The XCKU040-1SFVA784I is a high-performance mid-range Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) from AMD Xilinx, part of the Kintex® UltraScale™ family. Built on a 20nm process node and housed in a compact 784-pin FC-BGA package, this device delivers an exceptional balance of DSP throughput, memory bandwidth, and transceiver performance — all at a competitive price point. Whether you are designing for 100G networking, wireless infrastructure, medical imaging, or industrial control, the XCKU040-1SFVA784I is a proven, production-ready solution.
If you are exploring Xilinx FPGA options for your next embedded design, the XCKU040-1SFVA784I deserves serious consideration.
What Is the XCKU040-1SFVA784I?
The XCKU040-1SFVA784I is a Kintex UltraScale FPGA manufactured by AMD (formerly Xilinx). It belongs to the XCKU040 device family within the UltraScale architecture — a generation designed to deliver ASIC-class performance using advanced routing, clocking, and signal processing resources. The part number breaks down as follows:
| Part Number Segment |
Meaning |
| XC |
Xilinx Commercial Device |
| KU |
Kintex UltraScale Family |
| 040 |
Device Density Identifier |
| -1 |
Speed Grade (-1 = standard) |
| SFVA |
Super Fine-pitch Flip-Chip BGA package type |
| 784 |
784 total pin count |
| I |
Industrial temperature range (–40°C to +100°C) |
XCKU040-1SFVA784I Key Specifications
General Device Specifications
| Parameter |
Value |
| Manufacturer |
AMD (Xilinx) |
| Part Number |
XCKU040-1SFVA784I |
| Family |
Kintex® UltraScale™ |
| Architecture |
UltraScale (20nm) |
| Logic Cells |
424,200 |
| Supply Voltage (VCCINT) |
0.95V |
| Package |
784-Pin FC-BGA (SFVA784) |
| Package Dimensions |
27mm × 27mm |
| Temperature Range |
Industrial (–40°C to +100°C) |
| Speed Grade |
-1 (Standard) |
| Packaging (Shipping) |
Tray |
| RoHS Compliance |
Yes |
Logic and Fabric Resources
| Resource |
Quantity |
| CLB LUTs |
530,250 |
| CLB Flip-Flops |
1,062,000 |
| Distributed RAM (Mb) |
13.0 |
| Maximum Logic Cells |
424,200 |
| I/O Pins (Maximum User I/O) |
468 |
The configurable logic blocks (CLBs) each contain 6-input look-up tables (LUTs) and flip-flops. In addition to standard logic functions, each CLB supports shift register operation, multiplexer logic, carry chains, and LUT-based distributed memory — providing extreme design flexibility.
Memory Resources
| Memory Type |
Quantity |
Total Capacity |
| Block RAM (36Kb blocks) |
600 |
21.1 Mb |
| Block RAM (18Kb blocks) |
1,200 |
21.1 Mb |
| Distributed RAM |
— |
13.0 Mb |
Block RAMs include built-in FIFO controllers and Error Correction Code (ECC) support, simplifying memory interface design and improving system reliability. The XCKU040-1SFVA784I does not include UltraRAM (introduced in UltraScale+), but its block RAM density is well-suited for a wide range of packet buffering, lookup table, and DSP coefficient storage applications.
DSP and Signal Processing
| Parameter |
Value |
| DSP48E2 Slices |
1,920 |
| DSP Multiplier Width |
27 × 18 bits |
| Pre-Adder Width |
27-bit |
| Accumulator Width |
48-bit |
| XOR Function Width |
96-bit |
The DSP48E2 slice is the cornerstone of the XCKU040’s signal processing capability. Each slice performs multiply-accumulate (MAC), multiply-add, pattern detect, and independent SIMD operations. The 96-bit XOR function enables efficient error-correction code computation. With 1,920 DSP slices, the XCKU040-1SFVA784I is ideally positioned for FIR filter banks, FFT engines, convolutional neural network accelerators, and real-time radar or communications processing.
