Xilinx Alveo U280 Data Center Accelerator Card

The Xilinx Alveo U280 Data Center Accelerator Card is engineered to meet the evolving demands of modern data centers. Built on the 16nm UltraScale+ architecture, this accelerator card pairs top-tier programmable logic with a robust, high-bandwidth memory subsystem to deliver flexible, low-latency acceleration for memory-bound workloads. With 8GB of HBM2 memory and up to 460 GB/s of bandwidth, the U280 enables data-intensive applications—from AI inference and real-time analytics to network function virtualization and streaming data processing—to run faster, more efficiently, and with greater adaptability than fixed-function hardware. Designed for deployment in enterprise servers and hyperscale environments, the U280 supports rapid development cycles through a comprehensive software stack, reference designs, and tooling that let developers tailor hardware-accelerated pipelines to their workloads without compromising reliability, security, or manageability. This makes the U280 a capable choice for laboratories, data centers, and data-driven enterprises pursuing scalable performance, energy efficiency, and agile deployment of complex workloads.

• High-bandwidth memory architecture — 8GB of HBM2 on-board memory delivers up to 460 GB/s of sustained bandwidth, enabling dramatic improvements in throughput for memory-bound workloads such as large-scale analytics, real-time data processing, and AI inference pipelines. This memory subsystem helps minimize data movement bottlenecks and accelerates intricate processing paths.
• Programmable acceleration with UltraScale+ FPGA — powered by Xilinx 16nm UltraScale+ technology, the U280 combines reconfigurable logic with a dense fabric of DSPs, LUTs, and high-speed transceivers. This gives developers the flexibility to implement custom data paths, compression, encryption, search, and domain-specific accelerators that can be tuned as workloads evolve, without replacing hardware.
• PCIe-based data center card for server-grade deployment — designed to slot into standard data center servers through a PCIe interface, enabling rapid integration into existing infrastructure. The U280 supports scalable deployment across racks and clusters, making it suitable for multi-tenant environments and large-scale workloads.
• Optimized for a broad range of workloads — ideal for memory-bound and compute-bound tasks, streaming data, and accelerated data paths. Features like hardware-accelerated data processing, prebuilt compute blocks, and support for custom kernels help accelerate AI inference, analytics, compression, encryption, network offload, and data plane processing in diverse enterprise scenarios.
• Robust software ecosystem and development tooling — ships with a comprehensive software stack, drivers, and reference designs designed to shorten time-to-value. Developers can harness familiar frameworks, build custom acceleration kernels, and validate performance with tested workloads, reducing integration risk and simplifying ongoing maintenance in production environments.

Technical Details of Xilinx Alveo U280 Data Center Accelerator Card

• Memory: 8GB HBM2 with up to 460 GB/s bandwidth
• Architecture: Xilinx 16nm UltraScale+ FPGA platform
• Form factor / interface: PCIe-based data center accelerator card designed for server integration
• Host interface: PCIe Gen3 (x16) connection to XD/Rack servers supporting high-bandwidth I/O
• Software and ecosystem: includes drivers, runtime, and reference designs to streamline development and deployment

How to install Xilinx Alveo U280 Data Center Accelerator Card

Installing the Alveo U280 is a straightforward process designed for data center IT teams and developers. Follow these steps to ensure a smooth deployment and optimal performance from the moment you power up.

• 1. Power down the server and remove the chassis access panel to access available PCIe slots. Verify that your system is on a compatible operating system and kernel version for Alveo U280 drivers and runtime.
• 2. Insert the U280 card into an appropriate PCIe x16 slot and firmly seat it to ensure reliable electrical contact. Secure the card with a retention screw to prevent movement during operation.
• 3. If your server requires it, connect any vendor-recommended PCIe power or auxiliary rails as specified in your server’s hardware manual. Some configurations rely solely on PCIe slot power, while others may benefit from additional power delivery for peak workloads.
• 4. Power on the server and boot into the supported Linux distribution. Install the Xilinx drivers and runtime (XRT) package from the official repository or vendor portal, following the provided installation guide.
• 5. Validate the installation with the included sample workloads or a basic benchmarking suite. Confirm that the Alveo U280 is recognized by the system, can allocate resources, and can execute hardware-accelerated tasks before moving into production workloads.

Frequently asked questions

• Q: What workloads is the Xilinx Alveo U280 best suited for? A: The U280 excels at memory-bound workloads, AI inference, real-time analytics, streaming data processing, data compression, encryption, and high-speed networking offloads, all through programmable hardware that can be tailored to specific enterprise needs.
• Q: How much memory does the card have and what bandwidth does it offer? A: It houses 8GB of HBM2 memory with up to 460 GB/s bandwidth, delivering high data throughput to keep accelerators fed with data and reduce latency in data-centric tasks.
• Q: What software is required to run the Alveo U280? A: A Linux-based host environment with the Xilinx runtime (XRT) and drivers is required. Developers can use reference designs and development tools provided by Xilinx to compile and run hardware-accelerated kernels.
• Q: Is the Alveo U280 compatible with standard data center servers? A: Yes. The card is designed for PCIe-based deployment in server-grade platforms and hyperscale servers, making it compatible with a broad range of server hardware that supports PCIe expansion cards.
• Q: Can I adapt or update accelerators after deployment? A: Absolutely. The UltraScale+ FPGA fabric is reconfigurable, so you can update, optimize, or replace acceleration kernels and data paths as workloads evolve without changing the physical hardware.