The XCKU085-2FLVA1517I is a high-performance Xilinx FPGA from the AMD Xilinx Kintex® UltraScale™ family. Built on 20nm process technology, this device delivers exceptional price-to-performance ratio, making it a top choice for 100G networking, data center acceleration, advanced medical imaging, and DSP-intensive applications. Whether you are an engineer evaluating next-generation FPGA solutions or a procurement specialist sourcing industrial-grade components, the XCKU085-2FLVA1517I offers the ideal blend of logic density, memory bandwidth, and transceiver performance.
What Is the XCKU085-2FLVA1517I?
The XCKU085-2FLVA1517I is a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) manufactured by AMD (formerly Xilinx), part of the Kintex UltraScale series. The part number breaks down as follows:
| Part Number Segment |
Meaning |
| XC |
Xilinx Commercial/Industrial Device |
| KU085 |
Kintex UltraScale, Device Size 085 |
| -2 |
Speed Grade 2 (higher performance) |
| FLVA |
Fine-pitch Land Grid Array (FCBGA) package variant |
| 1517 |
1517-pin package |
| I |
Industrial temperature grade (-40°C to +100°C) |
This device belongs to AMD’s UltraScale architecture, which uses ASIC-like clocking and routing to deliver predictable performance at high logic utilization levels.
XCKU085-2FLVA1517I Key Specifications
General Device Parameters
| Parameter |
Value |
| Manufacturer |
AMD (Xilinx) |
| Part Number |
XCKU085-2FLVA1517I |
| FPGA Family |
Kintex UltraScale |
| Process Technology |
20nm |
| Core Supply Voltage |
0.95V (nominal) |
| Temperature Grade |
Industrial (-40°C to +100°C) |
| RoHS Compliant |
Yes |
Logic Resources
| Resource |
Quantity |
| System Logic Cells |
1,088,325 |
| CLB (Configurable Logic Blocks) |
497,520 |
| LUT Count |
~663,360 |
| Flip-Flops |
~1,326,720 |
| DSP Slices |
2,760 |
| Max Operating Frequency |
661 MHz |
Memory Resources
| Memory Type |
Capacity |
| Total Block RAM |
58,266 Kbits (~58 Mb) |
| Block RAM Tiles |
912 |
| FIFO36 Blocks |
Included in BRAM |
I/O and Connectivity
| Feature |
Value |
| User I/O Pins |
624 |
| Total Package Pins |
1,517 |
| Package Type |
1517-BBGA / FCBGA |
| Package Dimensions |
45mm × 45mm |
| High-Speed Serial Transceivers |
32 GTH transceivers |
| Transceiver Line Rate |
Up to 16.3 Gbps |
| PCIe Hard Blocks |
Integrated PCIe Gen3 ×8 |
| 100G Ethernet Support |
Yes |
XCKU085-2FLVA1517I Package and Ordering Information
Package Details
| Parameter |
Value |
| Package Code |
FLVA1517 |
| Package Style |
Flip-Chip Ball Grid Array (FCBGA) |
| Ball Count |
1,517 |
| Ball Pitch |
1.0mm |
| Body Size |
45mm × 45mm |
| Mounting |
Surface Mount (SMT) |
Speed Grade and Temperature Options
The XCKU085 device is available in multiple speed grades and temperature ranges. The -2 grade in this part number designates the mid-to-high performance tier. The I suffix confirms industrial-grade operation, suitable for harsh environments.
| Speed Grade |
Suffix |
Temp Range |
| -1 (Standard) |
C (Commercial) |
0°C to +85°C |
| -2 (Performance) |
I (Industrial) |
-40°C to +100°C |
| -3 (Highest Speed) |
I (Industrial) |
-40°C to +100°C |
Kintex UltraScale Architecture – What Makes It Powerful?
H3: UltraScale FPGA Architecture Advantages
The UltraScale architecture from AMD Xilinx is designed to eliminate traditional FPGA routing bottlenecks that limit performance at high utilization. Key architectural benefits include:
- ASIC-like clocking: Fine granular clock gating reduces dynamic power consumption significantly compared to previous-generation devices.
- Next-generation interconnect: Stacked Silicon Interconnect (SSI) technology allows chiplet-style die stacking for massive logic density.
- High-capacity block RAM: 58,266 Kbits of on-chip BRAM enable large lookup tables, packet buffers, and filter coefficient storage without external memory.
- DSP48E2 slices: 2,760 DSP slices provide hardware-accelerated multiply-accumulate operations critical for signal processing pipelines.