Transceiver and High-Speed I/O
| Parameter |
Value |
| GTH Transceivers |
32 |
| Maximum Transceiver Line Rate |
16.3 Gb/s (GTH) |
| PCIe Interface |
Gen3 × 8 (hard IP) |
| 100G Ethernet MAC |
Yes (hard IP) |
| 150G Interlaken |
Yes (hard IP) |
| Maximum User I/O |
468 |
| I/O Bank Type |
High Performance (HP) |
| Maximum I/O Voltage |
1.8V (HP banks) |
The 32 integrated GTH transceivers support line rates from 500 Mb/s up to 16.3 Gb/s, covering protocols such as PCIe Gen3, SATA, 10GbE, JESD204B, and custom serial links. The hard PCIe Gen3 × 8 block offloads significant logic overhead from the programmable fabric, while the 100G Ethernet MAC enables direct, single-chip 100G connectivity without external PHY logic.
Clocking Resources
| Parameter |
Value |
| CMTs (Clock Management Tiles) |
10 |
| PLLs per CMT |
2 (MMCM + PLL) |
| Global Clock Buffers |
196 |
| Regional Clock Buffers |
Supported |
Each CMT includes a Mixed-Mode Clock Manager (MMCM) and a Phase-Locked Loop (PLL), enabling fine-grained frequency synthesis, phase adjustment, and dynamic reconfiguration of clock domains. The UltraScale clocking architecture delivers deterministic, low-jitter clock distribution across the entire device.
Configuration and Security
| Feature |
Details |
| Configuration Interfaces |
JTAG, Master/Slave SPI, Selectmap, Serial |
| AES Encryption |
256-bit AES for bitstream protection |
| Authentication |
HMAC/SHA-256 |
| Configuration Memory |
External SPI Flash (compatible) |
| Partial Reconfiguration |
Supported |
The XCKU040-1SFVA784I supports full AES-256 bitstream encryption to protect IP from reverse engineering. Partial reconfiguration allows sections of the device to be reprogrammed at runtime without interrupting other active functions — a critical capability for adaptive computing and field-upgradable systems.
XCKU040-1SFVA784I Package and Ordering Information
| Attribute |
Value |
| Package Type |
Flip-Chip Ball Grid Array (FC-BGA) |
| Package Designator |
SFVA784 |
| Pin Count |
784 |
| Ball Pitch |
0.8mm |
| Package Body Size |
27mm × 27mm |
| Moisture Sensitivity Level |
MSL 3 |
| Shipping Format |
Tray |
| Lead Finish |
Lead-Free (RoHS compliant) |
The SFVA784 package is footprint-compatible with other UltraScale devices sharing the same package suffix, enabling hardware migration between density grades without PCB redesign.
XCKU040-1SFVA784I Applications
Thanks to its combination of high-speed transceivers, dense DSP resources, and mid-range logic capacity, the XCKU040-1SFVA784I is deployed across a diverse range of markets and applications:
Networking and Data Center
- 100G Ethernet switching and routing — leveraging the hard 100G MAC
- Packet processing and deep packet inspection (DPI)
- Network function virtualization (NFV) acceleration cards
- SmartNIC and FPGA-based DPU designs
Wireless Infrastructure
- 4G LTE and 5G NR baseband processing
- Remote radio unit (RRU) and distributed unit (DU) FPGA acceleration
- Beamforming and MIMO antenna processing
- CPRI/eCPRI fronthaul interfaces using GTH transceivers
Defense and Aerospace
- Radar signal processing and electronic warfare (EW)
- Secure communications with AES-256 bitstream encryption
- Software-defined radio (SDR) platforms
- Mission computer and avionics data processing
Medical Imaging
- Ultrasound beamforming (XCKU040 supports real-time multi-channel DSP)
- CT/MRI reconstruction accelerators
- High-bandwidth image data acquisition via JESD204B interfaces
Industrial and Embedded Computing
- Machine vision and image processing pipelines
- Motor drive control with real-time feedback
- Industrial IoT gateway acceleration
- PCIe-based accelerator cards for edge computing
XCKU040-1SFVA784I vs. Related Kintex UltraScale Devices
Understanding how the XCKU040 compares to adjacent family members helps engineers select the right device for their application:
| Part Number |
CLB LUTs |
DSP Slices |
Block RAM (Mb) |
Transceivers |
Package Options |
| XCKU025 |
331,680 |
1,056 |
17.1 |
20 GTH |
FFVA1156 |
| XCKU035 |
407,040 |
1,316 |
21.1 |
20 GTH |
SFVA784, FBVA900, FFVA1156 |
| XCKU040 |
530,250 |
1,920 |
21.1 |
32 GTH |
SFVA784, FBVA900, FFVA1156 |
| XCKU060 |
725,625 |
2,760 |
32.1 |
32 GTH |
FFVA1156, FFVA1517 |
| XCKU085 |
1,154,880 |
4,320 |
42.1 |
48 GTH |
FLVA1517, FLVB1760, FLVF1924 |
The XCKU040 represents a significant density step-up from the XCKU035 — offering 30% more LUTs, 46% more DSP slices, and 60% more transceiver channels — while remaining in the same footprint-compatible SFVA784 package.
