Altera Excalibur Workshops Build Momentum for SOPC Designs

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 5, 2001--Altera Corporation (Nasdaq:ALTR - news) today invited design engineers across North America to sign-up for its Excalibur(TM) Embedded Processor Workshops and join the thousands of customers who are using Excalibur embedded processor solutions for their system-on-a-programmable-chip (SOPC) designs. The workshops, presented by Altera and Arrow Electronics, Inc. (NYSE: ARW - news), will be offered in over thirty cities across North America through the end of 2001, and are now open for enrollment.

"As we enter into our second year of Excalibur Embedded Processor Workshops, customers now have access to the first Excalibur ARM®-based device, now being shipped, and the second version of the Nios(TM) embedded soft-core processor," said Anna Chiang, director of marketing for the Excalibur business unit. "At these workshops, design engineers learn how easy it is to create their own embedded processor solution from start to finish with devices and software that's available now."

More than 3,000 embedded design engineers attended last year's workshops, contributing significantly to the unparalleled acceptance of the Nios embedded soft-core processor, the industry's first soft-core processor for programmable logic with more than 2,600 kits sold.

"The workshops gave me a leg up when I started developing with the Nios processor myself," said Ray Hopkins, principal engineer, Hardware Group, of Ulticom, Inc. (www.ulticom.com), who participated in the Excalibur workshops last year. Hopkins is now prototyping a system that incorporates two embedded Nios processors. "Our signaling platform is used by equipment manufacturers to create advanced communication services. We require `signaling system seven' functionality that is not readily available in standard integrated circuits. Using the Nios processor in an Altera PLD, we can define our own architecture, and create exactly the processor, peripherals and custom logic we need." Hopkins said that in their next generation architecture, one Nios CPU would replace a 486DX5, while a second Nios CPU implements a flexible HDLC controller that supports multiple line interfaces.

The free Excalibur Embedded Processor Workshops are being held now through December, 2001. The workshop schedule and online registration form are available at http://www.altera.com/education/events/excalibur/evt-excalibur.html.

About Altera's Excalibur Embedded Processor Solutions

Combining logic, memory, and a processor core, Altera's Excalibur embedded processor solutions allow engineers to integrate an entire system on a single programmable logic device (PLD.) The Nios soft core embedded processor and the ARM-based hard core embedded processor offer the flexibility of processor cores with the integration of an SOPC solution. Excalibur embedded processors can be used in any application requiring processors and PLDs with up to 38,400 logic elements (1,000,000 gates). They offer full integration with Altera's APEX(TM) PLD architecture, and are supported by the Quartus® II development tool, which is optimized for the Excalibur embedded processor families.

About Altera

Altera Corporation, The Programmable Solutions Company®, was founded in 1983 and is a leading supplier of programmable logic devices (PLDs). Altera's CMOS-based PLDs are user-programmable semiconductor chips that enhance flexibility and reduce time-to-market for companies in the communications, computer peripheral, and industrial markets. By using high performance devices, software development tools, and sophisticated intellectual property cores, system-on-a-programmable-chip (SOPC) solutions can be created with embedded processors, memory, and other complex logic together on a single PLD. Altera common stock is traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol ALTR. More information on Altera is available on the Internet at http://www.altera.com.

Altera, The Programmable Solutions Company, the stylized Altera logo, specific device designations and all other words that are identified as trademarks and/or service marks are, unless noted otherwise, the trademarks and service marks of Altera Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. ARM is a registered trademark of ARM Limited. All other product or service names are the property of their respective holders.

Contact:
     Altera Corporation
     Bruce Fienberg, 408/544-6866
     bfienber@altera.com