Altera and Alcatel Team Up to Deliver Gigabit Ethernet IP Core.

Business Editors

SAN JOSE & CALABASAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 22, 2001

Altera Corporation (Nasdaq:ALTR), a leading supplier of programmable logic devices (PLDs), and Alcatel (NYSE:ALA), today announced they have teamed to provide intellectual property (IP) cores to enable faster development of Gigabit Ethernet application products.

Alcatel's Gigabit Ethernet MAC is developed for high performance communication applications such as hubs, routers and switches. In joining Altera's Megafunction Partners Program (AMPP), a program that delivers "best-in-class" IP cores from third party IP suppliers, Alcatel has developed a programmable logic-optimized Gigabit Ethernet MAC for Altera's high density, high performance APEX(TM) PLD architecture.

Altera selected Alcatel's Gigabit Ethernet MAC design for its ability to meet the challenging 125 MHz timing requirements of the Gigabit Ethernet standard.

"We are pleased that Alcatel has joined the AMPP program and are equally excited that the company's Gigabit Ethernet cores are now available to Altera customers," said Craig Lytle, vice president of Altera's intellectual property business unit. "Alcatel's Gigabit Ethernet media access controller will allow customers to leverage the high performance of the APEX devices to achieve high system throughput."

"Alcatel's membership in Altera's AMPP program will greatly expand our worldwide presence," said Patrick Liot, president of Alcatel's e-Business Networking Division. "Alcatel's widely licensed Ethernet MAC cores, targeted specifically at the PLD community, allow Altera customers to take advantage of low risk, proven technology and also allow for faster prototyping of products than standard ASIC development."

Alcatel's Gigabit Ethernet MAC includes auto negotiation for 1000Base-X and supports flow control. The Gigabit Ethernet MAC is capable of operating at a frequency of 125-MHz when implemented in an Altera APEX(TM) device. The APEX implementation allows a sustained throughput of 987 Mb/s. Alcatel's MAC supports standard Gigabit PHY interfaces including 1000FX SERDES and GMII. Netlist and source code license options are available.

Alcatel is the market leader in 10/100 Mbps and Gigabit media access technology and a Principal Member of the 10-Gigabit Ethernet Alliance. The Alcatel Technology Licensing Group's silicon-proven products are currently used in approximately 80% of the 10/100 Mbps ports and over 50% of the Gigabit ports, shipping worldwide.

Availability

Alcatel's new Gigabit Ethernet MAC megafunction consumes approximately 6,500 logic cells in an Altera APEX(TM) device, and is available now in encrypted netlist form. Alcatel's 10/100 Mbps MAC is also available in netlist and source code (Verilog) formats. Alcatel also plans to support OpenCore(TM) free evaluation of both cores by the end of Q1 2001.

About AMPP

The Altera Megafunction Partners Program, established in August 1995, was created to bring the advantages of design reuse to users of Altera PLDs. The AMPP program is an alliance between Altera and developers of intellectual property (IP) cores that encourages Megafunction development. Altera provides technical information and training to AMPP partners, who create and support IP cores targeted for Altera programmable logic devices. There are 32 partners who offer over 100 megafunctions; customers may automatically request a free evaluation of any of these IP cores by selecting the Altera Partners link at the Altera Web site: http://www.altera.com.

About The Alcatel Technology Licensing Group

The Alcatel Technology Licensing Group provides 10/100 Mbps, Gigabit, triple speed 10/100/1000 Mbps, and 10-Gigabit Ethernet MAC building blocks in the form of Verilog HDL code for designers of networking ICs and system devices. Developed in Spokane, Washington, Alcatel MAC soft cores have been licensed to dozens of companies worldwide including Atmel Corporation, Enterasys Networks, Mitel Corporation, Nortel Networks, NEC Electronics, Broadcom Corp., and Philips Semiconductors. For additional information about Alcatel Technology Licensing Group products and services, visit http://www2.ind.alcatel.com/prod_sol/internetworking/emac/index.cfm.

About Alcatel

Alcatel builds next generation networks, delivering integrated end-to-end voice and data networking solutions to established and new carriers, as well as enterprises and consumers worldwide. With 120,000 employees and sales of EURO 23 billion in 1999, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries. Alcatel network and service management products are deployed in over 1000 customer sites, including 350 of the world's largest service providers. For more information, visit Alcatel on the Internet: http://www.alcatel.com.

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.