Summary
AMD is sampling the Versal AI Core XQRVC1902 in an enhanced space-grade package with early-access customers. Class Y qualification testing is underway, and flight-qualified units are expected in the second half of 2027.
AMD announced on October 1, 2026, that it is sampling the Versal AI Core XQRVC1902 adaptive system-on-chip (SoC) in an enhanced space-grade package with early-access customers. The package is designed for missions lasting up to 15 years. AMD is testing the device to the U.S. military specification MIL-PRF-38535 Class Y; flight-qualified units are expected to be available in the second half of 2027.
That schedule separates the current engineering-sample stage from the planned availability of flight-qualified parts. The samples let early-access customers build engineering models while the qualification work continues.
A package designed for long-duration missions
The package is an advanced, organic-substrate design without a lid. AMD says its conservative design rules and enhanced substrate material are intended to reduce thermal and mechanical stresses in space. The company also says the lidless design improves thermal performance. Space-grade chip capacitors with established flight heritage are included in the package.
Packaging matters because it connects a chip to the rest of a spacecraft’s electronics and affects how heat and mechanical loads are managed. AMD’s stated design aim is to pair the XQRVC1902’s computing and programmable-logic capabilities with packaging intended for extended missions. The company identifies potential uses including geosynchronous Earth orbit, cislunar and heliocentric orbits, deep-space missions, and human-rated missions.
Class Y qualification is the reliability target AMD is testing toward, not a status the announcement says the device has already achieved. AMD describes it as the highest level of quality and reliability under MIL-PRF-38535 for spaceflight components.
Onboard processing and compatibility
The XQR Versal AI Core is intended for onboard payload applications. AMD describes the adaptive SoC as offering programmable logic and processing, along with on-board SRAM and multigigabit transceivers. In general, processing data aboard a spacecraft can support payload operations without requiring every computation to be performed on the ground; the announcement does not specify a particular mission or workload for these samples.
The new package is pin-compatible with existing AMD Versal AI Core VC1902 devices in the 2197 ball grid array package. AMD says this supports use across its commercial, defense-grade and space-grade device versions. The announcement presents the package as an option for programmes seeking the XQRVC1902’s onboard processing capabilities in a design targeted at long service life, while qualification remains in progress.