Agilex® 3: Modern FPGA Development Starts Here - Agilex® 3: Modern FPGA Development Starts Here Engineers starting a new FPGA design make several important choices before they write the first line of RTL. The device they select influences the tool flow, IP base, debug method, training path, and production roadmap that follow. For teams working on cost-sensitive embedded, vision, control, DSP, and edge AI-enabled systems, the ideal starting point needs to be affordable, accessible, and serious enough to support real implementation work. Agilex® 3 brings that starting point into the modern Agilex portfolio. Built with Intel 7 technology and second-generation HyperFlex™ architecture, Agilex 3 FPGAs and SoCs extend Agilex-class fabric, efficient performance, modern I/O, embedded memory, DSP resources, and security features into power- and cost-optimized applications. The result is a practical entry point for developers who want a current-generation FPGA platform with a path that can grow beyond the first evaluation board. Start with a real Agilex device for less than $130 The Arrow AXC3000 starter kit gives developers a low-cost way to begin designing with Agilex 3. Currently listed through Arrow at $129, the kit is based on the Agilex 3 C-Series 100 device A3CY100BM16AE7S. That means developers can start with a real Agilex 3 FPGA that provides roughly 100K logic elements, 138 DSP blocks, 276 18x19 multipliers, MIPI D-PHY support, LVDS, a Secure Device Manager, internal memory, external HyperRAM, QSPI configuration flash, CRUVI HS expansion, Arduino MKR standard pads, USB-C power, and an on-board programmer and debugger. This gives first-time Agilex 3 users a compact board for labs, proofs of concept, and early design exploration while preserving a connection to production-capable architecture and tools. It also gives experienced teams a low-cost evaluation path for assessing Agilex 3 in edge, industrial, vision, and control applications. The hardware ecosystem gives developers several ways to start. In addition to AXC3000, Terasic lists Agilex 3 kits under $180, including the DE23-Lite Development Kit, Atum A3 Nano, and Atum Nios® V Starter Kit. These options support different entry paths: education and prototyping, compact FPGA development, and Nios V-focused embedded exploration. A complete set of professional tools for no cost The low-cost Agilex® 3 makes FPGA development more accessible, while a no-cost professional tool flow helps developers realize the device’s full performance and design potential. Quartus® Prime Pro Edition software is the professional design environment and is available from the Altera Download Center. For Agilex 3 devices, developers can use Quartus Prime Pro with a no-cost license, providing a fast path from installation to first compile without a separate manual licensing workflow. Quartus Prime Pro gives Agilex 3 developers a professional FPGA implementation environment from day one. The integrated flow includes synthesis, place-and-route, timing analysis, system debug, power analysis, IP integration, and example designs. Altera knows that FPGA designs can become complex quickly, even during early evaluation. Developers need strong visibility into design behavior so they can find issues, validate functionality, and keep projects moving. For that reason, Altera does not charge for system debug tool. We provide a full license for no cost for any Agilex 3 design. Developers can also use advanced Altera tools and capabilities such as DSP Builder, Power & Thermal Analyzer, FPGA AI Suite, and Nios V processor IP where they fit the design objective. That matters because the first evaluation project often becomes the foundation for production work. Design teams want to learn a flow that can carry forward. They want timing closure methods, IP, debug tools, and software habits that remain useful as the design grows. Agilex 3 gives them that continuity in a professional Quartus Prime Pro environment. Application-ready examples make the story concrete The most compelling way to evaluate a starter platform is to see it run a meaningful application. Agilex 3 is well suited for that kind of demonstration because it combines modern FPGA fabric, useful I/O, embedded memory, DSP resources, and application-oriented IP in a cost-optimized device family. A strong example is the Agilex 3 4Kp30 camera reference design. The design shows how a compact FPGA platform can support a complete video pipeline, including image sensor input, MIPI-based connectivity, image signal processing, and display output. For vision developers, that is a much more useful starting point than a generic board bring-up exercise. It connects directly to applications such as industrial vision, smart cameras, robotics, surveillance, retail analytics, and edge preprocessing. For the AXC3000 mentioned above, a GitHub repo is provided that includes several designs for the AXC3000 board: https://github.com/ArrowElectronics/Agilex-3/wiki/Agilex-3-AXC3000-Development-Platform#reference-designs The same principle applies to embedded and software-oriented development. Nios V provides a RISC-V processor path for control-plane and embedded workflows, and the Atum Nios V Starter Kit gives developers a focused way to explore that environment. As additional Agilex 3 software examples become ready for public promotion, they can extend the story into platform management, real-time control, and HPS-based use cases. A starter path that scales Agilex 3 is the accessible on-ramp to the broader Agilex portfolio and Especially Agilex 5 E-series. Developers can begin with low-cost starter hardware, use professional Quartus Prime Pro tools, and build confidence on real application examples. As designs become more demanding, the path does not stop at the entry board. More capable Agilex 3 boards and device options give teams room to expand into richer I/O, larger designs, more embedded memory, and more complete application prototypes. For software-rich embedded systems, Agilex 3 SoC devices extend the story further with a dual-core Arm Cortex-A55 hard processor system integrated alongside the FPGA fabric. That gives developers a path from simple FPGA evaluation into more powerful applications that combine programmable logic, embedded software, real-time control, and system-level processing in one platform. Need more gates? Even more powerful devices? A pin to pin migration path to Agilex 5 E-series will get you there. The same design environment can support early prototyping, design optimization, IP integration, and eventual deployment across Agilex 3 devices and the broader Agilex family.