Altera Joins Wind River's WindLink Program.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 12, 2001

Embedded Systems Conference

Altera Corporation (Nasdaq:ALTR), a leading programmable logic device supplier, announced today their WindLink(TM) partnership with Wind River Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:WIND) -- delivering real-time operating system (RTOS) development tools for Altera's Excalibur(TM) embedded processor solutions. This combination enables significant development advantages for embedded systems designers using Wind River's latest VxWorks(R) AE RTOS and Altera's Excalibur embedded processor and solutions for system-on- programmable-chip (SOPC) applications.

"Reconfigurable computing is one of the most exciting emerging markets in the embedded industry," said Caroline Yao, group manager of partner solutions for Wind River. "By combining Wind River's cross platform portability and extensive development software and services with Altera embedded PLD architectures, we can provide our customers with an integrated hardware-software development solution that allows them to reprogram hardware in minutes and speed time-to-market."

"Through our WindLink partnership we will be able to enhance SOPC development by delivering verified kernels and board support packages booting on our Excalibur embedded processor solutions and program from a fully functioning OS. Unlike other solutions, the user will have reliable hardware and software they can work with," said Jordan Plofsky, Altera senior vice president of embedded processor products division.

About the Wind River WindLink Partner Program

The WindLink Partner Program is focused on helping hardware and software developers, system integrators, and consultants create and sell products and services that complement or are integrated with Wind River products. Wind River continually seeks out partners in strategic market segments such as Internet infrastructure, telecommunications, Internet appliances, consumer electronics, and semiconductors. WindLink partners work hand-in-hand with Wind River to provide total solutions to joint customers.

About Altera's Excalibur Embedded Processor Solutions

Combining logic, memory, and a processor core, Altera's new Excalibur embedded processor solutions allow engineers to integrate an entire system on a single programmable logic device (PLD). The three families -- the Nios(TM) soft core embedded processor, the ARM(R)-based hard core embedded processor, and the MIPS(R)-based hard core embedded processor -- offer the flexibility of processor cores with the integration of RAM and programmable logic for SOPC applications.

Altera Excalibur embedded processors can be used in any application requiring processors and PLDs with gate counts of up to 1,000,000 gates. They offer full integration with Altera's APEX(TM) PLD architecture, and are supported by the Quartus(TM) II development tool, which is optimized for the Excalibur embedded processor families.

About Wind River

Wind River, www.windriver.com, is a worldwide leader in embedded software and services for creating connected smart devices. Wind River provides software-development tools, real-time operating systems, and advanced connectivity for use in products throughout the Internet, telecommunications and data communications, digital imaging, digital consumer electronics, networking, medical, computer peripherals, automotive, industrial automation and control, and aerospace/defense markets. Wind River is How Smart Things Think(TM). Founded in 1983, Wind River is headquartered in Alameda, California, with operations in sixteen countries worldwide.

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, Excalibur, Nios, APEX, Quartus, 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.

MIPS is a registered trademark of MIPS Technologies, Inc. ARM is a registered trademark of ARM Limited