Avnet Launches XRF16 System-on-Module to Speed 5G Implementation

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Leading global technology solutions provider Avnet today announced the availability of the Avnet XRF16™ system-on-module, featuring the Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ Radio Frequency (RF) System-on-Chip SoC Gen-2. The new module enhances Avnet’s product offerings for developers working on applications that require next-generation 5G connectivity by accelerating valuable development and production time.

As developers bring the newest applications to market, they are increasingly reliant on emerging 5G connectivity to enable their devices and deployments. With the XRF16, those developers can once again turn to Avnet’s end-to-end product development ecosystem for the tools they need to support their development process.

With the XRF16 module and a comprehensive software suite, developers can begin prototype and application development immediately and move quickly to production with the same hardware, significantly reducing time to market. The XRF16 is an example of Avnet’s leadership in developing system-on-modules, which developers are increasingly turning to as they seek out small-footprint, low-power solutions that support real-time processing for applications such as 5G MIMO, radar, beamforming and medical imaging.

“Developers require the latest, most advanced technology to deliver on their 5G initiatives and projects,” said Jim Beneke, vice president of engineering and technology, Avnet. “Together with Xilinx, we created a production-ready solution module that frees developers to focus on the differentiating features of their products. This is just our latest offering designed to accelerate time-to-market, and by leveraging this groundbreaking new standard of connectivity developers can more quickly deliver real business value.”

The Avnet XRF16 is a 16-channel transceiver module capable of RF direct conversion of waveforms with analog bandwidth up to 5 GHz. The module takes advantage of the Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC Gen-2 device, the industry’s only single-chip, adaptable radio platform, making it ideal for RF applications such as 5G massive MIMO radio, phased array radar and multi-channel RF instrumentation, which demand small-footprint, low-power and real-time processing.

“The Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC Gen-2 family has been developed to extend the analog bandwidth of the 16T16R integrated multi-gigasample RF data converters for enhanced performance in demanding RF applications,” said David Brubaker, Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC product line manager, Xilinx. “Optimized for performance, size and power, the Avnet XRF16 brings a drop-in solution to customers seeking fast-track integration of RFSoC Gen-2 technology into their products.”

The XRF16 ADCs and DACs can operate at sampling rates of 2.22 GSPS and 6.554 GSPS, respectively, on 16 channels. High-speed digital connectivity is available for 100G Ethernet and PCIe, and baseband processing and network interface are handled by the Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC integrated quad Arm® Cortex®-A53 processing subsystem and programmable logic.

Standard peripherals such as USB 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet and serial UART are included. To support hardware prototyping and software development, Avnet has also launched a carrier card to provide convenient interface to RF test equipment as well as 100G Ethernet and PCIe over cable (OCuLink).

Technical specifications:

XRF16™ Xilinx RFSoC System-on-Module 16-Channel/Gen-2/5 GHz

• 16x ADCs, 12-bit up to 2.220 GSPS
• 16x DACs, 14-bit up to 6.554 GSPS
• Quad-core Arm® Cortex®-A53 processing subsystem
• 1 GbE, PCIe Gen-2, SATA3.1, USB 2.0/3.0
• UltraScale+ programmable logic
• Phase coherent synchronous sampling across all converters and multiple boards
• 16x 28 Gbps serial links for 10/40/100 GbE, PCIe Gen 3x16, eCPRI and Aurora