The XCKU085-2FLVA1517E is a high-performance Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) from AMD’s Kintex® UltraScale™ family, designed to deliver an exceptional balance of logic density, DSP throughput, and power efficiency at the 20nm technology node. Whether you are building next-generation communications infrastructure, advanced signal processing systems, or high-bandwidth data center acceleration, this device provides the computational muscle and architectural flexibility to get the job done.

For engineers sourcing high-density programmable logic solutions, exploring the full range of Xilinx FPGA products is strongly recommended to find the ideal fit for your application.

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What Is the XCKU085-2FLVA1517E?

The XCKU085-2FLVA1517E is part of AMD’s Kintex UltraScale series — a mid-to-high-range FPGA family built on TSMC’s 20nm planar process. The “KU085” device code refers to the specific silicon die, “2” indicates Speed Grade 2 (commercial performance), “FLVA” describes the Flip-Chip Low Voltage package type, “1517” specifies the 1517-pin ball count, and “E” denotes the Extended commercial temperature range (0°C to 100°C junction temperature).

This combination makes it a highly capable, surface-mountable component suited for demanding compute, DSP, and connectivity applications.

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XCKU085-2FLVA1517E Key Specifications at a Glance

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XCKU085-2FLVA1517E Logic and Memory Resources

#### Programmable Logic Capacity

The KU085 die integrates over 1 million logic cells, making it one of the most resource-dense devices in the Kintex UltraScale lineup. With 497,520 configurable logic blocks, designers have ample space for complex state machines, arithmetic pipelines, and custom accelerator architectures without resorting to device partitioning or multi-FPGA designs.

#### Block RAM and On-Chip Memory

The XCKU085-2FLVA1517E integrates 58,265,600 bits (approximately 7.3 MB) of on-chip block RAM organized in 36Kb dual-port BRAM tiles. This substantial embedded memory capacity supports large look-up tables, packet buffers, data FIFOs, and co-processor memory interfaces without relying on external memory for intermediate data storage.

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Package and Pin Configuration

#### 1517-Pin FCBGA Package Details

The FLVA1517 package is a Flip-Chip Ball Grid Array with 1,517 solder balls arranged on a fine-pitch grid. This high pin-count package enables the device to expose 624 general-purpose user I/O pins while also accommodating dedicated transceiver lanes, configuration pins, power rails, and ground connections.

#### PCB Design Considerations

Due to the high pin density of the 1517-ball package, PCB designers should plan for HDI (High-Density Interconnect) stack-ups with microvias or laser-drilled via-in-pad technology. A minimum of 8–12 PCB layers is typical for a full breakout of this device. Signal integrity simulations are strongly recommended for high-speed I/O banks operating above 1 Gbps.

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XCKU085-2FLVA1517E Performance and Speed Grade

#### Speed Grade -2 Explained

The “-2” speed grade designates the standard commercial performance tier within the XCKU085 family. This grade offers a well-characterized set of timing parameters suited for most high-performance commercial applications.

The -2 grade supports operation up to the device’s rated maximum frequencies, which depend on the specific design and implementation, but typical DSP48E2 cascade paths can achieve clock rates well above 500 MHz with proper pipelining.

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Kintex UltraScale Architecture Highlights

#### UltraScale Architecture Advantages

The Kintex UltraScale family is built on AMD’s UltraScale architecture, which introduced several key improvements over the 7-series generation:

• AMBA AXI4 interfaces natively wired into the fabric for faster IP integration
• Next-generation DSP48E2 slices with increased pre-adder and accumulator width
• Stacked Silicon Interconnect (SSI) technology readiness for higher-capacity variants
• UltraRAM (URAM) blocks in UltraScale+ variants for even greater embedded memory
• Improved clock management tiles supporting MMCMs and PLLs with lower jitter

#### DSP and Signal Processing Capabilities

The XCKU085 die contains a large array of DSP48E2 slices, each capable of performing 27×18-bit signed multiplications and accumulate operations in a single clock cycle. This makes the device ideal for:

• Digital predistortion (DPD) in wireless base stations
• FIR, IIR, and FFT filter chains
• Radar pulse compression and beamforming
• Software-defined radio (SDR) waveform generation
• Machine learning inference acceleration

#### Transceiver and High-Speed I/O

The KU085 integrates GTH transceivers capable of operating at multi-Gbps line rates, enabling support for protocols such as:

#### Clock Management

The UltraScale clock network supports a flexible hierarchy of:

• Mixed-Mode Clock Managers (MMCMs) for frequency synthesis and phase adjustment
• Phase-Locked Loops (PLLs) for lower-jitter clock generation
• Global and regional clock buffers for multi-quadrant clock distribution
• Clock-capable I/O (CCIO) pins for low-skew external clock input

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Electrical Characteristics

#### Power Supply Requirements

Proper power sequencing and decoupling capacitor placement are critical for reliable operation. AMD/Xilinx provides detailed power delivery network (PDN) guidelines in the UltraScale PCB design guide (UG583).

