The XCKU040-2SFVA784E is a high-performance mid-range FPGA from AMD Xilinx, part of the renowned Kintex® UltraScale™ family. Built on a 20nm process node, it delivers an outstanding balance of logic density, DSP throughput, memory bandwidth, and power efficiency — making it a top choice for engineers designing 100G networking, advanced video processing, medical imaging, and wireless infrastructure systems.
Whether you are an FPGA design engineer, procurement specialist, or embedded systems architect, this guide provides the complete technical specifications, key features, package details, and application use cases for the XCKU040-2SFVA784E.
What Is the XCKU040-2SFVA784E?
The XCKU040-2SFVA784E is a member of AMD’s Xilinx FPGA Kintex UltraScale product line. The part number breaks down as follows:
| Part Number Segment |
Meaning |
| XC |
Xilinx Commercial |
| KU040 |
Kintex UltraScale, KU040 device size |
| -2 |
Speed grade 2 (standard performance) |
| S |
Screened for commercial temperature range |
| FVA784 |
FCCSP Ball Grid Array, 784-pin |
| E |
Extended commercial temperature (0°C to 100°C) |
XCKU040-2SFVA784E Key Specifications
General Device Specifications
| Parameter |
Value |
| Manufacturer / Brand |
AMD (Xilinx) |
| Series |
Kintex® UltraScale™ |
| Part Number |
XCKU040-2SFVA784E |
| Product Status |
Active |
| Technology Node |
20nm |
| Package Type |
784-FCCSP BGA (FC-BGA) |
| Package Dimensions |
23mm × 23mm |
| Mounting Type |
Surface Mount (SMD) |
| Operating Temperature |
0°C ~ 100°C (TJ) |
Logic and Fabric Resources
| Resource |
Quantity |
| Logic Cells |
530,250 |
| CLBs (Configurable Logic Blocks) |
30,300 |
| LUTs (Look-Up Tables) |
~242,400 |
| Flip-Flops |
~484,800 |
The XCKU040 logic fabric is architected with AMD’s UltraScale ASIC-like clocking methodology, enabling fine-grained clock gating for maximum power savings without compromising timing closure.
Memory Resources
| Memory Type |
Capacity |
| Total RAM Bits |
21,606,000 |
| Block RAM (36Kb blocks) |
~600 |
| UltraRAM (288Kb blocks) |
Available |
UltraRAM reduces reliance on off-chip DRAM, lowering overall BOM cost while providing high-bandwidth on-chip data storage for deep packet buffers and high-speed data paths.
DSP and Signal Processing
| DSP Attribute |
Value |
| DSP48E2 Slices |
1,920 |
| Maximum DSP Performance |
Exceeds 2.8 TMAC/s |
The high DSP-to-logic ratio makes the XCKU040-2SFVA784E ideal for FFT engines, FIR filters, radar signal processing, and high-frequency trading algorithms where deterministic arithmetic throughput is mandatory.
I/O and Connectivity
| I/O Attribute |
Value |
| Maximum User I/O Pins |
468 |
| High-Performance (HP) I/O Banks |
Yes |
| High-Range (HR) I/O Banks |
Yes |
| SelectIO Standards Supported |
LVDS, SSTL, HSTL, LVCMOS, and more |
| GTH Transceivers |
Up to 20 (line rate up to 16.3 Gb/s) |
| PCIe Interface |
Gen3 x8 hard IP block |
| Interlaken / 100G Ethernet |
Supported via hard IP |
Power Supply
| Supply Rail |
Voltage Range |
| VCCINT (Core Voltage) |
0.922V ~ 0.979V |
| Typical Core Voltage |
0.95V |
The 20nm process delivers up to 40% lower power consumption compared to previous-generation Kintex-7 devices at equivalent performance levels, enabling fanless or passively cooled board designs in thermally constrained environments.
Package and Ordering Information
Physical Package Details
| Attribute |
Details |
| Package |
784-FCCSP BGA |
| Supplier Device Package |
784-FCCSPBGA (23×23) |
| Ball Pitch |
0.8mm |
| Package Description |
Fine-pitch flip-chip BGA, surface mount |
| Packaging |
Bulk (tray) |
| RoHS Compliance |
Yes |
Related Part Numbers (Speed Grade / Temperature Variants)
| Part Number |
Speed Grade |
Temperature |
Package |
| XCKU040-1SFVA784C |
-1 (slowest) |
Commercial (0–85°C) |
784-FCCSP |
| XCKU040-1SFVA784I |
-1 |
Industrial (–40–100°C) |
784-FCCSP |
| XCKU040-2SFVA784E |
-2 (standard) |
Extended (0–100°C) |
784-FCCSP |
| XCKU040-2SFVA784I |
-2 |
Industrial (–40–100°C) |
784-FCCSP |
| XCKU040-3SFVA784E |
-3 (fastest) |
Extended (0–100°C) |
784-FCCSP |
XCKU040-2SFVA784E Architecture Highlights
4.1 UltraScale Architecture Advantages
The UltraScale architecture is AMD’s first ASIC-class FPGA architecture, delivering:
- Next-generation routing: eliminates inter-die routing penalties found in older FPGA families
- Improved clocking: ASIC-like clock distribution with fine-grained clock gating at every logic element
- Stacked Silicon Interconnect (SSI) ready: supports multi-die configurations for larger UltraScale family members
- Hard IP blocks: integrated PCIe Gen3, 100G Ethernet MAC, Interlaken, and CMAC reduce routing pressure and save LUT resources
4.2 GTH High-Speed Serial Transceivers
The XCKU040 includes GTH transceivers supporting line rates from 500 Mb/s up to 16.3 Gb/s. These are essential for:
- 10GbE and 40GbE networking interfaces
- PCIe Gen3 endpoint and root complex implementations
- Serial RapidIO, OTN, and CPRI/OBSAI wireless fronthaul
- High-speed ADC/DAC interfacing (JESD204B standard)
4.3 High-Density Memory System
The combination of Block RAM and UltraRAM provides a multi-tiered on-chip memory hierarchy. This allows designers to implement deep packet buffers, large coefficient tables, and high-bandwidth data caches entirely within the device fabric, reducing off-chip DDR memory accesses.
