The XCKU115-2FLVD1517I is a high-performance Xilinx FPGA from AMD’s Kintex® UltraScale™ family, built on 20nm process technology. Engineered for demanding applications in networking, defense, medical imaging, and wireless infrastructure, this device delivers an exceptional balance of DSP compute power, logic density, and signal processing bandwidth in a mid-range package — making it one of the most capable FPGAs available for price-conscious, performance-critical designs.

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What Is the XCKU115-2FLVD1517I?

The XCKU115-2FLVD1517I is part of the Kintex UltraScale series — AMD Xilinx’s first ASIC-class All Programmable Architecture designed to achieve multi-hundred Gbps system performance. The “D” suffix in the part number indicates an extended/defense-grade temperature range (-40°C to +100°C), making it suitable for ruggedized and industrial deployments. The “2” speed grade represents a mid-tier performance level optimized for power efficiency and reliable high-speed operation.

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XCKU115-2FLVD1517I Key Specifications

General Product Information

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Logic Resources

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Memory Resources

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DSP and Signal Processing

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I/O and Connectivity

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Power Supply and Operating Conditions

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XCKU115-2FLVD1517I Package and Ordering Information

Part Number Decoder

Understanding the XCKU115-2FLVD1517I part number is straightforward once you break it down:

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Key Features and Technical Highlights

UltraScale Architecture Advantages

The Kintex UltraScale architecture introduces a range of innovations that set it apart from previous FPGA generations:

• ASIC-class routing: Next-generation routing fabric reduces congestion and improves timing closure at high utilization levels — a benefit previously limited to full custom ASICs.
• Stacked Silicon Interconnect (SSI) Technology: Enables 2nd-generation 3D IC integration for multi-chip designs.
• UltraRAM: Large on-chip SRAM blocks reduce the need for external memory, cutting system BOM cost by up to 60%.
• ASIC-like clocking: Fine-granular clock gating significantly reduces dynamic power consumption across the fabric.
• Up to 40% lower power versus the previous 28nm Kintex-7 generation.

High-Speed Transceivers

The XCKU115-2FLVD1517I includes GTH transceivers operating at up to 16.3 Gb/s, supporting backplane connectivity, 100G Ethernet, and high-speed serial interfaces without external SerDes chips. The minimum transceiver rate in the slowest speed grade is 12.5 Gb/s, ensuring robust system-level throughput.

DSP-Intensive Processing

With 5,520 DSP slices delivering 8.2 TeraMACs of compute performance, this device is purpose-built for signal processing workloads. Applications include real-time radar processing, medical imaging reconstruction, 8K/4K video pipelines, and machine learning inference acceleration.

PCIe Gen3 Integration

Integrated PCI Express® Gen3 cores eliminate the need for external PCIe bridge chips, reducing board space, cost, and latency while improving signal integrity in data center and computing accelerator designs.

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Applications for the XCKU115-2FLVD1517I

The combination of high logic density, extended temperature rating, DSP performance, and multi-gigabit transceivers makes the XCKU115-2FLVD1517I an ideal choice for a wide range of applications:

Networking and Data Center

Defense and Aerospace

The –40°C to +100°C operating range (I-grade) makes the XCKU115-2FLVD1517I suitable for ruggedized military, aerospace, and embedded computing platforms where commercial-grade parts cannot operate reliably. Typical use cases include radar signal processing, electronic warfare payloads, and satellite payload controllers.

Medical Imaging

The XCKU115’s 8.2 TeraMAC DSP capability supports compute-intensive medical imaging pipelines, including CT reconstruction, MRI processing, and real-time 3D ultrasound beamforming.

Wireless Infrastructure

Support for heterogeneous wireless infrastructure design — including 5G baseband, massive MIMO, and multi-carrier basestation PHY — benefits directly from the XCKU115’s transceiver bandwidth and DSP density.

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XCKU115-2FLVD1517I vs. Related Variants

Buyers often compare the XCKU115-2FLVD1517I against closely related variants. The table below highlights key differences:

Note: The “FLVD” package variant exposes 338 user I/Os compared to the 624 I/Os available in the “FLVA” package. Choose the FLVD package when your design requires a reduced-pinout footprint with the same silicon die and industrial temperature rating.

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Design Tools and Development Support

Vivado Design Suite

The XCKU115-2FLVD1517I is fully supported by AMD’s Vivado® Design Suite, which provides:

• RTL synthesis and implementation
• IP integrator for rapid subsystem assembly
• Timing closure tools optimized for UltraScale devices
• Power estimation via Xilinx Power Estimator (XPE)
• Support for VHDL, Verilog, and SystemVerilog

IP Cores and Reference Designs

AMD provides a comprehensive library of validated IP cores for the UltraScale architecture, including PCIe Gen3, DDR4 memory controllers, 100G Ethernet MAC/PCS, and various video processing pipelines. Reference designs are available to accelerate time-to-market.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What does the “D” in FLVD mean?

The “D” in the package designation FLVD denotes a variant of the FCBGA-1517 package with different I/O routing, resulting in 338 available user I/Os rather than the 624 available in the standard FLVA package. It also indicates suitability for extended operating conditions.

What is the operating temperature range of the XCKU115-2FLVD1517I?

This device carries an “I” (Industrial) temperature grade, specifying operation from –40°C to +100°C. This makes it appropriate for industrial, ruggedized, and defense-oriented systems.

What speed grade is the XCKU115-2FLVD1517I?

It is a –2 speed grade device, which is a mid-tier performance rating. The –3 grade offers the highest performance, while –1L provides the lowest static power consumption.

Is the XCKU115-2FLVD1517I RoHS compliant?

Yes, the XCKU115-2FLVD1517I is fully RoHS compliant.

What design software supports this FPGA?

The XCKU115-2FLVD1517I is supported by AMD’s Vivado Design Suite. Minimum required versions are documented in the Kintex UltraScale production release tables. Older ISE tools do not support the UltraScale architecture.

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Summary

The XCKU115-2FLVD1517I is a versatile, high-density FPGA that combines the best-in-class logic capacity of the Kintex UltraScale family with an industrial-grade temperature rating and a compact 1517-pin FCBGA footprint. With 1.45 million system logic cells, 5,520 DSP slices, 8.2 TeraMACs of compute performance, and up to 64 GTH transceivers, it addresses the most demanding signal processing, networking, and embedded computing challenges. Whether you are designing a 100G line card, a defense radar processor, or a next-generation medical imaging system, the XCKU115-2FLVD1517I provides the performance, flexibility, and reliability your application demands.