Editor’s Note: This content is contributed by Bryan Fletcher, Sr. Product Marketing Manager, AMD Cost-Optimized Portfolio.
- AMD 7 Series device lifecycles extended through 2040
- AMD UltraScale+™ device lifecycles extended through 2045
- AMD Versal™ adaptive SoCs available through 2045
(All temperatures and speed grades, excluding HBM devices)
This exciting news got me thinking about the benefits of long-lifecycle devices. Engineers designing these AMD devices into new products can expect 16 to 21 additional years of availability. Having been an FPGA board designer before joining AMD, I can remember my first technical marketing project—a low-cost evaluation board based on the Xilinx Spartan™ II FPGA, which was introduced in 2000. My assignment happened in 2003, when I had been an engineer for less than 10 years.
In January 2024, AMD announced that several legacy families, including Spartan II FPGAs, would be discontinued. To say the Spartan II family had a magnificent run would be an understatement! By the time final shipments are made at the end of 2024, the Spartan II family will have had an extraordinary 25-year lifecycle. With last-time buys, products based on Spartan II FPGAs could be built and sold for several more years. A product designed by an engineer in their 30s in 2003 may now need a product refresh developed by the next generation of designers.
AMD recognizes the time and energy that our industrial, automotive, and medical customers are putting into their designs, so longevity is essential to make it worthwhile. For FPGAs and adaptive SoCs, AMD designs for a But most AMD FPGA and adaptive SoC products are around for much longer than 15 years. For example, by 2040 and 2045, many AMD 7 Series and UltraScale+ devices will have been available for purchase for nearly 30 years.
The latest UltraScale+ devices to be introduced is the Spartan UltraScale+ family, which is expected to deliver first samples in 2025—and the family’s availability will continue through at least 2045. The Spartan UltraScale+ family is the 8th generation AMD Spartan FPGA, continuing a long, rich legacy in the electronics industry. The original Spartan FPGA was introduced in 1997 with up to 40K system gates and on-chip RAM. That was quickly followed by the 3.3V SpartanXL FPGA. In addition to the Spartan II FPGA in 2000, three variants of Spartan 3 devices were offered between 2004 and 2008. The next two generations in the series have scheduled lifecycles of 20 years for Spartan 6 (2010-2030) and 22 years for Spartan 7 (2018-2040) families. The AMD Spartan UltraScale+ FPGA will maintain the legacy of 20+ year lifecycles with availability through at least 2045!
While Spartan II FPGAs may have seen their final design-in, the outlook is great for 7 Series, UltraScale+, and Versal product lines! With 18 total families and more than 50 unique devices in production for another 15+ years, there has never been a better time to build products with AMD FPGAs and adaptive SoCs.