Intel® FPGA Software Installation and Licensing

ID 683472
Date 7/08/2024
Public
Document Table of Contents

5.1.1. Quartus® Prime Software License

Quartus® Prime Lite Edition Software License

Intel offers the entry-level Quartus® Prime Lite Edition software. This software supports selected devices, provides limited feature support, and does not require license files.

Quartus® Prime Pro and Standard Edition License

Quartus® Prime Pro Edition software and Quartus® Prime Standard Edition software require a paid license (fixed or floating). However, before you purchase the license, you can obtain a 90-day no-cost evaluation license from the Intel FPGA Self-Service Licensing Center that allows using the Quartus® Prime software for 90 days for evaluation, including generating bitstream.

Note: The Quartus® Prime Pro Edition software provides a free mode which supports Cyclone® 10 GX devices only.

When you purchase an Quartus® Prime subscription from one of the distributors, you choose between a single-user license that is fixed to a specific computer, or a multi-user floating license.

  • Fixed license—A stand-alone (node-locked, single-user) license is tied to the network interface card (NIC) ID of the computer on which you installed the software.
  • Floating license—A floating network (multi-user) license is for users running the Quartus® Prime software on multiple computers connected on a network. A license server issues licenses to computers on demand. Floating licenses are not specific to an operating system. If you want to run the FPGA software on additional computers, you can purchase additional seats to add to your floating license after its original purchase.

A subscription provides access to the Quartus® Prime Pro Edition software, Quartus® Prime Standard Edition, and the Questa*-Intel® FPGA Edition with one year of maintenance support. Once you have bought the subscription from one of the distributors, your order gets processed, and license entitlements are set up and managed in the Intel® FPGA Self Service Licensing Center (SSLC), where you can generate a license.dat file. This file enables you to use the software or IP product licensed, all previous versions, and all versions released within one year of the purchase date. For additional information, refer to Using the Intel FPGA Self-Service Licensing Center.