Intel and Altera simplify sensor integration for edge and physical AI. Expanded collaboration aims to make it easier for customers to connect diverse sensors, turn data into real-time insights and accelerate development of intelligent solutions across healthcare, aerospace and defense, and robotics. November 10, 2026 SANTA CLARA, Calif., November 10 - Intel and Altera today announced a collaboration to develop a flexible, real-time sensor bridge for a range of Edge & Physical AI industries including healthcare, aerospace and defense, and robotics applications. By combining Intel compute, connectivity and software with Altera FPGAs, the companies aim to help original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) address the growing complexity of connecting, processing and acting on real-world data across increasingly sensor-rich edge environments. Addressing the complexity of sensor-rich edge systems. Edge and Physical AI systems can require data from different sensors and interfaces to be brought together while meeting requirements for timing, performance, power and cost. Some applications also require very high bandwidth or flexible form factors in which input/output (I/O) is located away from the compute board. Sensor data must then be streamed rapidly into memory for the host Intel processor to use across edge, robotics and other workloads. Intel and Altera plan to address these challenges through modular reference solutions that combine programmable hardware with a consistent Intel compute and software foundation. The goal is to give OEMs greater flexibility as applications, sensors and workloads evolve, while helping them move more efficiently from prototype to deployment. As sensors multiply at the edge and through Physical AI systems, our customers need a simpler way to turn real-world data into timely action. Together with Altera, we aim to give OEMs a flexible foundation that simplifies integration and helps them move faster from prototype to market deployment while meeting their needs across performance, power and cost Dan rodriguez. corporate vice president and general manager, Edge Computing Group, Intel Physical AI systems have to sense, decide, and act in real time, and the physical world demands accuracy, reliability, and safety. Altera FPGAs provide the sensor connectivity, data processing, and deterministic control that machines need to respond to the physical world, and they stay programmable as sensors and AI models evolve. Combining that with Intel's compute and software is intended to give OEMs a flexible foundation to tailor systems to their needs Farhad shafai. head of business solutions and marketing at Altera Applying programmable, real-time processing across edge markets. Intel and Altera plan to apply the collaboration across multiple markets where real-time processing and programmable computing matter most. These capabilities will be accessible to developers through Intel's Open Edge Platform SDK and an Altera SDK. * Healthcare: The companies are jointly developing a reference solution targeting the stringent latency and real-time requirements of advanced healthcare equipment. * Aerospace and defense: Intel and Altera are collaborating on reference solutions for next-generation mission systems, with a focus on size, weight and power requirements for converged AI and signal-processing workloads. * Robotics: Intel and Altera plan to combine Intel compute, connectivity and robotics software with Altera FPGA technology to help address the increasingly complex sensing, timing and real-time processing requirements of intelligent machines. Together, Intel and Altera aim to help OEMs move faster from prototype to deployment with programmable real-time sensor bridge reference solutions that are designed to reduce integration complexity while addressing performance, power and cost requirements across a range of edge applications. About intel. Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) designs and manufactures advanced semiconductors that connect and power the modern world. Every day, our engineers create new technologies that enhance and shape the future of computing to enable new possibilities for every customer we serve. Learn more at intel.com. About Altera. Altera provides high-performance, programmable compute and connectivity solutions that enable the rapid adoption and continued advancement of transformative technologies across a wide range of advanced and AI-enabled systems. Altera is the largest pure-play FPGA provider with a full-spectrum portfolio serving applications ranging from data centers and communications networks to critical embedded systems.

