FPGA MAX10 future availability

I think it is just a lead time issue. Digikey lists various MAX10 parts, but all have the notice:

Due to temporary constrained supply, Digi-Key is unable to accept backorders at this time.

No parts in stock, no ability to backorder, lead times at 40+ weeks listed for various development boards.

Like most semiconductor devices now lead times are thru the roof and availability is nil, unless you are a big customer with locked-in purchase contracts negotiated a year or two ago.

Welcome to 2022.

Yes I think everyone is aware of the difficulty in sourcing components in 2022 - but I think the community would appreciate some input from Intel here on whether or not they will bother producing the MAX10 going forward. I, for one, have quite a few designs based on the MAX10 and would much rather know to abandon ship now rather than sinking another 6-12 months development time into an obsolete component. Some suppliers I've contacted have me worried as they've suggested the MAX10 may be gone for good. I cannot verify their information though.

You will NEVER get a pre-release EOL notice from any semiconductor vendor, unless under NDA and you are a HUGE customer.

Intel/Altera tracks future orders, and when the projected orders fall below a threshold, they will EOL the part(s) or family.

I worked for a very large communications company, and we were regularly informed on technology going EOL (ie, not recommended for new designs) from virtually all vendors.

Any parts we designed in were committed under purchase contract to be available from the vendor for 7 years from our product FCS date.

So if you are a lone designer or a small company that buys parts say monthly thru distributors to meet product demand you are under the radar and down in the noise.

At this time however it almost does not matter. Unless you have locked in purchases from a year ago you likely won't see any parts this year.

A major company should always clearly write if and when a product is no longer available.

I am not a big customer, but my designs are based on Altera / Intel FPGAs, for me and for my business it is extremely important to know clearly if that product will still be available in the future.

Intel can't just target large select customers, others are Intel customers too and need clarity.

Well, if you search the Intel/Altera PDN notices they do provide exact guidance on the upcoming EOL of a product.

Typically they provide 3-6 months of remaining last time buy window, and 6-9 months to last time product shipment.

As to providing much longer term (ie, 7 years) of guaranteed production that comes with responsibility on both sides.

As a customer, you must provide contracted (guaranteed) orders and acceptance of shipped product.

You can't decide 3 years in to cancel all your orders. So there is a huge risk on your part.

In return, Intel/Altera will continue to produce certain parts under contract even when they are no longer cost effective.

No significant customers today will look at design in of EPM7064 devices for new product, even tho for a small customer it might make sense.

And like it or not (I've always worked for very large consumers of semiconductor parts, especially Intel/Altera) and because we bought hundreds of millions of dollars per year of devices we can el primo treatment. Support, access to new devices, technology road maps, advance notice of product family changes. That is just the way it works. Small guys that buy thru distributors don't get this info.

You may not like that, but that is how it works.

I think you misunderstand the knowledge that a distributor can possess.

They do not get 'inside information' like large volume, key customers do.

All the inside info I got from vendor presentations on device futures was under strict NDA.

Intel et al is particularly sensitive about not giving any key strategic info out without a signed NDA.

So even if a distributor got this info, they could not tell you.

Those two statements (Intel won't take backorders on MAX10, Intel will support MAX10 until 2032) are not inconsistent.

You must understand that Intel is producing FPGA parts as fast as its fab allows.

But they are all being bought up by large customers who have prenegotiated purchase contracts for confirmed delivery.

There are no parts left that Intel is producing that can go to distributors for general distribution.

This is not just an Intel/Altera problem, it is affecting all semiconductors.

Heck even the car makers had to cut production because they could not get devices that they needed to produce car electronics.

So Intel is not going to accept backorders on parts that they know they can't produce for a year or more.

Hello

any update on this?

I heard the MAX10 will not be available to the normal channels probably until the end of 2023.

Anyone has updated info on this?