Altera's Nios Embedded Processor Achieves Widespread Acceptance.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 20, 2001

While the competition is still at the development stage, Altera Corporation (Nasdaq:ALTR) has shipped over 1,500 development kits worldwide for its Nios(TM) embedded processor solution. This impressive acceptance rate among embedded designers is bolstered by the full-featured nature of the Nios processor product offering. For example, the Nios processor development kit includes a complete set of commonly used peripherals, allowing users to focus more time on their project rather than peripheral design, as well as comprehensive tool support in the form of an industry-standard compiler and debugger. Additionally, the Nios processor offers Linux support, can be configured to run in either 16- or 32-bit mode, and can be implemented in a number of Altera device families, ranging from the low-cost ACEXTM and FLEX(R) 10K devices to higher-performance offerings like those from the Mercury(TM) and APEX(TM) families. Empowered by this versatility, embedded designers are putting the Nios processor to work in a diversity of applications, including consumer, digital entertainment, and networking and telecommunications products, as well as leading edge applications like Bluetooth products.

"The Nios embedded processor worked exactly as we had hoped," said Doug Rosener, director of engineering, wireless systems at Rangestar Wireless. "The development kit allowed us to begin designing immediately, and our design for a Bluetooth development platform was done in a month -- about a third of the time it would have taken with most processor development systems. The Nios processor delivered on its promise of being a complete, integrated solution."

"Because the Nios soft core embedded processor is at least a year ahead of competing solutions, our customers are enjoying the benefits of our being first to market," said Anna Chiang, Altera's director of Excalibur product marketing. "We provide customers everything they need to develop and ship their Nios processor-based end products now, and as a result, it has become the industry's de-facto standard for soft processors targeted at programmable logic. By providing system-on-a-programmable chip solutions (SOPC) like the Nios processor while competitive offerings are just being announced, Altera is clearly demonstrating its time-to-market leadership."

About Altera

Altera Corporation, The Programmable Solutions Company(R), 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.

Note to Editors: 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. All other product or service names are the property of their respective holders.