H3: GTH Transceiver Performance
The XCKU085-2FLVA1517I integrates 32 GTH transceivers capable of operating at up to 16.3 Gbps per lane. These transceivers support a wide range of industry-standard protocols, including:
| Protocol |
Use Case |
| PCIe Gen3 ×8 |
Host-to-FPGA acceleration interfaces |
| 100G Ethernet |
Data center switch/router line cards |
| Interlaken 150G |
High-bandwidth chip-to-chip links |
| CPRI/OBSAI |
Wireless base station fronthaul |
| JESD204B |
High-speed ADC/DAC interfacing |
| SATA / SAS |
Storage protocol offloading |
XCKU085-2FLVA1517I Applications
H3: Data Center and Networking
The XCKU085-2FLVA1517I is purpose-built for 100G packet processing workloads. Its combination of high I/O count, GTH transceivers, and large block RAM makes it ideal for:
- Network line cards requiring 100G Ethernet and OTN framing
- Inline encryption and packet classification engines
- SmartNIC and DPU offload acceleration
H3: DSP and Signal Processing
With 2,760 DSP slices running at up to 661 MHz, this device handles demanding digital signal processing tasks such as:
- 8K4K video transcoding and real-time encoding pipelines
- Radar and LIDAR signal processing front-ends
- Software-defined radio (SDR) waveform processing
- Wideband spectrum monitoring
H3: Medical Imaging
The XCKU085-2FLVA1517I powers next-generation medical imaging platforms including:
- CT scanner detector readout and reconstruction engines
- MRI signal acquisition front-ends
- Ultrasound beamforming processors
- Radiation therapy control systems requiring deterministic timing
H3: Wireless Infrastructure
Wireless base station manufacturers rely on Kintex UltraScale devices for heterogeneous wireless infrastructure, supporting:
- 5G New Radio (NR) baseband processing
- Remote Radio Head (RRH) digital front-end (DFE)
- Massive MIMO antenna array processing
- TD-LTE and FDD-LTE multi-carrier processing
Design Tools and Software Support
H3: AMD Vivado Design Suite
All XCKU085-2FLVA1517I designs are developed using the AMD Vivado Design Suite, which provides:
- RTL synthesis optimized for UltraScale architecture
- Timing closure tools with physical optimization
- IP integrator for rapid block-diagram design
- Integrated logic analyzer (ILA) and virtual I/O (VIO) debug cores
- Support for High-Level Synthesis (HLS) with Vitis HLS
H3: MicroBlaze Soft Processor
The XCKU085-2FLVA1517I supports AMD’s MicroBlaze™ soft processor core, which delivers over 200 DMIPS performance with 800 Mb/s DDR3 memory controller support, enabling embedded control-plane processing alongside high-throughput data-plane logic.
Power and Thermal Considerations
The XCKU085-2FLVA1517I operates at a 0.95V core supply voltage and delivers up to 40% lower power compared to previous 28nm generation FPGAs in equivalent workloads. AMD Xilinx’s power optimization features include:
| Power Feature |
Benefit |
| Fine granular clock gating |
Reduces dynamic power in inactive logic regions |
| Programmable I/O drive strength |
Minimizes I/O switching power |
| Partial reconfiguration support |
Enables power gating of unused device regions |
| Power supply sequencing requirements |
Defined VCCINT → VCCAUX → VCCO ramp order |
Proper thermal management is required for this device in sustained high-performance operation. Designers should consult the AMD Xilinx UltraScale FPGA Packaging and Pinouts Product Specification (UG575) for thermal resistance data and heat sink requirements.
Compliance and Export Information
| Compliance Item |
Status / Code |
| RoHS Compliance |
Yes – RoHS Compliant |
| REACH Compliance |
Compliant |
| ECCN (Export Control) |
3A001.a.7.b |
| US HTS Code |
8542390001 |
| TARIC Code |
8542399000 |
Note: The ECCN code 3A001.a.7.b classifies this device as a controlled item under EAR (Export Administration Regulations). Buyers must ensure applicable export licenses are in place before shipping to restricted destinations.
Frequently Asked Questions – XCKU085-2FLVA1517I
What is the difference between XCKU085-2FLVA1517I and XCKU085-1FLVA1517I?
The two parts are identical in logic density, I/O count, and package. The -2 speed grade offers higher maximum operating frequency (661 MHz vs. ~630 MHz) and tighter timing specifications compared to the -1 grade. Both carry the Industrial (I) temperature suffix.
Is the XCKU085-2FLVA1517I pin-compatible with other Kintex UltraScale devices?
The FLVA1517 package is shared across several Kintex UltraScale densities, including XCKU060 and XCKU115 variants. AMD Xilinx provides a migration guide to assist engineers in scaling designs up or down within the same package footprint, enabling PCB re-use.
What development board supports the XCKU085-2FLVA1517I?
AMD Xilinx’s KCU105 Evaluation Kit uses the Kintex UltraScale KU040 device but demonstrates the complete UltraScale design flow applicable to the XCKU085. For production-level evaluation with the XCKU085 specifically, contact authorized AMD Xilinx design service partners.
Does the XCKU085-2FLVA1517I support partial reconfiguration?
Yes. All Kintex UltraScale devices, including the XCKU085-2FLVA1517I, support AMD Vivado’s Dynamic Function eXchange (DFX) feature, formerly known as partial reconfiguration, enabling runtime module swapping for multi-function FPGA applications.
Summary
The XCKU085-2FLVA1517I is a production-proven, industrial-grade FPGA that combines 1,088,325 system logic cells, 58,266 Kbits of block RAM, 2,760 DSP slices, and 32 GTH transceivers into a compact 1517-pin FCBGA package. Built on AMD Xilinx’s 20nm UltraScale architecture, it delivers the performance, integration density, and reliability demanded by data center networking, wireless infrastructure, medical imaging, and high-performance DSP applications.
For engineers and procurement teams sourcing the XCKU085-2FLVA1517I, verifying distributor stock, compliance documentation, and export licensing requirements before placing orders is strongly recommended.
