Magna Electronics Chooses Actel's ProASIC3 FPGAs to Enable Automotive Vision Systems

Low-Power, Single-Chip FPGA Technology Offers Quality and Reliability for Driver Assistance Applications

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- August 27, 2007 -- Delivering the low power, small footprint and reliability required in space-constrained automotive applications, Actel Corporation today announced that Magna Electronics is designing automotive vision systems using Actel's ProASIC3 field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The low-power, single-chip ProASIC3 FPGAs satisfy the needs of applications with extreme space constraints and limited ventilation. In addition, the highly integrated solution allows advanced driver assistance systems to be developed more cost effectively.

"As we deliver the driver assistance technologies that consumers are demanding, we need reliable components with sophisticated functionality in a very small form factor," said François Truc, vice president and general manager for Magna Electronics. "The small size and proximity of these systems also require devices with extremely low power and endurance. The ProASIC3 FPGA provides the small footprint, low power and reliability we need to create our innovative driver assistance systems."

"Space-constrained systems have thermal reliability design challenges that can be overcome by using fewer components with very low power dissipation," said Martin Mason, senior director, silicon product marketing for Actel. "Because quality and reliability are paramount, our ProASIC3 FPGAs, with their firm-error immunity, low power and small form factor, remove the barriers to FPGA adoption in safety-critical automotive applications."

ProASIC3 devices are the only FPGAs to use true flash memory for logic configuration, enabling them to provide critical firm-error immunity—a technical impossibility for SRAM-based FPGAs and hybrid flash with SRAM-based CPLDs.

ProASIC3 in Automotive

ProASIC3 FPGAs are ideal for driver assistance and safety systems as well as under-the-hood powertrain solutions, which have stringent reliability and temperature requirements, in addition to telematics applications with less demanding specifications. In a separate announcement today, Actel announced it has received AEC-Q100, Grade 1 qualification, which confirms that low-power ProASIC3 devices can operate in extended junction temperature ranges (-40 to +135°C) and deliver reliability and performance.

About Magna Electronics

Magna Electronics was formed in 2005 to better serve customers by combining the electronics expertise of Magna's automotive units. Magna Electronics provides driver assistance systems, safety systems, wireless connectivity, power systems and body electronics. More information about Magna Electronics is available at www.magna.com.

About Actel

Attacking power consumption from both the chip and the system levels, Actel power-smart programmable solutions enable power-efficient design. The company is traded on the NASDAQ National Market under the symbol ACTL and is headquartered at 2061 Stierlin Court, Mountain View, Calif., 94043-4655. For more information about Actel, visit http://www.actel.com.