#### Operating Conditions

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XCKU085-2FLVA1517E vs. Similar Devices

#### Comparison with Other XCKU085 Package Variants

The XCKU085-2FLVA1517E targets designs where the 624 I/O count is sufficient and board area or BGA clearance limits favor the smallest available package.

#### Kintex UltraScale Family Context

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Typical Applications for XCKU085-2FLVA1517E

The XCKU085-2FLVA1517E is a versatile platform for a broad range of demanding applications:

#### Wireless Communications and 5G Infrastructure

This FPGA is a strong fit for 4G LTE and 5G NR base station designs, where it can handle massive MIMO beamforming, CPRI/eCPRI fronthaul aggregation, and DPD algorithms. Its high DSP slice count and multi-Gbps GTH transceivers directly address the processing demands of modern RAN equipment.

#### High-Performance Computing and Data Centers

In data center environments, the KU085 can serve as a PCIe-attached accelerator for tasks such as database query acceleration, video transcoding, network packet processing, and AI inference. PCIe Gen3 x16 connectivity is natively supported through the GTH transceiver array.

#### Test and Measurement Equipment

High-channel-count oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and protocol analyzers benefit from the XCKU085-2FLVA1517E’s large internal memory and fast I/O. The device supports JESD204B-compliant ADC interfaces, enabling very high sample-rate data capture and real-time digital processing.

#### Aerospace and Defense

With its Extended temperature range (0°C to 100°C TJ), the device can be deployed in ground-based and airborne systems including radar signal processing, electronic warfare, secure communications, and sensor fusion platforms. For harsher environments, the industrial-grade XCKU085-2FLVA1517I variant extends operation from −40°C to 100°C TJ.

#### Broadcast and Video

The XCKU085 supports the high-bandwidth interfaces required in professional broadcast infrastructure, including 4K/8K video processing, SDI line cards, and real-time video compression engines leveraging the integrated DSP and memory architecture.

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Development Tools and Support

#### Vivado Design Suite

The XCKU085-2FLVA1517E is fully supported by AMD’s Vivado Design Suite, which provides an integrated flow for synthesis, implementation, timing closure, and bitstream generation. The Vivado ML Edition further integrates machine-learning-assisted placement and routing for faster timing convergence on complex designs.

#### IP Core Ecosystem

AMD’s Vivado IP Catalog includes hundreds of pre-verified IP cores directly compatible with this device, including:

• PCIe IP (Gen1/2/3, x1 to x16)
• 10G/40G/100G Ethernet subsystems
• DDR4 and LPDDR4 memory controllers
• JESD204B ADC/DAC interfaces
• Video processing IP (HDMI, SDI, DisplayPort)
• AXI4 DMA and interconnect fabric

#### Reference Designs and Evaluation

AMD offers a range of KCU1250 and KCU116 evaluation kits based on the KU085 and closely related silicon, providing a rapid path from design concept to hardware validation.

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Ordering Information

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Frequently Asked Questions

#### What does the part number XCKU085-2FLVA1517E mean?

Each segment of the part number encodes a specific attribute: XC = Xilinx product, KU = Kintex UltraScale family, 085 = die size/resource level, 2 = Speed Grade -2, FLV = Flip-Chip Low Voltage package, A = package variant A, 1517 = 1517 ball count, E = Extended commercial temperature (0°C–100°C TJ).

#### Is the XCKU085-2FLVA1517E RoHS compliant?

Yes. The device is rated RoHS3 Compliant, meaning it meets the requirements of the EU RoHS 3 Directive (2015/863/EU) restricting hazardous substances including lead, mercury, cadmium, and certain flame retardants in electronic equipment.

#### What software do I need to program the XCKU085-2FLVA1517E?

AMD’s Vivado Design Suite (versions 2014.2 and later) supports this device. Vivado provides full HDL synthesis, implementation, IP integration via Vivado IP Integrator, and device programming through JTAG or a configuration memory device.

#### What configuration interface does this FPGA use?

The device supports several configuration modes: JTAG, Master SPI (up to ×8 bus width), Slave Serial, Slave SelectMAP (×8, ×16, ×32), and Master BPI (parallel NOR flash). For production environments, Master SPI ×8 using a compatible SPI flash device is the most common configuration method.

#### Can the XCKU085-2FLVA1517E be used in industrial temperature applications?

The “-2FLVA1517E” variant is rated for the Extended commercial range (0°C to 100°C junction temperature). For industrial temperature requirements (−40°C to 100°C TJ), the XCKU085-2FLVA1517I should be specified instead.

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Summary

The XCKU085-2FLVA1517E is a production-proven, high-capacity FPGA that occupies a compelling position in AMD’s mid-to-high-performance portfolio. With over 1 million logic cells, 624 user I/O pins, 7.3 MB of embedded block RAM, multi-Gbps GTH transceivers, and the robustness of the UltraScale architecture, it addresses a wide spectrum of demanding applications — from 5G wireless infrastructure and data center acceleration to aerospace signal processing and professional broadcast equipment. Its RoHS3 compliance, active product status, and comprehensive Vivado tool support make it a reliable, long-lifecycle choice for system designers seeking both performance and design flexibility.