A54SX72A-1FG256 - 108K-Gate SX-A Antifuse FPGA | Microchip
MPN: A54SX72A-1FG256 ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $195 | $195.00 |
| 10 | $182.5 | $1,825.00 |
| 100 | $168 | $16,800.00 |
| 500 | $155 | $77,500.00 |
| 1,000 | $142 | $142,000.00 |
A54SX72A-1FG256 Overview
An antifuse FPGA is a type of field-programmable gate array in which the programmable interconnect is formed by one-time-programmable antifuse elements rather than SRAM configuration cells. Within the programmable logic hierarchy, the A54SX72A sits in the Actel (now Microchip) antifuse FPGA branch: FPGA -> one-time-programmable FPGA -> antifuse FPGA -> SX-A family. Because the configuration is hard-wired at programming, antifuse FPGAs are non-volatile, inherently secure, immune to configuration readback, and require no external configuration PROM at power-up.
Key features include the 108K gate organization (72,000 typical gates available for design implementation), 250 MHz system performance, and single-chip integration that eliminates external boot devices. The SX-A architecture locates routing interconnect between the top two metal layers, providing efficient silicon utilization and predictable timing for high-throughput designs.
Technically, the A54SX72A uses a sea-of-modules CMOS fabric with fast, dedicated carry logic and registers-per-module ratios that support pipelined datapaths. The antifuse interconnect provides low junction capacitance on switched nodes relative to SRAM switch fabrics, contributing to the family's combination of speed and low static power.
Typical applications include industrial control, communications and networking line cards, avionics and high-reliability systems requiring configuration security, and glue-logic consolidation where multiple ASSPs or ASIC prototypes are merged into one low-cost, single-chip solution.
A key design consideration is that antifuse devices are one-time-programmable: design changes require a new physical device, so complete functional simulation and timing verification in Libero/Designer software are essential before programming.
This page synthesizes verified distributor pricing, same-family drop-in speed-grade and temperature-grade alternates, and practical design notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for A54SX72A-1FG256 — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Variants in this series
Same-series models that are drop-in compatible with A54SX72A-1FG256 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, System Gates, Process Technology, Typical Gates, Family.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
A54SX72A-2FG256
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$96.5 / Unit
View Datasheet →A54SX72A-1FG256I
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$138.6 / Unit
View Datasheet →A54SX72A-FG256A
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
Contact for price
View Datasheet →A54SX72A-1FGG256
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
Contact for price
View Datasheet →A54SX72A-1FG256M
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$62.75 / Unit
View Datasheet →A54SX72A-1FG256 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | SX-A (Antifuse FPGA) |
| System Gates | 108,000 equivalent gates |
| Typical Gates | 72,000 gates |
| Configurable Logic Blocks (CLBs) | 6036 |
| Logic Cells | 4024 |
| Maximum System Frequency | 250 MHz |
| User I/O | 203 |
| Supply Voltage | 2.5 V |
| Process Technology | 0.25 um CMOS |
| Programmability Type | One-time-programmable antifuse |
| Speed Grade | -1 |
| Package | 256-ball FBGA (FG256), 1 mm pitch |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Packaging | Tray |
A54SX72A-1FG256 256-ball fbga (fg256), 1 mm pitch Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for A54SX72A-1FG256 (256-ball fbga (fg256), 1 mm pitch package). This digital IC includes GPIO, communication interfaces (UART, SPI, I2C), and power pins. Refer to the manufacturer datasheet for alternate pin functions and configuration options. Essential for embedded system design and PCB layout.
No detailed pinout data available for A54SX72A-1FG256.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
A54SX72A-1FG256 is suitable for 6 applications: Aerospace and Avionics Logic, Industrial Control and Automation, Communications and Networking Line Cards, ASIC Prototyping and Emulation, Configuration-Secure Embedded Systems, Legacy System Sustainment and Repair.
Aerospace and Avionics Logic
The A54SX72A-1FG256 fits avionics glue logic, bus interface, and supervisory functions where configuration security and instant-on behavior are mandatory. Its antifuse fabric cannot be read back or remotely modified, eliminating bitstream-extraction risk that applies to SRAM FPGAs, and it powers up functional with no external configuration PROM. With 108K system gates, 6036 CLBs, and 250 MHz-class performance, it consolidates MIL-STD-1553-style interface logic, voter circuits, and board-level state machines into one 2.5 V device. The 256-ball FBGA in 1 mm pitch suits conduction-cooled and high-vibration card formats; HiRel SX-A variants add additional screening for flight programs.
Recommended
Industrial Control and Automation
In factory automation, the A54SX72A-1FG256 consolidates PLC I/O decoding, encoder interpolation, and interlock logic into a single 2.5 V chip, replacing multiple ASSPs and reducing BOM cost per Microchip's SX-A positioning of 'low cost, single-chip solution'. The 203 user I/Os drive sensors, relays, and fieldbus transceivers directly, while 250 MHz toggle capability supports high-resolution quadrature counting and fast trip logic. Because the antifuse configuration is non-volatile and immune to configuration corruption, machines restart instantly after power loss without bootloader delay - a key availability advantage over SRAM FPGAs in production lines with frequent power cycling.
