Actel Implements MX Device Price Reductions of Up to 50 Percent; Lowered Prices Further Enhance FPGAs Appeal as ASIC Alternative.

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 5, 1998--Actel Corporation (Nasdaq: ACTL) announced that list prices for its MX family of field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) will be reduced up to 50 percent. MX price reductions provide designers with an opportunity to quickly achieve production goals and differentiate their products from the competition with an affordable ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) alternative in densities ranging from 2,000 to 36,000 usable gates.

"Due to improved yields, increased volume demand and advancements in manufacturing techniques, Actel is able to lower the cost of its MX devices," said Carl Burrow, vice president of marketing, Actel Corporation. "We are excited with the success of the MX family in effectively providing an affordable alternative to ASIC designs. The notable price reductions continue to provide designers with an alternative to production ASICs during a product's life cycle."

The MX family is positioned as a true ASIC alternative in the HCPLD (high complexity programmable logic device) market with ASIC-like pricing, performance and features. MX devices are used in mainstream applications such as end-user computing, industrial systems and consumer electronics. This family provides a single device solution for all applications from prototyping to high-volume production, and helps engineers avoid the risk and added effort required to convert designs to ASICs.

MX Family Devices

The six-device MX family represents the industry's broadest line of single-chip programmable ASIC alternatives, featuring devices ranging from 2,000 to 36,000 usable logic gates. Designers are provided with the option to choose either pure 5.0-volt, pure 3.3-volt or 5.0/3.3 mixed voltage operation devices. The MX family supports true, 5-volt output swings. The MX architecture has a design methodology similar to that of an ASIC. Examples of list price reductions are shown in the following table. -0-

Device                    Previous High-     New High-Volume           Reduction
                    Volume Price       Price(1)
MX02 (2,000 gates)   $2.90                $2.40                   17%
MX04 (4,000 gates)   $3.90                $2.90                   26%
MX09 (9,000 gates)   $5.90                $3.90                   34%
MX16 (16,000 gates)  $7.50                $5.30                   30%
MX24 (24,000 gates) $13.70                $9.00                   34%
MX36 (36,000 gates) $33.30               $16.90                   50%
(1) 50K units, single drop single code Q1'99
Availability
     The MX family is available today in six devices ranging from
2,000 to 36,000 usable gates in a variety of packages, including PLCC,
PQFP, VQFP, TQFP and PBGA. Price reductions of the MX devices are
already being phased in and will be completed in Q1'99.
About Actel
     Actel is dedicated to providing logic designers with the
capability and confidence to successfully move up to higher complexity
designs. The company is the world's leading supplier of antifuse-based
field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and associated software
development tools. FPGAs are used by designers of communications,
computer, medical, military/aerospace, industrial control, and other
electronic systems to differentiate their products and get them to
market faster. Actel is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the
symbol ACTL and is located at 955 East Arques Avenue, Sunnyvale,
California, 94086-4533. Telephone: [phone]. Internet:
http://www.actel.com.
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Actel Corporation. All other trademarks and tradenames are the
property of their respective owners.
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