Altera completes transition to 0.6-micron process technology; technology and architecture provide lowest cost structure in high-capacity programmable logic; 0.5-micron devices to be available before end of 1995.

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 22, 1995--Altera Corporation (NASDAQ:ALTR) today completed the migration of its FLEX 8000 family of devices to 0.6-micron triple-layer metal (TLM) process.

The shipment of the final member of its low-cost FLEX 8000A family, the 16,000-gate EPF81500A, rounds out the FLEX 8000A family. Five other members of the FLEX 8000A family are currently shipping in volume quantities.

"FLEX 8000A devices are priced to be alternatives to gate arrays," stated Cliff Tong, Altera's director of product marketing. "The innovative Flexible Logic Element MatriX (FLEX) architecture combined with 0.6-micron process technology provides the most silicon-efficient programmable devices in the industry. We continue to pass the benefit of this low-cost structure directly to our customers in the form of the lowest volume prices in the programmable logic industry."

0.5-Micron Devices Will Ship Before End of 1995

The FLEX 8000A devices are currently produced on a 0.6-micron triple-layer metal process technology, providing a 55% decrease in die size and a 90% increase in performance over its original 0.8-micron dual-layer metal process. Altera is currently in the process of migrating the FLEX 8000A family to a 0.5-micron TLM process. This is anticipated to reduce die size by an additional 15%. The 0.5-micron versions of FLEX 8000A components will be available before the end of the year.

Technology and Architecture Provide Lowest Cost Structure

The FLEX architecture provides a lower cost structure than field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and scales better to more advanced process technologies. FPGA vendors today are trying to reduce costs by creating new families with reduced feature sets and slower performance. With the FLEX architecture, Altera has been able to provide both industry-leading performance and the lowest cost in a single product line. The slowest FLEX 8000A speed grade is 50% faster than the lowest cost FPGAs, and is up to 40% less expensive than any FPGA offering. -0-

Pricing
Usable Gate Count    Device     Volume Price
    2,500           EPF8282A       $6.50
    4,000           EPF8452A       $9.50
    6,000           EPF8636A      $13.00
    8,000           EPF8820A      $19.00
   12,000           EPF81188A     $29.00
   16,000           EPF81500A     $59.00

-0- Volume price projections based on quantities of 10K-25K units at the end of 1995.

Flex 8000A Targets Gate Array Designs

"Optimized interconnect architecture is the key to reducing die size and cost," stated Mr. Tong. "The FLEX architecture was designed to take full advantage of the state-of-the-art triple-layer metal process technologies. FPGA architectures with segmented interconnect do not leverage the latest process technologies and cannot match the low-cost structures of the FLEX architecture."

The FLEX architecture has an innovative three-dimensional interconnect structure called FastTrack that maps ideally to triple-layer metal process technologies.

"Price has traditionally been the major obstacle preventing programmable logic from replacing gate arrays for high volume applications," continued Tong. "Our prices are now competitive in high volumes, especially when engineers consider the hidden costs of gate arrays including non-recurring engineering (NRE) charges, extra development effort, and lost opportunity cost with being late to market."

Availability

FLEX 8000A devices are currently shipping in volume. FLEX 8000A devices are available in a variety of package options including plastic J-leaded chip carrier (PLCC), quad flat pack (QFP), 1.0-mm high thin QFP (TQFP), pin-grid array (PGA), and ball-grid array (BGA).

About Altera

Altera Corporation, founded in 1983, is a world-wide leader in high-performance, high-density programmable logic devices and associated computer aided engineering (CAE) logic development tools. Programmable logic devices are semiconductor chips that offer on-site programmability to customers. The chips are programmed using tools that run on personal computers or engineering workstations. User benefits include ease of use, lower risk, and fast time-to-market. The Company offers the broadest line of CMOS programmable logic devices that address high-speed, high-density, and low-power applications. Altera products serve a broad range of market areas, including telecommunications, data communications, computers, and industrial applications. Altera common stock is traded on the Nasdaq National Market using the symbol ALTR. -0-

Note to editors: Altera, MAX, MAX+PLUS, and FLEX are registered trademarks, and FLEX 8000, FLEX 8000A, FastTrack, and specific device designations are trademarks of Altera Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

CONTACT: Altera Corporation

Robert K. Beachler or Cliff Tong, 408/894-7000

or

Franson, Hagerty and Associates

Susan Cain, 415/462-1605