed to meet growing performance, integration, and adaptability demands in aerospace, defense, and advanced communications systems. By delivering a 40% increase in compute capability per square millimeter, the technology allows engineers to process and analyze RF signals closer to the edge while adapting to changing mission requirements within tight size, weight, power, and latency constraints.

The architecture integrates high-speed data converters, programmable logic, and processing elements into a single package. Compared to the previous generation, the new device provides 45% greater logic and DSP density alongside support for DDR5 and LPDDR5 memory technologies. Featuring integrated 64Gsps wideband RF with higher compute and memory resources, this programmable solution eliminates the need for multi-chip designs and enables advanced beamforming for radar and data cube processing. The highly integrated platform supports high-bandwidth signal capture and generation, allowing users to scale performance while maintaining long-term design flexibility.

“Across aerospace, defense, and advanced communications, our customers are being asked to handle more data and operate within tighter constraints,” said John Sotir, General Manager of Altera’s Aerospace, Defense and Government business unit. “With our latest Agilex 9 Direct RF device, we’re helping them meet those challenges by bringing together high-performance compute, memory, and RF capabilities into a single, highly integrated platform.”

Ian Dunn, CTO at Spectrum Control, an Altera board partner, stated, “As RF systems become more complex and bandwidth demands continue to grow, integration and performance at the system level are critical. Altera’s newest Agilex 9 Direct RF-Series SoC FPGA enables us to simplify system architectures while delivering the high-performance signal processing our customers require. The combination of integrated RF, compute, and memory helps us accelerate development and bring more capable solutions to market faster.”