Athena Agilex™ 9 Direct RF SFF
Product overview
The Athena SoM is a Direct-RF system-on-module, based on the Altera® Agilex™ 9 AGRW027 FPGA SoC.
Its main advantage lies in its ultra-high-speed data conversion capabilities, with integrated 64 Gsps 10-bit ADCs and DACs, combined with an analog bandwidth of up to 36 GHz. This unique integration enables designers to handle demanding RF applications directly on chip, reducing system complexity, improving latency, and delivering unprecedented performance for advanced embedded systems.
The module integrates high-speed DDR4 memory and 56 Gbps PAM4 transceivers, making it a powerful and compact solution optimized for real-time, bandwidth-intensive applications. Leveraging a system-on-module approach simplifies design cycles and accelerates time-to-market, while ensuring reliability through pre-validated and production-ready components.
Target markets of the Athena Agilex™ 9 Direct-RF SoM include Phased-Array Radar Transmitter/Receiver systems, Electronic Warfare (ESM/ECM), Broadband Communication, Target Radar Simulator/Generator, and Airborne embedded systems.
➡️ We also offer the Athena carrier board for the Athena Agilex™ 9 Direct-RF module, fully developed and compatible with its SoM.
Benefits & features
- Direct-RF SOC altera® Agilex™ 9 AGRW027
- 8 channels 64 Gsps 10-bit ADC
- 8 channels 64 Gsps 10-bit DAC
- Analog bandwidth up to 36 GHz
- 1x 64-bit 8GBytes DDR4 2666 SDRAM (Fabric)
- 1x 32-bit 4GBytes DDR4 2666 SDRAM (HPS)
- 16x Transceivers 56Gbps PAM4
- Designed for Phased-Array Radar Transmitter/Receiver systems, Electronic Warfare (ESM/ECM), Broadband Communication, Target Radar Simulator/ Generator, and Airbone embedded systems applications
Diagrams
Block diagram of the Small Form Factor module Athena Agilex™ 9 Direct RF :
Tech specs
| Features | Athena Agilex™ 9 Direct RF FPGA SFF SoM | |
| Ordering Information | tbd – sample Q3 2026 | |
| Analog-Digital Conversion | Differential input Eight channels, up to 64Gsps Analog bandwidth up to 36GHz Resolution: 10 bit Sampling Performances at 64Gsps NSD: -150 dBFS/Hz at -3dBFS at 6GHz SDFR: -55 dBc at -3dBFS at 6GHz |
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| Digital-Analog Conversion | Differential output Eight channels, up to 64Gsps Analog bandwidth up to 36GHz Resolution: 10 bits Sampling Performances at 64Gsps NSD: -156 dBFS/Hz at 0dBFS at 6GHz SDFR: -50 dBc at 0dBFS at 6GHz |
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| Clock | Embedded Ultra-low jitter clock synthesizer External sampling clock reference |
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| Memory | One banks 64-bit 8GBytes DDR4 2666 SDRAM (fabric) One bank 32-bit 4GBytes DDR4 2666 SDRAM (HPS) One 2 Gbit QSPI FLASH memory eMMC storage (HPS) |
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| Communication | 16x Transceivers 56Gbps PAM4 32x LVDS and GPIO UART, USB, RGMII 1Gb |
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| Power & dissipation | +12V: 14 A max (170W) | |
| Module dimensions | 100mm x 75mm (4 x 3 inches) | |
| Deliverables | Board Support Package : • FPGA + HPS exemple design • SW API and examples, Windows 10 64-bits / Linux 64-bits • User manuals • Quick start guide |
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Deliverables
Board Support Package :
• FPGA + HPS exemple design
• SW API and examples, Windows 10 64-bits / Linux 64-bits
• User manuals
• Quick start guide