Alveo U50
Alveo U50 accelerator card with UltraScale+ FPGA, 8GB HBM2, 200G networking in low-profile form factor.
Product Overview
Description
The Alveo U50 is a compact data center accelerator card featuring a Xilinx UltraScale+ FPGA with 8GB HBM2 memory delivering 316 GB/s memory bandwidth. The low-profile form factor enables deployment in space-constrained servers and edge locations.
The card includes dual QSFP28 cages supporting 200G total network connectivity and PCIe Gen4 x8 host interface. Despite its compact size, the U50 delivers significant acceleration for AI inference, video processing, and financial computing.
With passive cooling and 75W power consumption, the U50 is ideal for edge deployments, cloud instances, and dense data center environments where power and space are constrained. The card supports the same XRT runtime and Vitis development flow as other Alveo cards.
Product Series
Alveo
Primary Application
AI Inference
Key Features
- High efficiency and reliability
- Optimized for industrial applications
- Comprehensive technical support
- Available from stock
Specifications
| FPGA | XCU50 UltraScale+ |
|---|---|
| HBM2 Memory | 8 GB (316 GB/s) |
| Network | Dual QSFP28 (200G total) |
| PCIe Interface | Gen4 x8 |
| Form Factor | Low-profile (half-height, half-length) |
| Power | 75W (max) |
| Cooling | Passive (requires server airflow) |
Applications
AI Inference
Electronic system design
Video Transcoding
Electronic system design
Financial Computing
Electronic system design
Edge Computing
Electronic system design
FAE Expert Insights
"The Alveo U50 packs impressive performance into a compact, low-power package. At 75W, it's one of the most power-efficient accelerators available while still delivering 8GB of HBM2 and 200G networking. I've deployed these in edge locations where power and cooling are limited - the passive cooling works well with standard server airflow. The 316 GB/s HBM2 bandwidth is sufficient for most AI inference and video processing workloads. The low-profile form factor fits in 1U servers and even some compact edge gateways. For financial applications, the deterministic latency is a major advantage over GPUs. The U50 is also popular in cloud environments where density matters - you can fit more accelerators per rack. While the U55C has more memory, the U50 hits a sweet spot for many applications at a lower price point. This is my recommendation for getting started with Alveo or for edge deployments."
Compact, power-efficient accelerator ideal for edge and dense cloud deployments
— Lisa Anderson, BeiLuo
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the U50 suitable for edge deployment?
U50 edge deployment advantages: 1) Power - 75W fits edge power budgets, 2) Cooling - passive cooling works in edge environments, 3) Form factor - compact size for edge servers, 4) Networking - 200G for high-speed edge aggregation, 5) Software - same XRT as data center cards. The U50 brings data center acceleration to edge locations. Many edge gateways and servers support this form factor.
Excellent choice for edge AI and video processing. Verify server compatibility.
What AI inference performance can I expect?
U50 AI inference performance: 1) ResNet-50 - 3,000+ images/sec (batch=1), 2) YOLOv3 - 100+ FPS for 1080p video, 3) BERT - 1,500+ sequences/sec, 4) Low latency - sub-millisecond for small batches, 5) Power efficiency - 40-50 images/sec/W. Performance varies by model and batch size. Use Vitis AI for optimized model deployment.
Use Vitis AI for model optimization. Batch size affects latency vs throughput tradeoff.
Can I use the U50 for video transcoding?
U50 video transcoding capabilities: 1) H.264 - 20+ 1080p60 streams simultaneously, 2) H.265 - 10+ 1080p60 streams, 3) VP9 - supported via FPGA implementation, 4) Latency - end-to-end < 50ms for live streaming, 5) Quality - broadcast quality at high density. The FPGA can implement custom video processing pipelines. Combine with Zynq-based solutions for integrated encode/decode.
Excellent for high-density transcoding. Implement custom pipelines for specialized workflows.
How does the U50 compare to cloud FPGA instances?
U50 vs cloud FPGA comparison: 1) Latency - on-premises U50 has lower network latency, 2) Cost - U50 may be cheaper for sustained workloads, 3) Flexibility - full control over card and software, 4) Scaling - cloud offers instant scaling, 5) Management - cloud handles infrastructure. U50 is ideal for predictable workloads requiring low latency. Cloud is better for burst and experimental workloads.
Use on-premises U50 for production with predictable workloads. Use cloud for development and burst.
What is the warranty and support for Alveo cards?
Alveo warranty and support: 1) Warranty - 1 year standard warranty, 2) Extended - additional coverage available, 3) Technical support - Xilinx support portal access, 4) Software updates - XRT and Vitis updates included, 5) Replacement - advance replacement for failed cards. As an authorized distributor, we provide additional support including deployment assistance and optimization consulting.
Register card for warranty. Contact distributor for additional support services.