Intel and Altera simplify sensor integration for Edge and Physical AI. Expanded collaboration aims to make it easier for customers to connect diverse sensors, turn data into real-time insights and accelerate development of intelligent solutions across healthcare, aerospace and defense, and robotics. Intel Corporation and Altera, the largest pure-play FPGA provider with a full-spectrum portfolio, today announced a collaboration to develop a flexible, real-time sensor bridge reference solution for a range of Edge and Physical AI industries including healthcare, aerospace and defense, and robotics applications. By combining Intel compute, connectivity and software with Altera FPGAs, the companies aim to help original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) address the growing complexity of connecting, processing and acting on real-world data across increasingly sensor-rich edge environments. More headlines. Articles. Addressing the Complexity of Sensor-Rich Edge Systems Edge and Physical AI systems can require data from different sensors and interfaces to be brought together while meeting requirements for timing, performance, power and cost. Some applications also require very high bandwidth or flexible form factors in which input/output (I/O) is located away from the compute board. Sensor data must then be streamed rapidly into memory for the host Intel processor to use across edge, robotics and other workloads. Intel and Altera plan to address these challenges through modular reference solutions that combine Altera programmable hardware with a consistent Intel compute and software foundation. The goal is to give OEMs greater flexibility as applications, sensors and workloads evolve, while helping them move more efficiently from prototype to deployment. "As sensors multiply at the edge and through Physical AI systems, our customers need a simpler way to turn real-world data into timely action. Together with Altera, we aim to give OEMs a flexible foundation that simplifies integration and helps them move faster from prototype to market deployment while meeting their needs across performance, power and cost," said Dan Rodriguez, corporate vice president and general manager, Edge Computing Group, Intel. "Physical AI systems have to sense, decide, and act in real time, and the physical world demands accuracy, reliability, and safety. Altera FPGAs provide the sensor connectivity, data processing, and deterministic control that machines need to respond to the physical world, and they stay programmable as sensors and AI models evolve. Combining that with Intel's compute and software is intended to give OEMs a flexible foundation to tailor systems to their needs," said Farhad Shafai, Head of Business Solutions and Marketing at Altera. Applying Programmable, Real-Time Processing Across Edge Markets Intel and Altera plan to apply the collaboration across multiple markets where real-time processing and programmable computing matter most. The companies intend to make resulting reference solutions accessible to developers through Intel's Open Edge Platform SDK and an Altera SDK. Healthcare: The companies are jointly developing a reference solution targeting the stringent latency and real-time requirements of advanced healthcare equipment. Aerospace and defense: Intel and Altera are collaborating on reference solutions to support next-generation mission systems, with a focus on size, weight and power requirements for converged AI and signal-processing workloads. Robotics: Intel and Altera plan to combine Intel compute, connectivity and robotics software with Altera FPGA technology to help address the increasingly complex sensing, timing and real-time processing requirements of intelligent machines. Together, Intel and Altera aim to help OEMs move faster from prototype to deployment with programmable real-time sensor-bridge reference solutions that are designed to help reduce integration complexity while addressing performance, power and cost requirements across a range of edge applications. About Altera Altera provides high-performance, programmable compute and connectivity solutions that enable the rapid adoption and continued advancement of transformative technologies across a wide range of advanced and AI-enabled systems. Altera is the largest pure-play FPGA provider with a full-spectrum portfolio serving applications ranging from data centers and communications networks to critical embedded systems. About Intel Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) designs and manufactures advanced semiconductors that connect and power the modern world. Every day, its engineers create new technologies that enhance and shape the future of computing to enable new possibilities for every customer RoboticsTomorrow serve. Learn more at intel.com.

