Power and Thermal Analyzer User Guide

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ID 865226
Date 9/29/2025
Public
Document Table of Contents
Document Table of Contents x
1. Overview of the Power and Thermal Analyzer 2. Estimating Power Consumption with the Power and Thermal Analyzer 3. Power and Thermal Analyzer (PTA) Graphical User Interface 4. Power and Thermal Analyzer Resource Types 5. Command Line Options and Scripting 6. Factors Affecting the Accuracy of the Power and Thermal Analyzer 7. Document Revision History for the Power and Thermal Analyzer User Guide A. Measuring Static Power B. Tcl Command Reference
1. Overview of the Power and Thermal Analyzer x
1.1. Accessing the Power and Thermal Analyzer 1.2. PTA Power Model Status 1.3. Definitions of Power Terms Used in this Document
2. Estimating Power Consumption with the Power and Thermal Analyzer x
2.1. Estimating Power Before Starting the FPGA Design 2.2. Estimating Power While Creating the FPGA Design 2.3. Estimating Power After Completing the FPGA Design 2.4. Estimating Power for Dual-Core Devices
3. Power and Thermal Analyzer (PTA) Graphical User Interface x
3.1. PTA - Device Selector Dialog Box 3.2. PTA - Primary GUI Components 3.3. PTA - Hierarchical Design Editor 3.4. PTA - Using Design Hierarchies in the Power and Thermal Analyzer 3.5. PTA - Entering Hierarchy Information Into the PTA 3.6. PTA - Current Drawn per Supply Tab 3.7. PTA - Temperature and Cooling Tab 3.8. PTA - Resource Utilization Panel 3.9. PTA - Register Dynamic Power in Agilex Devices 3.10. PTA - Input Fields 3.11. PTA - Data Entry Error Messages 3.12. PTA - Search Features 3.13. PTA - Filtered Searches 3.14. PTA - Using the Tcl Console to Perform Searches
4. Power and Thermal Analyzer Resource Types x
4.1. PTA - Power Summary 4.2. PTA - Root Entry 4.3. PTA - Instance 4.4. PTA - Logic Resource Type 4.5. PTA - RAM Resource Type 4.6. PTA - DSP Resource Type 4.7. PTA - Clock Resource Type 4.8. PTA - PLL Resource Type 4.9. PTA - I/O Resource Type 4.10. PTA - Transceiver Resource Type 4.11. PTA - Crypto Resource Type 4.12. PTA - NOC Resource Type 4.13. PTA - HBM Resource Type
4.10. PTA - Transceiver Resource Type x
4.10.1. PTA - Estimating E-Tile Channel PLL Power
5. Command Line Options and Scripting x
5.1. Invoking the Power and Thermal Analyzer from the Command Line 5.2. Running Scripts with the Power and Thermal Analyzer
6. Factors Affecting the Accuracy of the Power and Thermal Analyzer x
6.1. Toggle Rate 6.2. I/O Bank Allocation
B. Tcl Command Reference x
B.1. add B.2. copy B.3. delete B.4. edit B.5. export_design_file B.6. find_instances B.7. get_available_ips B.8. get_available_resource_types B.9. get_available_values B.10. get_first_error B.11. get_properties B.12. get_report B.13. get_report_names B.14. get_results B.15. get_value B.16. import_design_file B.17. move B.18. open_design_file B.19. pta::get_active_design B.20. pta::get_defaults B.21. pta::get_designs B.22. pta::locate B.23. pta::set_active_design B.24. pta::set_family B.25. recalculate_power B.26. redo B.27. save B.28. set_device B.29. set_view B.30. undo
1. Overview of the Power and Thermal Analyzer
2. Estimating Power Consumption with the Power and Thermal Analyzer
3. Power and Thermal Analyzer (PTA) Graphical User Interface
4. Power and Thermal Analyzer Resource Types
5. Command Line Options and Scripting
6. Factors Affecting the Accuracy of the Power and Thermal Analyzer
7. Document Revision History for the Power and Thermal Analyzer User Guide
A. Measuring Static Power
B. Tcl Command Reference

2.2. Estimating Power While Creating the FPGA Design

If your FPGA design is partially complete, you can import a .qpta file (<revision name>.qpta) generated by the Quartus® Prime software into the Power and Thermal Analyzer. After importing the information from the .qpta file into the PTA, you can edit the PTA data to reflect the device resource estimates for your final design.

If you have run the Quartus® Prime Power Analyzer (QPA), it produces a .qpta file. (See the Processing > Start > Start Power Analyzer menu in the Quartus® Prime software.)

