Why EOL FPGA Sourcing Is a Multi-Decade Problem
AMD's Versal Adaptive SoC platform has become the default choice for new aerospace and defense FPGA designs — Mercury Systems, BAE, and the major primes are building Versal-based mission computers and space-qualified processing boards. But for every Versal-based new build, there are a hundred fielded systems still running Virtex-5, Spartan-6, and Actel ProASIC3 that need decades of sustainment.
AMD has committed to Versal AI Core, AI Edge, Prime, Premium, and RF Series availability through 2045+, providing long-term support critical for aerospace, defense, and industrial applications. That's the easy side of FPGA sourcing — current-production parts with manufacturer commitments.
The hard side is everything that came before. Xilinx Spartan-6 has been EOL since 2019. Lattice FPGAs phased out around 2021 have seen ~55% supply drops. Microchip's legacy Microsemi/Actel ProASIC3 parts remain in active military and medical sustainment — and as these EOL parts age, the secondary market becomes the only source. That's exactly where rigorous testing matters most: counterfeits target high-value, hard-to-find aerospace and defense parts specifically.
American Microelectronics sources FPGAs across the full Xilinx/AMD, Intel/Altera, Lattice, and Actel/Microsemi catalogs — active production, legacy, and EOL. Independent testing through Global ETS (ISO 9001/AS9100, ISO 17025, AS6171, AS6081, DLA Lab Suitability, ITAR) or Whitehorse Labs (ISO/IEC 17025:2017, AS6081, AS6171), backed by our warranty.