Terasic Comet A13 SOM

The Agilex 5 E-Series Hard Processor System (HPS) integrates dual Arm Cortex-A76 cores for high-performance application workloads alongside dual Cortex-A55 cores optimized for real-time hardware management. This heterogeneous architecture allows software teams to run full Linux application stacks - including AI middleware, networking, and containerized services - while the Cortex-A55 cores handle deterministic, low-latency control tasks independently.

The Comet A13 implements a hardware-isolated memory topology that eliminates bandwidth contention between the HPS subsystem and FPGA fabric. The HPS connects to 4 GB of LPDDR4-A through a dedicated 32-bit interface optimized for Ubuntu 22.04 OS workloads, networking stacks, and application-layer services.

The FPGA fabric connects to a separate LPDDR4-B subsystem (1 GB in production; 2 GB in RevA engineering samples). This physically isolated memory pool is designed for high-throughput AI and vision workloads. Image streams entering through the MIPI CSI-2 interface can be buffered directly into FPGA-attached LPDDR4-B for preprocessing tasks such as denoising, color correction, feature extraction, and AI inference - all without impacting the HPS-side memory bus. The result is deterministic control-loop timing and predictable low-latency behavior critical for industrial automation and robotics applications.

Through its dual 300-pin SEAM8 connectors, the Comet A13 exposes 191 HVIO, 72 HSIO, 48 HPS I/O, and four transceivers operating at up to 17.16 Gbps. HVIO banks support 1.8 V, 2.5 V, and 3.3 V signaling, enabling direct attachment of industrial sensors, cameras, and peripherals without additional level-shifting circuitry. This I/O density and voltage flexibility make the Comet A13 well-suited for custom carrier board designs in applications requiring high channel counts.

Terasic provides a complete development infrastructure for the Comet A13 platform, enabling teams to move from concept to production without gaps in software support.

Linux BSP: The platform ships with an officially maintained Ubuntu 22.04.03 LTS BSP built on Linux Kernel 6.12.33 LTS. Compared to older embedded Linux distributions common in the FPGA market, this LTS kernel delivers improved heterogeneous scheduling for Cortex-A76/A55, enhanced industrial networking reliability, filesystem stability for long-duration workloads, and up-to-date peripheral driver support.

Flexible Boot and Deployment: Developers can iterate using removable microSD card images during prototyping. Production deployments can be permanently programmed to onboard eMMC using Terasic's official programming workflow, improving vibration resistance and preventing accidental storage removal in industrial environments.

FPGA Design Tools: Full Quartus Prime support is included, along with USB Blaster III programming and Linux build workflows using Ubuntu host environments. Documentation for building Linux images from scratch is also provided.

Resources Available: Ubuntu image packages for both microSD and eMMC boot targets, eMMC programming instructions, board support files, reference designs, and user manuals are all available through Terasic's official product channels.

• Edge AI inference and computer vision pipeline acceleration

• Machine vision systems: high-speed inspection, defect detection, MIPI camera integration

• Industrial robotics: AMR perception, motion control, deterministic low-latency processing

• Industrial automation: smart factory sensor fusion, protocol bridging, control systems

• Medical imaging and embedded healthcare computing

• Communications and industrial networking applications requiring high transceiver bandwidth

• Embedded systems requiring long product lifecycle (10+ years expected Agilex 5 availability)

The Comet A13 is available as a standalone SoM or as part of a complete Evaluation Kit that includes both the SoM and a full carrier board. The evaluation kit is designed for early-stage algorithm validation, AI pipeline benchmarking, and proof-of-concept development, allowing engineering teams to reduce the time required for custom carrier board development.

Optional ecosystem accessories available from Terasic include:

• Sony IMX519 MIPI CSI-2 camera module (compatible with the onboard 22-pin connector)

• Active cooling fan module

• microSD firmware development kits