AMD has introduced the VEK385 Evaluation Kit built around the Versal AI Edge Gen 2 XC2VE3858 SoC FPGA, which combines eight Cortex-A78AE cores, ten Cortex-R52 cores, FPGA fabric with 543,104 LUTs, 144 AI Engine-ML v2 tiles (up to 184 INT8 TOPS), 2,064 DSPs, a Mali-G78AE GPU, and an integrated ISP.
The kit features 20 GB of LPDDR5X memory, a PCIe x8 edge connector supporting Gen5 x4 and Gen3/4 x8, and two HDMI 2.1 RX/TX ports for video. There is also an SFP28 port for 25–100 Gb/s Ethernet, and CAN-FD alongside PL/PS Ethernet for deterministic control applications. The board is designed to accelerate prototyping for automotive (ADAS, autonomous driving), industrial (AMR, edge AI boxes), healthcare (ultrasound, endoscopy, 3D imaging), and aerospace-grade systems.
VEK385 Evaluation Kit specifications
- Adaptive SoC – AMD Versal AI Edge Series Gen 2 XC2VE3858-2MSESSVA2112 heterogeneous adaptive SoC
- CPU – 8x Arm Cortex-A78AE application cores
- Real-time – 10x Arm Cortex-R52 real-time cores
- GPU – 4-core Arm Mali-G78AE
- AI & DSP – 144x AI Engine-ML v2 Tiles (up to 184 INT8 Dense TOPS), 2,064 DSP Engines
- FPGA Fabric – 1,188K System Logic Cells, 543,104 LUTs
- Video – 1x Video Codec Unit (VCU) Tile (supports H.264/H.265)
- ISP – 3x Image Signal Processor (ISP) Tiles
- System controller – AMD Kria K24 Zynq Ultrascale+ system-on-module(SoM)
- System Memory – 20 GB 160-bit LPDDR5X memory (5x 4 GB, 32-bit, soldered)
- Storage
- M.2 M-Key Gen5 (NGFF mini card) socket
- 64 GB UFS storage
- OSPI flash and MicroSD card support
- Display
- HDMI 2.1 output
- DisplayPort 1.4 (via USB-C)
- Video Input – 1x HDMI 2.1 input
- Networking
- 1x QSFP28 (100Gbps) cage
- 1x SFP28 (25Gbps) cage
- 3x Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ports (2x PL, 1x PS)
- 1x RJ45 for System Controller
- 3x 100Gbps Multirate Ethernet MACs (internal)
- USB
- 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2×1 Type-C port with DisplayPort 1.4 Alt mode
- 1x USB 3.0 Type-A port
- 2x USB 2.0 Type-A ports
- 1x USB Type-C port for JTAG/UART bridge
- Serial – 4x CAN-FD interfaces via green terminal blocks
- Debugging – PC4 JTAG header, UART via USB Type-C port
- Expansion
- PCIe Gen5 x4 / Gen4 x8 edge connector (Endpoint and Root Port support)
- VITA 57.4 FMC+ connector (4x GTYP transceivers, 68 user-defined signals)
- 12-pin Digilent Pmod compatible header
- M.2 Gen 5 M-Key (NGFF Mini Card) slot
- Misc
- AMD Kria K24 system controller to handle all the background tasks
- Mode and user DIP switches
- Power good LED
- Power-on reset
- SYSMON (System Monitor)
- 2x user push buttons
- PMBus
- Power toggle switch
- Power – 12V via 2x ATX power connectors or a single 3-pin power connector
- Dimensions – 241.30 x 203.2 mm; 9.5 x 8.0 inches
- Temperature Range – Operating: 0°C to +45°C; Storage: -25°C to +60°C
The AMD Versal AI Edge Series Gen 2 VEK385 evaluation kit works with AMD’s standard development tools, mainly the Vivado Design Suite for RTL design IP integration, constraint management (XDC), timing closure, and device programming. AMD also provides board-specific XDC templates, schematics, and reference design files to help map user logic to the correct pins and FMC+ interfaces. Additionally, the onboard system controller, built around the AMD Kria K24 SOM, offers a web-based interface for monitoring and controlling clocks, power rails (via PMBus and INA monitors), and selected board features during evaluation. More information about this can be found in the user guide and the wiki.
Back in 2024, we wrote about the Trenz Electronic TE0950 evaluation board, which was built around the first-generation Versal AI Edge VE2302 SoC. We also covered a different implementation of the Gen2 SoC FPGA with the Sapphire EDGE+VPR-7P132 Mini-ITX board, which combines a Ryzen AI Embedded processor with a Versal AI Edge Gen 2 VE3558 FPGA.
The AMD evaluation kit (EK-VEK385-G) is listed on AMD’s store for $15,995.00 with an estimated lead time of 10 weeks. The kit ships with the VEK385 evaluation board, a 12V power supply with regional adapter cables, two Ethernet cables, an HDMI 2.1 cable, a USB Type-C to Type-A cable, and a USB 3.2 Gen 2×1 Type-C to Type-C cable. The kit also includes QSFP28 and SFP28 passive loopback modules for high-speed interface testing, a microSD card, a PCIe bracket, and a Vivado Design Suite voucher to support hardware development. A few more details are also available in the press release.
Debashis Das is a technical content writer and embedded engineer with over five years of experience in the industry. With expertise in Embedded C, PCB Design, and SEO optimization, he effectively blends difficult technical topics with clear communication
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