Altera Intellectual Property MegaStore(tm) Web Site Open for E-Business

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Rhondalee Rohleder
Altera Corporation
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Altera Intellectual Property MegaStore(tm) Web Site Open for E-Business

IP MegaStore(tm) Web Site Provides Shrink-Wrapped Solutions for High-Density Logic Design
Brings the Benefits of High-Performance Cores to Mainstream Designers
E-Commerce Capability Allows North American Designers to Instantly Purchase IP Cores and Tools

San Jose, Calif., December 6, 1999* Altera Corporation (Nasdaq: ALTR) today revealed the availability on the Altera web site of the Intellectual Property (IP) MegaStore(tm) site, located at http://www.altera.com/Ipmegastore. The IP MegaStore web site makes easy-to-implement IP solutions available to all designers, from core identification and selection, through modification, verification, and now in North America, licensing of the product. In a related announcement, licensing can now be instantly accomplished through the Altera Programmable eStore. In the past, robust IP solutions have been largely the purview of either high-end ASIC designers or only the most sophisticated PLD users. Now any customer with an Internet connection can obtain the benefits of using Altera IP megafunctions in their designs. Altera's e-commerce enabled IP MegaStore web site was developed with the concept that all designers need access to sophisticated IP functions, and that choosing and buying IP cores should be as easy as visiting a store. The IP MegaStore web site is arranged to make it easy for the designer to find what he or she is looking for, offers a broad selection of packaged products, and allows the designer to touch and evaluate the products before deciding whether to make a purchase. Once a selection is made, the IP MegaStore web site features fast credit card purchasing through the Altera Programmable eStore. "Altera offers a broad portfolio of fully optimized, shrink-wrapped, and easy to use intellectual property solutions," said Justin Cowling, Altera senior IP marketing manager. "The IP MegaStore web site will extend the availability of programmable logic IP within the logic design community, providing even more customers with a sure-fire solution that delivers high performance and quick time to market."

About the IP MegaStore(tm) Web Site
Upon arrival at the IP MegaStore web site, the designer uses the MegaSearch search engine to help select the appropriate function. The OpenCore(tm) feature allows the designer to download the function for a free test drive evaluation in the target design. The core can be parameterized and fully verified with either Altera's Quartus(tm) development tool suite, or a supported third-party simulator before being licensed. In North America, the designer may then purchase the core using a credit card at Altera's Programmable eStore site. "Altera's OpenCore evaluation feature seamlessly and efficiently allows us to perform 'what-if' scenarios for a range of core-based designs," said Jon Brabender, engineering program manager, Rockwell Automation. "This 'free test drive' will free up time and resources and enable our design teams to effectively evaluate a range of IP before actually committing to a purchase." Parameterized Megafunctions via MegaWizard(tm) Plug-In Manager Altera is the first PLD vendor to offer customers the capability to specify megafunction parameters to meet system requirements, greatly reducing the time spent designing a custom function. The MegaWizard(tm) Plug-In capability is available in both Altera's fourth-generation Quartus development environment and in the MAX+PLUS(r) II development system. The Quartus software was developed to support system-level designs and features good-as-native links to industry-leading third-party tools from Exemplar Logic, Model Technology, Synopsys, Synplicity, Viewlogic, and other leading EDA vendors. In addition, designers will be able to use the SignalTap(tm) logic analysis tool for in-system hardware debugging. The Quartus software version 1999.10 supports major operating systems, including Windows NT version 4.0, Windows 98 on PCs, the Solaris 2.6 operating system on Sun SPARCstations, and the HP-UX operating system. Annual subscription for the Altera Development tools is $2,000 for a node-locked PC license, which includes full-featured Quartus and MAX+PLUS II development software and 12 months of software upgrades. Subscription licenses for new or existing customers may be obtained instantly via the Programmable eStore.

Safe Harbor Notice
This press release contains "forward looking statements" which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward looking statements are generally preceded by words such as "expects," "believes," "anticipates," "projects," or "intends." Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements in this release involve risks and uncertainty, including without limitation the risks that the Company's products will not satisfy customer demands, that other companies will develop products with higher densities than those offered by the Company, and that yields will not be sufficient to support projected pricing. Please refer to the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, copies of which are available from the Company without charge, for further information. About

Altera Corporation
Altera Corporation, The Programmable Solutions Company(tm), was founded in 1983 and is a leading supplier of programmable logic devices and associated logic development software tools. Programmable logic devices are semiconductor chips that can be programmed on-site, using software tools that run on personal computers or engineering workstations. User benefits include ease of use, lower risk, and fast time-to-market. Altera's CMOS-based programmable logic devices address high-speed, high-density and low-power applications in the telecommunications, data communications, computer peripheral, and industrial markets. Altera common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol ALTR. More information on Altera can be obtained on the Internet at http://www.altera.com.

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Altera, The Programmable Solutions Company, OpenCore, MegaStore, Quartus, MegaWizard, MAX+PLUS II, SignalTap, and specific device designations are trademarks and/or service marks of Altera Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.