Altera has opened engineering sample availability for its next-generation wideband Agilex 9 Direct RF-Series SoC FPGAs, targeting high-performance RF designs in aerospace, defense, and advanced communications. The company introduced the devices at the International Microwave Symposium (IMS2026) and is positioning the platform around higher integration and higher compute density for size-, weight-, and power-constrained RF systems.

The Agilex 9 Direct RF-Series devices combine high-speed data converters, programmable logic, and processing elements in a single package, with the goal of reducing multi-chip complexity in wideband RF signal capture, generation, and real-time processing. Altera says the new Direct RF-Series delivers a 40% increase in compute capability per square millimeter versus the prior generation.

On the density side, Altera also lists a 45% increase in logic and DSP density compared to the previous generation, along with support for DDR5 and LPDDR5 memory. The devices integrate 64 Gsps wideband RF, and Altera says the combination of integrated RF plus higher compute and memory resources is intended to eliminate the need for multi-chip designs in some systems. The company calls out applications including more advanced beamforming for radar and data cube processing.

For engineers, the practical implication is straightforward: pulling data conversion and programmable compute into the same package can shrink board space and reduce the number of high-speed interfaces you have to route, clock, and validate. But tight integration also puts more pressure on front-end thermal and power design, especially when real-time workloads and high-bandwidth signal paths are running continuously.

“Across aerospace, defense, and advanced communications, our customers are being asked to handle more data and operate within tighter constraints,” said John Sotir, General Manager of Altera’s Aerospace, Defense and Government business unit. “With our latest Agilex 9 Direct RF device, we’re helping them meet those challenges by bringing together high-performance compute, memory, and RF capabilities into a single, highly integrated platform.”

Engineering samples of Agilex 9 Direct RF-Series (AGRW039) FPGAs are available now. Altera says production silicon and development kits are scheduled for Q3 2026.

Source: Altera