Development Tools and Ecosystem
Vivado Design Suite
The XCKU040-1SFVA784I is fully supported by the AMD Vivado Design Suite, which provides:
- HDL synthesis (VHDL, Verilog, SystemVerilog)
- Place-and-route with timing closure analysis
- IP Integrator for block-level design
- ModelSim/Vivado Simulator for functional and timing simulation
- Power analysis with Xilinx Power Estimator (XPE)
- Partial reconfiguration flow support
Vitis Unified Software Platform
For developers building application-level acceleration solutions, the Vitis platform supports high-level synthesis (HLS) from C/C++ and OpenCL, enabling rapid development of compute kernels targeting the XCKU040’s DSP and logic resources.
Evaluation and Reference Boards
- Kintex UltraScale KCU105 Evaluation Kit — the official AMD development board for the KU040 device
- Third-party boards from ALINX, Enclustra, HiTech Global, and others
XCKU040-1SFVA784I Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What is the difference between XCKU040-1SFVA784I and XCKU040-1SFVA784C? The only difference is the temperature rating. The I suffix indicates an Industrial temperature range (–40°C to +100°C), while the C suffix indicates Commercial grade (0°C to +85°C). All timing and logic specifications are identical for the same speed grade.
Q: Is the XCKU040-1SFVA784I footprint-compatible with other UltraScale devices? Yes. The SFVA784 package is footprint-compatible with other UltraScale devices in the same package size, including the XCKU035-1SFVA784I. This enables hardware-level migration to higher or lower density devices without PCB redesign.
Q: What PCIe generation does the XCKU040-1SFVA784I support? The device includes a hard PCIe Gen3 block supporting ×8 lane configurations, delivering up to 64 Gb/s of bi-directional bandwidth.
Q: Does the XCKU040-1SFVA784I support partial reconfiguration? Yes. Partial reconfiguration (PR) is fully supported, allowing defined regions of the device fabric to be reconfigured at runtime using separate partial bitstreams while the rest of the design continues operating.
Q: What transceiver protocol standards does the GTH support? The GTH transceivers support a wide range of industry-standard protocols including PCIe Gen1/2/3, SATA/SAS, SONET/SDH, 10GbE (XFI), JESD204B, CPRI/eCPRI, DisplayPort, USB 3.0, and custom serial interfaces.
Summary: Why Choose the XCKU040-1SFVA784I?
The XCKU040-1SFVA784I offers a compelling combination of features that make it one of the most versatile mid-range FPGAs available:
- 20nm process technology for optimal performance-per-watt
- 530,250 CLB LUTs and 1,920 DSP slices for complex logic and signal processing
- 32 GTH transceivers at up to 16.3 Gb/s for high-speed serial connectivity
- Hard-IP PCIe Gen3 ×8 and 100G Ethernet MAC to reduce logic utilization
- Industrial temperature rating (–40°C to +100°C) for harsh environment deployment
- AES-256 bitstream encryption for IP protection
- Footprint-compatible packaging with the broader Kintex UltraScale family
For engineers seeking a production-proven, feature-rich FPGA solution across networking, defense, industrial, and medical markets, the XCKU040-1SFVA784I delivers industry-leading performance within the Kintex UltraScale portfolio.
