The XCKU095-2FFVC1517E is a high-performance field-programmable gate array (FPGA) from AMD Xilinx, belonging to the Kintex UltraScale family. Designed for compute-intensive, bandwidth-sensitive applications, this device delivers exceptional signal processing power, high-speed transceivers, and advanced memory interfaces — all within a power-efficient architecture. Whether you’re building wireless infrastructure, test and measurement equipment, or high-performance computing systems, the XCKU095-2FFVC1517E offers the programmable logic density and feature set to meet demanding design requirements.
As part of the broader Xilinx FPGA portfolio, the XCKU095-2FFVC1517E represents a mid-to-high density solution that bridges the gap between cost-optimized and flagship devices.
What Is the XCKU095-2FFVC1517E?
The XCKU095-2FFVC1517E is a member of the Kintex UltraScale product family, manufactured on TSMC’s 20nm planar process technology. The “KU095” designation indicates the device density tier within the Kintex UltraScale series, while “-2” denotes the commercial speed grade, “FFVC1517” refers to the 1517-ball Fine Pitch BGA (FCBGA) package, and “E” indicates the extended temperature range.
This FPGA is a programmable device, meaning its internal logic can be configured and reconfigured to implement virtually any digital circuit — from simple glue logic to complex DSP pipelines, memory controllers, and networking stacks.
Key Technical Specifications
Core Architecture
| Parameter |
Value |
| Family |
Kintex UltraScale |
| Part Number |
XCKU095-2FFVC1517E |
| Manufacturer |
AMD (Xilinx) |
| Process Technology |
20nm UltraScale Architecture |
| Speed Grade |
-2 (Commercial) |
| Package |
1517-Ball FCBGA (FFVC1517) |
| Temperature Range |
Extended (0°C to +100°C) |
| Operating Voltage (VCCINT) |
0.95V |
Logic Resources
| Resource |
Quantity |
| System Logic Cells |
1,143,000 |
| CLB Flip-Flops |
1,045,920 |
| CLB LUTs |
522,960 |
| Distributed RAM (Kb) |
8,325 |
| Block RAM (Kb) |
34,380 |
| UltraRAM (Kb) |
0 |
| DSP Slices |
5,520 |
I/O and Connectivity
| Feature |
Specification |
| Total I/O Pins |
520 |
| GTH Transceivers (16.3 Gb/s) |
32 |
| GTY Transceivers (30.5 Gb/s) |
0 |
| PCIe Hard IP Blocks |
4 |
| 100G Ethernet MAC |
2 |
| Interlaken Hard IP |
2 |
| Memory Interface (DDR4/DDR3) |
Up to 2,400 Mb/s |
| XADC (Analog-to-Digital) |
1 |
Package Information
| Parameter |
Value |
| Package Code |
FFVC1517 |
| Package Type |
Fine Pitch BGA (FCBGA) |
| Ball Count |
1,517 |
| Package Dimensions |
45mm × 45mm |
| Ball Pitch |
1.0mm |
| Height |
2.31mm |
| RoHS Compliant |
Yes |
XCKU095-2FFVC1517E: In-Depth Feature Overview
High-Performance DSP Engine
With 5,520 DSP48E2 slices, the XCKU095-2FFVC1517E is engineered for floating-point arithmetic, digital filtering, FFT computation, and machine learning inference. Each DSP48E2 slice can perform a 27×18 multiply-accumulate (MACC) operation at full clock rates, making this device well-suited for radar signal processing, software-defined radio (SDR), and video processing pipelines.
Ultra-High-Speed Serial Transceivers
The device integrates 32 GTH transceivers, each capable of line rates up to 16.3 Gb/s. These transceivers support a wide range of industry-standard protocols including:
- PCIe Gen3 (up to ×16 with hard IP blocks)
- 100G Ethernet (via integrated MAC)
- Interlaken for chip-to-chip interconnect
- JESD204B for high-speed ADC/DAC interfaces
- 10G/25G Ethernet and CPRI/eCPRI for wireless fronthaul
Large On-Chip Memory
The XCKU095-2FFVC1517E features 34,380 Kb of block RAM organized as 36Kb dual-port BRAMs. This on-chip memory is essential for look-up tables, packet buffers, coefficient storage in DSP applications, and instruction memory for soft-core processors.
Advanced Clock Management
The device includes dedicated MMCM (Mixed-Mode Clock Managers) and PLL resources for flexible clock synthesis, phase adjustment, and frequency scaling. These are critical for managing multiple clock domains in complex designs.
Hard IP Integration
The XCKU095-2FFVC1517E benefits from embedded hard IP blocks that reduce logic utilization and improve performance compared to soft implementations:
- PCIe Gen3 ×8/×16 — accelerates FPGA-to-host data transfers in server and data acquisition applications
- 100G Ethernet MAC — enables direct high-speed network connectivity without consuming programmable logic
- Interlaken IP — supports high-bandwidth chip-to-chip communication
Speed Grade and Variant Comparison
The KU095 is available in multiple speed grades and packages. The table below shows common variants for comparison:
| Part Number |
Speed Grade |
Package |
Temperature |
Transceivers |
| XCKU095-1FFVC1517E |
-1 (Slowest) |
FFVC1517 |
Extended |
32× GTH |
| XCKU095-2FFVC1517E |
-2 (Commercial) |
FFVC1517 |
Extended |
32× GTH |
| XCKU095-3FFVC1517E |
-3 (Fastest) |
FFVC1517 |
Extended |
32× GTH |
| XCKU095-2FFVC1517I |
-2 |
FFVC1517 |
Industrial |
32× GTH |
The -2 speed grade offers a balance between performance and power consumption, making it the most commonly used variant in production deployments.