Recommended
Communications and Networking Line Cards
Line-card designers use the A54SX72A-1FG256 for framing, multiplexing, and backplane interface logic where predictable timing matters. The SX-A architecture places routing interconnect between the top two metal layers, giving lower-switch-capacitance paths than SRAM fabrics and supporting the family's 250 MHz toggle rate for high-throughput serial datapaths. The 108K-gate capacity hosts channelized FIFOs, TDM crossbars, and status aggregation for telecom shelves. The 2.5 V supply aligns with legacy backplane logic levels common in installed telecom equipment, and 203 I/Os cover dense connector pinouts in the compact 27 mm-class FBGA footprint.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping and Emulation
The A54SX72A-1FG256 serves as a low-cost prototyping vehicle for gate-array-class designs: its 72,000 typical gates approximate mid-size sea-of-gates ASIC capacity, allowing RTL verification on real silicon before mask commitment. The antifuse fabric's timing behavior is deterministic after programming, which makes timing closure results transferable to ASIC sign-off flows better than reconfigurable fabrics with switch-capacitance variance. Design teams typically populate prototype boards with multiple -1 and -2 speed-grade FG256 devices to trade timing margin against realism. Note the one-time-programmable nature: budget a fresh device for each significant RTL iteration.
Recommended
Configuration-Secure Embedded Systems
Systems with valuable IP - encryption keys in logic, proprietary algorithms, branded control firmware - benefit from the A54SX72A-1FG256's readback-proof antifuse configuration. Unlike SRAM FPGAs that store the bitstream in external flash and expose it at configuration time, the SX-A device's interconnect is physically formed during a one-time programming step and can never be interrogated. The 108K gates and 203 I/Os are sufficient for AES-class datapaths, authentication engines, and board bring-up logic. Combined with instant-on operation (no configuration latency), it suits secure boot paths and tamper-responsive hardware in payment and defense equipment.
Recommended
Legacy System Sustainment and Repair
Mature platforms - telecom switches, test instruments, industrial drives - often shipped with SX-A FPGAs, and field-repair shops rely on the A54SX72A-1FG256 to keep them serviceable. DigiKey and Mouser continue to stock the part, and Octopart reports 5 active distributor channels as of 2026-09-03, making it one of the more available legacy FPGAs. Because programming files from the original design remain valid (antifuse configuration is fixed), a replacement device programmed with the archived fuse file restores function without redesign. Keep at least one spare programmed device per deployed system as a cold-spare strategy.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for A54SX72A-1FG256 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | A54SX72A-2FG256 | A54SX72A-1FG256I | A54SX72A-FG256A | A54SX72A-1FGG256 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 256-ball FBGA (1 mm pitch) | 256-ball FBGA - same | 256-ball FBGA - same | 256-ball FBGA - same | 256-ball FBGA - same |
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| System Gates | 108,000 (72K typical) | 108,000 (72K typical) | 108,000 (72K typical) | 108,000 (72K typical) | 108,000 (72K typical) |
| CLBs / Logic Cells | 6036 / 4024 | 6036 / 4024 | 6036 / 4024 | 6036 / 4024 | 6036 / 4024 |
| User I/O | 203 | 203 | 203 | 203 | 203 |
| Max Toggle Rate | 250 MHz | 250 MHz (faster delays, -2 grade) | 250 MHz | 250 MHz (grade per suffix) | 250 MHz |
| Speed Grade | -1 | -2 (faster) | -1 | standard (A revision) | -1 |
| Supply Voltage | 2.5 V | 2.5 V | 2.5 V | 2.5 V | 2.5 V |
| Programmability | One-time-programmable antifuse | Antifuse OTP | Antifuse OTP | Antifuse OTP | Antifuse OTP |
Key Differentiators
- Readback-proof configuration security (vs SRAM-based competitor FPGAs)
- Faster timing closure option in same footprint (vs A54SX72A-1FG256 (this part))
- Instant-on operation, no boot device (vs SRAM FPGAs requiring configuration flash)
Design Notes
Design a single clean 2.5 V rail for the A54SX72A-1FG256 core and I/O. Because the antifuse fabric is static, supply current is dominated by dynamic I/O and clock-tree switching, which scales with your toggle rate toward the 250 MHz ceiling. Provide 0.1 uF ceramic decoupling at each VDD ball group plus bulk capacitance near the package. Verify exact ICC figures for your design using Microchip's power estimation tools, since total current depends on routed design, not just the device. Estimated: a mid-utilization design at moderate clock rates typically draws far less than worst-case datasheet ICC.
The 256-ball FBGA with 1 mm pitch requires a controlled-assembly flow: follow the land-pattern and via-in-pad guidance in the SX-A package mechanical drawing, and specify the correct solder-ball alloy matched to your reflow profile. Signal integrity for the 203 user I/Os improves with length-matched traces on clock and strobe groups. Since this is an antifuse device programmed in a socket (typically via Silicon Sculptor), plan board access or ZIF socketing so the device can be programmed before final assembly - a rework cycle on a BGA is costly.
The most common SX-A pitfall is treating the device as reprogrammable. Antifuse programming is permanent: each design iteration consumes a new physical device. Complete gate-level simulation, place-and-route timing sign-off, and full functional verification in Libero/Designer before committing hardware. Also confirm speed-grade ordering (fastest to slowest) when porting designs between -1 and -2 devices, and confirm temperature suffix (commercial vs I vs M) matches the deployment environment - a commercial-grade part in an industrial enclosure risks specification violations.
Compliance Information
Compliance data not present in verified web data. Lead-free (G-suffix) variants such as A54SX72A-1FGG256 exist in the family; verify RoHS/reach status on the Microchip product page per specific orderable suffix.