By default, this file has a name that matches the project revision name. If you want to specify a custom name for the .qpta file, you can do so either through the Quartus® Prime software (see Assignments > Settings > Power Analyzer Settings > Power and Thermal Calculator export file name) or use the following assignment in the .qsf file: 
set_global_assignment -name POWER_AND_THERMAL_ANALYZER_EXPORT_FILE <filename>

When you open the PTA with a Quartus® Prime project (either from the Tools menu, or if you specified a project on the quartus_pta command line) the PTA looks for this .qpta file and attempts to open it. If the .qpta file is not found, an error message occurs. After dismissing the error message, you are free to use the PTA to enter design information manually.

Table 3.  Advantages and Constraints of Power Estimation if your FPGA Design is Partially Complete
Advantage Constraint
  • You can perform power estimation early in the FPGA design cycle.
  • You can adjust design resources and parameters and see how those changes affect total power consumption.
  • Provides the flexibility to automatically populate the PTA based on the Quartus® Prime software compilation results.
  • Accuracy depends on your inputs and your estimate of the device resources; where this information may change (during or after your design is complete). Your power estimation results may be less accurate.
  • Unlike the Power Analyzer, which has access to the full design details, the PTA uses averages and not the actual design implementation. For example, the PTA uses average values for ALM configuration, while the Power Analyzer uses an exact configuration for each ALM.

Importing a File

Importing a .qpta file saves you time and effort otherwise spent on manually entering all the information into the PTA. You can also manually change any of the values after importing a file. You can create a .qpta file for an Agilex™ device-based design or Stratix® 10-based design, by running the Quartus® Prime Power Analyzer (see the Processing > Start > Start Power Analyzer menu in the Quartus® Prime software).

Importing Data into the Power and Thermal Analyzer

You must import the .qpta file into the PTA before modifying any information. Also, you must verify all your information after importing a file. Importing a file from the Quartus® Prime software populates all input values based on your design and design settings that were specified in the Quartus® Prime software. Alternatively, you can import values exported from an earlier version of the PTA.

To import data into the PTA, follow these steps:

  1. On the File menu, click Open and then Browse to an existing FPGA .qpta file generated by the current or earlier version of the PTA or the Quartus® Prime software. Click Open.
  2. After the file is imported into the PTA, the cursor changes from busy to normal. If a problem occurs during import, the PTA issues warning messages. Analyze any unexpected warnings to understand the cause. Manually modify the corresponding fields in the PTA after the import completes.

Appending an Imported .ptc, .pta, .qpta, or .qptc File to An Existing Design in the Power and Thermal Analyzer

To import a design, select the hierarchical location in the Hierarchical Design Editor, right click, and select Import.

Unlike the File > Open command, the import operation does not overwrite existing content; rather, imported resources are appended as new resources under the selected level of hierarchy.

Settings that cannot have multiple entries are not affected, even if they are specified in the imported profile; the PTA displays a warning message if a single-value row in the imported profile is different from the value in the PTA before the Import Design operation was performed.

Importing an Early Power Estimator file from an Earlier Version of the Software to the Power and Thermal Analyzer (For Stratix® 10 Devices Only)

If you want to import a .csv file originally exported from the Quartus® Prime software version 19.4, or from the Early Power Estimator spreadsheet version 19.4, for a design targeting a Stratix® 10 device, for use in the Stratix® 10 version of the Power and Thermal Analyzer, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Early Power Estimator .csv file exported from the 19.4 version of the Quartus® Prime software or Early Power Estimator spreadsheet in the Stratix® 10 version of the Power and Thermal Analyzer.
  2. Save the file as a .ptc file, and exit the Power and Thermal Analyzer.

Importing Designs Meant for One Device Family Into Another Device Family

Some general guidelines about the import process:

  • A .qpta or .qptc file created for an Agilex™ FPGA portfolio device or Stratix® 10 device can always be imported into the PTA for use with the same device family.
  • A .pta or .ptc file created for a Stratix® 10 design can be imported into the PTA for use with the similar design targeting an Agilex™ FPGA portfolio device.
  • A .qpta or .qptc file created for an Agilex™ FPGA portfolio device design cannot be imported into the PTA for use with a Stratix® 10 design.
  • Some power-consuming resources — such as transceivers — of an original Stratix® 10 design might not be carried through the import process.

Importing a .qpta or .qptc File Generated in the Quartus® Prime Power Analyzer

If your design is partially complete and you have run the Quartus® Prime Power Analyzer, it has created a .qpta file, which you can import into the Power and Thermal Analyzer.

You can invoke the Import dialog box, by clicking File > Import, or by right-clicking the desired instance and selecting the Import menu option.

The Import operation appends the imported data to all existing sheets, as appropriate. To overwrite an existing design, use File > Open.

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