Supported Communication Protocols
The XCKU095-2FFVC1517E is protocol-agnostic by nature, but its hard IP and transceiver resources make it especially capable for:
| Protocol Category |
Supported Standards |
| Ethernet |
1GbE, 10GbE, 25GbE, 40GbE, 100GbE |
| PCIe |
Gen1 ×1 to Gen3 ×16 |
| Memory |
DDR3, DDR4, LPDDR4 (via PHY) |
| Wireless Fronthaul |
CPRI, eCPRI, JESD204B |
| Chip-to-Chip |
Interlaken, Aurora |
| General-Purpose |
I2C, SPI, UART, GPIO |
Target Applications
The XCKU095-2FFVC1517E is designed for demanding applications where raw processing power, high I/O bandwidth, and real-time performance are essential:
Wireless Infrastructure (5G/LTE)
The combination of GTH transceivers, JESD204B support, and extensive DSP resources makes this FPGA ideal for 5G NR baseband processing, remote radio units (RRUs), and O-RAN distributed units (DUs).
Test & Measurement Equipment
High sample-rate ADC/DAC interfaces (via JESD204B), large block RAM, and flexible logic make the XCKU095-2FFVC1517E a natural fit for oscilloscopes, protocol analyzers, and signal generators.
High-Performance Computing & Acceleration
With PCIe Gen3 hard IP and 100G Ethernet, this FPGA accelerates workloads in data centers, HPC clusters, and AI inference engines.
Defense & Aerospace (SIGINT / Radar)
The extended temperature range, GTH transceivers, and DSP density make this device suitable for radar signal processing, electronic warfare, and secure communications.
Video Broadcast & Production
High-bandwidth I/O and programmable logic support 4K/8K video processing, multi-channel encoding/decoding, and real-time video routing.
Development Tools and Ecosystem
The XCKU095-2FFVC1517E is fully supported by AMD Xilinx’s industry-leading development environment:
| Tool / Resource |
Description |
| Vivado Design Suite |
Primary RTL synthesis, place-and-route, and bitstream generation tool |
| Vitis Unified Software Platform |
High-level synthesis (HLS) and embedded software development |
| IP Integrator |
Block-diagram-based design environment for IP core assembly |
| ChipScope Pro / ILA |
On-chip debug and signal monitoring |
| UltraScale Architecture Libraries Guide |
Primitive reference for FPGA design |
| KCU105 Evaluation Kit |
Reference platform using Kintex UltraScale devices |
Design flows support both VHDL and Verilog/SystemVerilog for RTL entry, as well as C/C++ via Vitis HLS for algorithm acceleration.
Ordering Information
| Attribute |
Detail |
| Manufacturer Part Number |
XCKU095-2FFVC1517E |
| Manufacturer |
AMD (formerly Xilinx) |
| Series |
Kintex UltraScale |
| Category |
Embedded – FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Array) |
| RoHS Status |
ROHS3 Compliant |
| Moisture Sensitivity Level |
MSL 3 – 168 Hours |
| Lead-Free |
Yes |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What is the difference between Kintex UltraScale and Kintex UltraScale+? A: The Kintex UltraScale family is built on TSMC’s 20nm process, while Kintex UltraScale+ uses a 16nm FinFET+ process. The UltraScale+ generation adds UltraRAM blocks, improved power efficiency, and higher transceiver speeds. The XCKU095-2FFVC1517E is a Kintex UltraScale (20nm) device.
Q: What software is required to program the XCKU095-2FFVC1517E? A: AMD Xilinx Vivado Design Suite is the primary tool. The device can also be targeted using third-party synthesis tools such as Synopsys Synplify. A JTAG programmer (e.g., Xilinx Platform Cable USB II) is required for device configuration.
Q: Does the XCKU095-2FFVC1517E support partial reconfiguration? A: Yes. Like all Kintex UltraScale devices, it supports Dynamic Function eXchange (DFX), allowing portions of the FPGA fabric to be reconfigured at runtime without disrupting the rest of the design.
Q: What DDR memory speeds are supported? A: The XCKU095-2FFVC1517E supports DDR4 interfaces at speeds up to 2,400 Mb/s per pin using the MIG (Memory Interface Generator) IP core.
Q: Is the XCKU095-2FFVC1517E suitable for automotive applications? A: The “E” suffix denotes extended temperature range (0°C to +100°C). For automotive-grade (AEC-Q100) applications, Xilinx offers separate automotive-qualified variants. Always consult the device datasheet for environmental qualification details.
Summary
The XCKU095-2FFVC1517E is a production-proven, high-density FPGA that delivers exceptional computational throughput, high-speed serial connectivity, and a rich ecosystem of hard IP — all within the power-optimized Kintex UltraScale architecture. With 5,520 DSP slices, 32 GTH transceivers, 34MB of block RAM, and PCIe Gen3 and 100G Ethernet hard blocks, it addresses the most demanding requirements in wireless communications, test equipment, data center acceleration, and defense electronics.
For engineers seeking a programmable platform that combines raw performance with design flexibility, the XCKU095-2FFVC1517E represents a compelling choice in the AMD Xilinx mid-to-high density FPGA lineup.
