Hybrid MCU-FPGA on a single die
The Microchip A2F500M3G-FGG484I is a SmartFusion series device that integrates an ARM Cortex-M3 processor core running at 80 MHz with a ProASIC3 FPGA fabric rated at 500K gates and 11520 D-Flip-Flops. This is not a package-on-package stack — the MCU and FPGA share the same die with an internal bus bridge, so the latency between the processor and the programmable logic is deterministic and measured in single-digit clock cycles. The FPGA side is a flash-based ProASIC3 array — no configuration PROM needed, it powers up live.
I/O budget and package constraints
The 484-ball FBGA package breaks out 41 dedicated MCU I/O and 128 FPGA I/O. That 41+128 split is fixed — the MCU I/O are on fixed pins and cannot be reassigned to the FPGA fabric. The FPGA I/O are banked and can be configured to 1.2 V, 1.5 V, 1.8 V, 2.5 V, or 3.3 V per bank, which matters when the FPGA side interfaces to sensors at one voltage and a memory bus at another. The 484-ball array is a 23×23 ball grid with 1.0 mm pitch — four-layer board minimum for fan-out, though six layers are typical when the Ethernet PHY and external memory are on the same board.
Rated for junction temperature from -40°C to 100°C, this part sits in the industrial operating band. It is suited for motor drives, PLC I/O modules, Ethernet gateways, and instrumentation that lives in a panel or cabinet where ambient air can hit 70°C and the die runs another 30°C above that. Not rated for automotive under-hood (125°C junction is the typical threshold there), but fine for most factory-floor and outdoor telecom enclosures.
Lifecycle and supply position
This is a current-production part from Microchip, not a legacy or sunset line.