AMD is launching a new series of FPGA chips: Versal Premium Gen 2. The chips are the first of their kind to support CXL 3.1 as well as PCIe 6 and LPDDR5X.
AMD introduces Versal Premium Series Gen 2. The announcement of those new FPGAs follows the introduction of non-premium edition Versal Gen 2 in April. The flexible chips have been an important part of AMD’s lineup since its acquisition of FPGA specialist Xilinx in 2022.
Fast and secure connectivity
With these new modifiable chips, AMD provides support for the latest standards. Versal Premium Gen 2 supports CXL (Compute Express Link) 3.1, PCIe Gen 6 and LPDDR5X memory. That implies customers can connect memory and storage to the chips’ logic circuits in a variety of high-speed ways. AMD specifically refers at the launch seam to the ability to address memory faster, process data in real time and efficiently link storage for data-intensive applications. AMD further notes that the FPGAs feature PCIe Integrity and Data Encryption (IDE), where data is encrypted.
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AMD launches Versal Premium Gen 2 with CXL 3.1 and PCIe 6
The Versal Premium FPGAs give AMD an advantage in competing with previously launched chips from other manufacturers that do not yet support the new and faster standards. This should be noted, however, that not everyone needs these state-of-the-art capabilities. PCIe Gen 5, for example, is already fast enough for many applications. AMD targets customers in the aerospace and defense sectors, for example.
Furthermore, AMD is betting on its unique strengths. After all, the chip designer primarily builds processors. Versal can be used combined with AMD Epyc CPUs, as can a GPU connected via PCIe 6 or CXL. For that combination, the chip specialist is pushing itself forward as a one-stop shop.
Just a little more patience
Software for developers targeting the AMD Versal Premium Gen 2 series FPGAs will be available in the second quarter of 2025. The effective chips will then have to wait until the first half of 2026, with volume production scheduled for the second half of that year.