Altera Agilex 27 FPGA & SoC family features up to 17.6M logic elements, Cortex-A720/A-520 cores, 256 Gbps SerDes, PCIe 7.0. Altera has introduced the Agilex 27 FPGA and SoC family designed for AI infrastructure, high-speed networking, 6G and satellite communications, and aerospace and defense applications. The family includes 14 device models, each available as either an FPGA-only device or an FPGA SoC with integrated Arm processors The new devices rely on Altera's third-generation HyperFlex architecture, which the company claims delivers 1.8 times the performance per Watt compared to the previous-generation Agilex 7 FPGAs. Other features include up to 17.6 million logic elements, second-generation AI Tensor DSP blocks, an Arm Cortex-A720/A520 processor subsystem in the SoC FPGA variants, 256 Gbps transceivers, PCIe 7.0, 1.6Tbps Ethernet, and LPDDR6 memory support. Altera Agilex 27 FPGA and SoC family specifications: * FPGA architecture - 3rd-generation HyperFlex architecture with enhanced adaptive logic modules (ALMs) * 866K to 17.6 million logic elements (LEs) * 274,190 to 5,683,872 ALMs * Up to 1.8x better performance per watt compared to the previous-generation Agilex 7 * Processor (SoC variants only) - Armv9.2 Hard Processor System (HPS) * Dual Arm Cortex-A720 cores and dual Cortex-A520 cores, with CPU speeds up to 2.3 GHz * 2MB shared L3 cache and 512KB on-chip RAM with ECC * AI and DSP acceleration * 1,096 to 21,048 second-generation AI Tensor DSP blocks * Up to 1,211 TOPS INT8 performance * Supports INT8/9/16/32, BFLOAT16, FP16/32, TF32, and complex arithmetic * Fixed-point, floating-point, tensor, and vector processing modes * Memory * FPGA * 40Mb to 822Mb M20K memory * 63Mb to 1,096Mb M80K memory * 8Mb to 158Mb MLAB distributed memory * External memory - DDR5, LPDDR4, LPDDR5/5X, LPDDR6 * 3 to 18 hard memory controllers with inline memory encryption (IME) * Up to 9.84 Tbps external memory bandwidth * Memory-in-package options on M-Series devices * Storage - SD/eMMC interfaces * Display - MIPI D-PHY-based display connectivity; LVDS support * Camera - MIPI C-PHY 2.1 and D-PHY 3.0, up to 4.5 Gbps per lane, for high-speed camera and image sensor connectivity * Networking * Up to 10x 800GbE or 4x 1.6TbE with hardened MAC, PCS, and FEC * Hardware MACsec support * 3x TSN Ethernet MACs on SoC variants * Expansion * PCIe 6.0 x8 (up to 2 instances on selected devices) * PCIe 7.0 x8 / PCIe 6.0 x16 (up to 6 instances on selected devices) * Root Port (RP), Endpoint (EP), bifurcation, and Integrity and Data Encryption (IDE) support * High-speed and medium-speed I/O banks with GPIO * High-speed transceivers * Up to 32x GT SerDes transceivers @ 256 Gbps * Up to 176x GX SerDes transceivers @ 128 Gbps * GS SerDes transceivers @ up to 32 Gbps * NRZ and PAM4 signaling * UCIe interface for chiplet connectivity * USB - USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), USB 2.0 OTG * Serial - I2C, I3C, SPI, OSPI, UART * Misc - DMA controllers, timers, watchdogs, and GPIO * Security * Secure Device Manager (SDM) with hardware root of trust, secure boot, and device attestation * Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) support aligned with CNSA 2.0 * Protected key storage and physical anti-tamper protection * AES/SM4 encryption, MACsec, PCIe IDE, and inline memory encryption * FIPS 140-3 Level 2 certifiable options * Package - BGA packages from 27 x 27 mm to 65 x 65 mm The Agilex 27 family features a new HyperFlow data network that connects the FPGA fabric, memory controllers, Arm processors, PCIe, and other interfaces. It uses dedicated data paths and DMA engines to transfer data without using FPGA logic resources, reducing routing congestion and leaving more resources available for AI, signal processing, and other tasks. The devices also feature third-generation HyperFlex architecture for better performance and logic utilization, along with second-generation AI Tensor DSP blocks for integer, floating-point, vector, and tensor operations used in AI and signal processing. For robotics and physical AI applications, the FPGAs can handle sensor synchronization, image and signal preprocessing, and data transfer to external CPUs or GPUs. This allows time-critical control and safety operations to run separately from AI processing workloads. Altera also offers Agilex 27 M-Series devices with in-package memory and Direct RF-Series devices with integrated data converters through UCIe chiplets, although detailed specifications for these variants are not yet available. Altera's Quartus Prime Pro Edition FPGA development software supports the Agilex 27 family. The latest version 26.3 also adds QuartusIQ, an AI assistant that helps with FPGA design, debugging, finding documentation, and suggesting improvements based on the current project. It can be used directly from the Quartus GUI and can also connect to external AI tools through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Previously, CNX Software Limited wrote about Intel's Agilex SoC FPGA family with quad-core Cortex-A53 processors and up to 112 Gbps transceivers, as well as the more recent Altera Agilex 9 Direct RF-Series AGRW039 SoC FPGA with integrated 64 Gsps RF converters. The new Agilex 27 family increases logic capacity and transceiver speeds while adding Arm Cortex-A720/A520 processing, newer memory interfaces, and PCIe 7.0 support. The company says Quartus Prime design support for Agilex 27 will be available to early-access customers in mid-November 2026, with engineering samples expected in the second half of 2027. QuartusIQ is already available as part of Quartus Prime Pro Edition 26.3. Pricing has not been announced. More details are available on the product page and in the official announcement. Debashis Das is a technical content writer and embedded engineer with over five years of experience in the industry. With expertise in Embedded C, PCB Design, and SEO optimization, he effectively blends difficult technical topics with clear communication Support CNX Software! Donate via cryptocurrencies, become a Patron on Patreon, or purchase goods on Amazon or Aliexpress. CNX Software Limited also use affiliate links in articles to earn commissions if you make a purchase after clicking on those links.