Altium to Host LiveEvent at electronicaUSA/Embedded Systems Conference 2004.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

Embedded Systems Conference San Francisco 2004

SYDNEY, Australia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 15, 2004

Altium Demonstrates Nexar and New 2004 Range Of

"LiveDesign-enabled" Products at Technical Workshops

During the Largest Systems Design Event in North America

Altium Limited (ASX:ALU), a leading developer of Windows-based electronics design software, today announced that it will host a LiveEvent entitled "Nexar Goes Live" at electronicaUSA with the Embedded Systems Conference 2004. Altium's fast-paced LiveEvent discusses the current pressures on electronics design and will demonstrate a unique approach to systems-level design that opens up new design possibilities for engineers and developers alike.

At the event, Nancy Eastman, president of Altium USA, will unveil and lead a live demonstration of Altium's Nexar, the industry's first comprehensive, vendor-independent solution for embedded system-level design on an FPGA platform. Altium will also present 17 technical workshops over the 3 days which will address industry-wide electronics design challenges by presenting a unique, LiveDesign methodology with which attendees can utilize their current skill sets.

"In the last 12 months, FPGAs have evolved from their traditional role as containers for custom logic components, into high-performance, low-cost platforms capable of hosting entire intelligent systems. And, for the first time, these 'platform FPGAs' have the potential to bring chip-level system integration within the reach of mainstream engineers," says Eastman. "By hosting the LiveEvent, Altium is providing the ideal environment for engineers to learn about the valuable benefits of the programmability and reconfigurability of FPGAs, and exchange information about the design tools their businesses depend on."

Pre-registration for Altium's LiveEvent is recommended as numbers are limited. To ensure a place, please visit http://www.esconline.com/electronicaUSA/special/reg_guru_altium.htm for online registration. All attendees will receive a free 64MB USB memory stick and qualify for the draw to win a Nexar license valued at US$7,955.

    LiveEvent Details

        What:   electronicaUSA with Embedded Systems Conference and
                Exhibition

        When:   Tuesday, March 30,
                11:30 a.m. PST

        Where:  Moscone Convention Center,
                North Meeting Rooms, Room 123,
                San Francisco, Calif.

    Altium Technical Workshops

    Representatives from Altium will present at technical workshops
throughout the conference, including:

        "Rapid design and implementation of complete embedded systems
        on an FPGA"

            This workshop demonstrates how easy it is to build
        complete processor-based digital systems on FPGAs using
        existing board-level methodologies. Topics will include:
        creating an FPGA project from the supplied pre-synthesized
        libraries, targeting the design to an FPGA, the NanoBoard or a
        nano-level breadboard, and debugging the embedded software.

        "Get LiveDesign enabled"

            This seminar introduces Altium's LiveDesign methodology --
        the embodiment of what Altium believes mainstream engineers
        and developers will need in next-generation electronic design
        tools. It gives an overview of how LiveDesign-enabled tools
        provide real-time communication and interaction between the
        designer and the design, enabling simultaneous development,
        debugging and testing of both hardware and software components
        of the design.

    Please consult Altium's ESC/electronicaUSA program at
www.altium.com for further details and timing.

About Altium Limited

Altium Limited (ASX: ALU) is a global developer and supplier of electronics design software for the Microsoft Windows environment. Founded in 1985, Altium released the world's first Microsoft Windows-based printed circuit board design tool in 1991 and continues to provide advanced, easy-to-use and affordable software design tools to electronics engineers, designers, and developers worldwide. Altium's products offer tailored solutions covering a range of hardware and software design processes including the well-known Protel, P-CAD and TASKING brands. Altium is headquartered in Sydney, Australia and has sales and support offices in Australia, the United States, Japan and Europe. More information is available at www.altium.com.

Altium, CAMtastic, CircuitStudio, Design Explorer, DXP, LiveDesign, NanoBoard, NanoTalk, Nexar, nVisage, P-CAD, Protel, Situs, TASKING, and Topological Autorouting and their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Altium Limited or its subsidiaries. All other registered or unregistered trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners, and no trademark rights to the same are claimed.