New ContributorDoes anyone have any insight to what is going on with FPGA inventories. Do you have to be a select Intel partner to get parts? Standard distribution (Digikey) has nothing. When we ask leadtime the answer is on select customers are getting parts and they don't know the real leadtime. I hope an Intel FPGA person can help here.
Here is a snap shot from digikey on Intel FPGA just checking stock and active parts
Occasional ContributorCiccio,
I would say better performance at lower price.
The Cyclone 10LP barely meets 960MBPS LVDS and I had to resort to all tricks to make it work.
With Titanium FPGA of Efinix (rated at 1.5GBPS LVDS) handling LVDS is a breeze. And it has on chip resistors and it has cleaned my layout like anything.
I feel sad about Altera, but there is a lot of catching up with competition for Intel.
Ravi
New ContributorUnfortunately its the reality of the times.
We are partners for both Xilinx and Intel and having the same issues with both vendors. We work closely as well with Arrow and Avnet and are hearing 6-9 months maybe if the starts align right and you put in a firm order now.
This is not just with FPGA families, we are also seeing issues with TI, ST, Microchip, and others.
I think right at the moment, unless you are a tier 1 customer, you are at the mercy of the scalpers, because even the Tier 1's are fighting for parts.
It's killing the small guys however, because if they can't build their products, they can't sell anything.
Occasional ContributorYes it is definitely killing small business and I am thinking of going to premature retirement.
I have been used to Altera’s way of designing using LPM primitives, its mega plugin wizard, the AHDL or Schematic based design entry, Qsys/Platform Designer etc. that moving away is like driving a bull cart after getting used to cars. Altera is unique and unmatched in that sense.
I used to say, all those guys who boost of using vendor neutral Verilog code should have a look at the cosy life of vendor specific guys.
But today they have the last laugh. They can easily move away to say Efinix, but I cant.
imminent closure of business looms large. I have tried knocking the doors of so many suppliers. Cant get supplies to even tide of a month. The fact that there a privileged tier 1 companies and that these companies alone can survive this onslaught is disturbing.
Will I ever get a sympathetic reply form some one in Intel on this IC crisis.
New ContributorI am aware of shortages from all the other vendors but at least can get responses from them. Try and find how to talk to anyone at Intel and there is just generic "customer support". I know the problem exists with all semi makers but the lack of ability to have a conversation with someone from the company is frustrating. I originally used Xilinx product switched to Altera due to power performance improvements I had in my designs(20 years ago). I was concerned when Intel bought them for exact fact they would use them as support products for their server type products.
The semi-conductor industry needs to support all of us not just "Tier 1" customers. Or Engineers being what they are will find other solutions without them.
Occasional ContributorMy experience dates back 25 years ago. At that time our vendor was Lattice-Vantis and our language was ABEL. It was incredible how we had to code at a flip flop level. There was no in-system programming. It has to be done in a DataIO device, soldered or socketed on the board and tested. Any errors, desocket/desolder and repeat – life was tough.
EEPROM based PLD were getting in to obsolescence and we had to move to either Xylinx or Altera. Why we choose Altera was because of AHDL. Moving from ABEL to AHDL was a breeze. So natural. On the other had moving to VHDL had a learning and the compiler also cost a fortune at that time.
Ever since there has been no looking back from AHDL. Our IP kept building upon AHDL with schematic and Verilog here and there. Support for AHDL, the Megaplugin Wizard or the LPM primitives had not been withering. Today we are in Quartus 20.1 and our device is Cyclone 10LP and we are quite happy, but for the chip non-availability.
I have looked in Efinix. Their IP catalog is primitive. Platform Designer is non existent. Schematic entry is unheard off. One of our team mates commented, “we are anyway out of work. Instead of porting our design to vendor neutral code, we can as well design an open source AHDL plugin or a brand new Platform Designer for Efinix!!”
Jokes apart, Altera tools are great. So please give me some IC’s
New ContributorHi, Please contact the nearest sales office. Thanks.
