AMD declared the End of Life (EOL) for a number of CPLDs and FPGAs that started January 1, 2024. The affected models included the XC9500XL, CoolRunner, and CoolRunner II CPLDs, along with the Spartan II and Spartan 3 FPGA families. These products (many of which were more than twenty-five years old) originated from Xilinx’s legacy lineup before AMD acquired Xilinx in 2022. AMD accepted final orders for these devices until June 29, 2024.

In addition to these legacy CPLD and low-end FPGA families, AMD issued a second discontinuation notice on September 30, 2024, impacting select devices within the Virtex-4, Virtex-5, and Virtex-6 FPGA families. While this notice did not discontinue the entire families, it marked the EOL of numerous individual commercial, industrial, and military-grade part numbers that had seen steadily declining demand.

Why AMD Discontinued These Devices

The decision to discontinue these products was primarily driven by two factors.

Firstly, these devices were produced using outdated process nodes on production lines that have long been fully amortized. The maintenance costs associated with keeping aging lines operational was becoming prohibitively expensive. Secondly, market demand no longer justified maintaining an active inventory of these chips. With fewer new designs relying on these legacy programmable logic devices, the overall market for them has shrunk.

This shift also reflects a broader semiconductor trend: foundries and device manufacturers are prioritizing advanced technologies optimized for AI acceleration, machine learning workloads, and highly efficient embedded logic - domains where older CPLD and FPGA architectures can no longer compete. As part of this trend, leading FPGA companies such as AMD, through its Xilinx acquisition, continue to push the industry forward by focusing on high-performance, next-generation FPGA platforms. Their leadership in adaptive computing has intensified the transition away from legacy process nodes, accelerating the retirement of older, less capable product families.

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Support for Existing Designs

Despite the announcement of discontinuation, AMD will offered clients the opportunity to purchase these chips during the last-time-buy window to support existing system designs that rely on them. This ensured that manufacturers in aerospace, industrial automation, communications infrastructure, and other long-lifecycle sectors could secure sufficient stock to maintain and service deployed equipment.

This EOL wave also serves as a moment to reflect on the legacy and impact of these devices. The Spartan II and Spartan 3 families, along with the XC9500XL and CoolRunner CPLDs, played a fundamental role in the early growth of digital logic design and reconfigurable systems throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.

Transitioning to Modern Programmable Logic

The discontinuation of these older CPLDs and FPGAs presents an opportunity for designers and engineers to explore and adopt newer, more advanced technologies. Modern CPLDs and FPGAs offer increased performance, lower power consumption, and enhanced feature sets compared to their predecessors.

Long Term Availability

AMD has reaffirmed long-term availability for its current-generation product lines:

7-Series: FPGAs (Artix-7, Kintex-7, Virtex-7) are supported through at least 2040.

UltraScale: UltraScale and UltraScale+ families along with adaptive SoCs, are supported through at least 2045.

With the ongoing development of AI, IoT, autonomous robotics, and high-performance edge computing, demand continues to shift toward more advanced programmable logic solutions that deliver higher throughput, improved efficiency, and expanded configurability.

A Closing Look at an Important Era in FPGA History

The discontinuation of these devices marks the end of an era in programmable logic. These chips have been foundational in numerous electronic systems and industrial applications. Over their lifespan, the XC9500XL, CoolRunner, Spartan II, and Spartan 3 families contributed to advancements in telecommunications, aerospace, automotive, industrial automation, and more.

Their EOL status highlights the importance of ongoing innovation in semiconductor technology, pushing designers and manufacturers to embrace newer, more efficient solutions. As these legacy devices phase out, and as selected Virtex-4/5/6 devices join them, it paves the way for modern, scalable programmable logic to address the evolving needs of today’s electronics landscape.

Learn More: FPGAs

Need Help Sourcing Discontinued FPGAs or CPLDs?

At Microchip USA, we specialize in helping engineers and procurement teams find obsolete, end-of-life, and hard-to-find electronic components, including legacy AMD (Xilinx) FPGAs and CPLDs such as the XC9500XL, CoolRunner, and Spartan series.

We ensure you receive authentic, traceable parts, even after manufacturers stop production.

If you need support sourcing discontinued AMD devices, contact us today - we’re here to help keep your production lines running.