Xilinx announces new RFSoC devices

On February 21st Xilinx announced new devices aimed for the design of solutions for 5G wireless systems. The announced RFSoC devices will combine existing MPSoC capabilities with integrated ADCs and DACs.
The integrated 16nm-based RF data conversion technology includes:
  • Direct RF sampling
  • 12-bit ADCs at up to 4GSPS, with digital down-conversion
  • 14-bit DACs at up to 6.4GSPS, with digital up-conversion
Current solutions for SDR are typically based on superhet transceivers. The superhet architecture needs:
  • IF stage including a Local Oscillator for mixing
  • High speed converters, typically needing fast SerDes (JESD204) to interconnect the processing FPGA to the ADC and DAC
Direct RF Sampling Receiver - Source: Xilinx

Xilinx proposed architecture with integrated DAC and ADC as well as direct RF sampling simplifies and enhances the SDR solution implementation:
  • Reduced noise
  • Reduced power consumption
  • Reduced PCB size and routing complexity
As of the date of this article, there is no public information regarding availability dates and/or device types for the new RFSoCs.

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