New ContributorCan you please provide a link to local sales offices. I know Intel is here in Toronto but finding even a phone number let alone a email address is difficult.
Understanding I specifically interested in FPGA's
New ContributorArrow/Vertical is the US/Canada distribution partner, but they are in the same boat. (unless you get lucky)
We've had some luck with oemstrade.com, but more than likely the only parts you will find will be in brokers at insane markups.
(We've seen $100+ for $1-$2 parts)
There are scam sites out there as well. So be aware.
digipart.com is another possible search engine that link asian suppliers. We haven't used them yet, so use at your own risk.
New ContributorPlease provide contact info for the Intel Sales Office in Missouri.
Occasional ContributorThanks for the reply. It is atleast better than nothing.
I am in India and I know of no local sales. Our regular suppliers, Digikey, Mouser are sympathetic and suggest alternates but does not work out in the short run.
I am waiting from June 2021 for this part. Please help us survive by allotting a few part to us. We are willing to pay any premium price for this.
New ContributorSorry Raviganesh. I'm a partner not a distributor, so we have now stock and are basically in the same situation as you are.
My company would not export FPGA's outside of the U.S. anyway, since that's not our business model, and something with some FPGA's at least export controls could cause issues.
I posted a couple of part search sites in the link, so best of luck.
Occasional ContributorThankyou. As a foot note, any purchase from a new supplier with terms other that ESCROW is like buying a lottery ticket.
New ContributorHi,
Could you contact the nearest Intel sales office?
Thanks
New ContributorCan you provide link? Simple google searching and looking on this site provides no email or phone number. I am in Ontario Canada
Occasional Contributorand I am in India, very near Bangalore. Don't mind if it is international sales either.
A $10 IC is sold at $150 in the black market.
Is it not a sin for you to remain mum while your customeres are being fleeced.
Occasional ContributorI think Intel FPGA is a sinking ship and is trying to take us all with it.
Effinix is a viable alternate to switch too. Coming from AHDL background I had great difficulty in switching to an event based (always @) language like Verilog or VHDL.
But I am not alone. Charles Papon faced the same difficulty as me and was so annoyed that he went ahead to develope SpinalHDL I feel SpinalHDL is very easy to switch to from AHDL. Also moving away from the 100s of LPM blocks is no more frightening.
Here is a 5 minute video on getting the $35 Xyloni FPGA board of Effinix up and running. installation of Efinix software is a lot more easier than installing Nios EDS. Their tools are in developing stage but can readily be compensated by SpinalHDL.
Are you still waitig for the chips to arrive OR making the dive???
Getting Xyloni up in 5 minutes
Ravi Ganesh
Occasional ContributorI was able to get 25 nos of 10CL006YU256C8G at $30/pcs.
It was at one time $230!
The black marketters are unable to hold stock.
Can Intel atleast be kind enought to inform a date when prodcution for Cyclone 10 will resume.
Occasional ContributorThankyou CICCIO for exposing this.
I too placed an order with Mouser and this is the last reply I got from Mouser:
Dear sir,
We will check with the supplier and come back to you soon on this
Best Regards,
Mala.R
Customer Service Representative
Mouser Electronics India Pvt Ltd .- https://www.mouser.in/manufacturer/
(080) 42650000 Extn:4258
I feel very sad and sorry for Altera.
Your thoughts on how you are moving forward would be supportive.
Ravi Ganesh
Regular ContributorDistributors can't sell parts they don't have in stock or can't get from the manufacturer.
Don't blame Mouser et al because they can't get parts for you.
High volume customers are buying up all the parts they can direct from Intel.
And it is not different sourcing parts from AMD/Xilinx.
High volume customers are buying up all the parts they can direct from Xilinx.
It is a semiconductor industry capacity problem.
Lots of these parts are all built at the same TSMC fabs, which is wafer thruput constrained.
Welcome to 2022. They say it will be be better by 2024.