Target Applications for the XCKU040-2SFVA784E
The XCKU040-2SFVA784E is optimized for demanding, bandwidth-intensive applications across multiple industries:
| Industry |
Application |
| Networking & Data Center |
100G packet processing, deep packet inspection, network function virtualization (NFV) |
| Wireless Infrastructure |
4G/5G Remote Radio Heads, DFE, beamforming, TD-LTE base stations |
| Medical Imaging |
CT reconstruction, MRI processing, high-resolution ultrasound |
| Video & Broadcast |
8K4K UHD video processing, multi-channel HEVC encoding, IP video switching |
| Defense & Aerospace |
Radar DSP, SIGINT, electronic warfare, secure communications |
| High-Performance Computing |
Hardware accelerators, FPGA-based AI inference, scientific computing |
| Test & Measurement |
Logic analyzers, protocol analyzers, mixed-signal test |
Development Tools and Design Flow
Supported EDA Tools
| Tool |
Description |
| Vivado Design Suite |
AMD’s primary FPGA design and implementation environment |
| Vitis Unified Software Platform |
HLS and application acceleration workflows |
| IP Integrator |
Block design environment for rapid subsystem integration |
| Vivado Simulator |
Built-in behavioral and post-implementation simulation |
IP Cores Available
AMD provides certified IP cores for the XCKU040 platform, including:
- AXI4 Interconnect and SmartConnect
- PCIe Gen3 Endpoint/Root Complex
- 100G Ethernet MAC (CMAC)
- DDR4 Memory Controller
- JESD204B High-Speed ADC/DAC Interface
- Video Processing Suite (8K/UHD)
XCKU040-2SFVA784E vs Competing Devices
| Feature |
XCKU040-2SFVA784E |
Kintex-7 XC7K325T |
Artix UltraScale+ XCAU25P |
| Process Node |
20nm |
28nm |
16nm |
| Logic Cells |
530,250 |
326,080 |
326,080 |
| DSP Slices |
1,920 |
840 |
1,080 |
| Max I/O |
468 |
500 |
252 |
| GTH Transceivers |
20 |
16 |
8 |
| PCIe |
Gen3 x8 (hard) |
Gen3 x8 (hard) |
Gen3 x4 (hard) |
| Power (est.) |
~40% lower vs K7 |
Baseline |
Lower still |
| Best For |
100G networking, DSP |
Legacy designs |
Low-power edge |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What is the XCKU040-2SFVA784E used for? It is primarily used in 100G networking switches, wireless base stations, advanced medical imaging, high-definition broadcast video processing, and defense signal processing systems where high logic density and multi-gigabit serial I/O are required.
Q: What speed grade is the XCKU040-2SFVA784E? It is a speed grade -2 device, which is the standard commercial performance grade. Speed grade -3 offers higher maximum frequency, while -1 is slower but may have better yield availability.
Q: Is the XCKU040-2SFVA784E RoHS compliant? Yes, the XCKU040-2SFVA784E is fully RoHS compliant and is packaged in a lead-free 784-FCCSP BGA.
Q: What programming software is needed for the XCKU040-2SFVA784E? AMD Vivado Design Suite (version 2014.1 or later) supports the Kintex UltraScale family. Vivado ML Edition is the recommended current version and is available in free and paid tiers.
Q: What are the power supply requirements? The core supply (VCCINT) operates between 0.922V and 0.979V, with 0.95V being the nominal voltage. Additional supply rails are needed for I/O banks and transceivers (typically 1.8V and 1.2V).
Q: Can the XCKU040-2SFVA784E support DDR4 memory interfaces? Yes. The HP I/O banks support DDR4 interfaces at speeds up to 2,400 Mbps when using the Xilinx MIG (Memory Interface Generator) IP.
Summary: Why Choose the XCKU040-2SFVA784E?
The XCKU040-2SFVA784E stands out as a purpose-built solution for engineers who need more DSP density and serial bandwidth than mid-range 28nm devices can offer, but require a more cost-effective option than the high-end Virtex UltraScale family. Its 20nm process, 530K logic cells, 1,920 DSP slices, 468 I/O pins, and 20 GTH transceivers make it the benchmark device for high-throughput, cost-sensitive designs in networking, wireless, and advanced imaging.
Its active product status, broad ecosystem of reference designs, and full Vivado tool support make it a low-risk, future-ready choice for new hardware platforms launching today.
