NetLogic Microsystems and Altera Announce Solution for High-Performance Packet Forwarding.

Business Editors/High-tech Writers

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 10, 2000

Altera APEX(TM) PLD Interface to the NetLogic CIDR Co-Processor(TM)

Speeds Networking Equipment Time-to-Market; Simplifies Design

NetLogic Microsystems, Inc., the leader in silicon search engine technology, today announced a joint development partnership with Altera Corp. (Nasdaq:ALTR), a leading manufacturer of programmable logic devices (PLDs), to offer networking solutions incorporating Altera's APEX(TM) 20K family of PLDs and NetLogic's networking products. These flexible networking solutions from NetLogic and Altera will enhance switch and router performance and reduce time-to-market for system-on-a-programmable-chip (SOPC) solutions.

The first offering in this series is a reference design that interfaces APEX 20K devices to NetLogic's CIDR Co-Processor(TM) packet forwarding engine, and is available immediately for download from Altera's Web site (http://www.altera.com/IPmegastore). The reference design provides the most robust packet forwarding performance available for high-speed networking applications such as classless inter-domain routing (CIDR), gigabit ethernet, packet over SONET (POS) and virtual private networking (VPN).

The APEX Advantage

Altera's APEX 20K devices offer unique features in programmable logic, including multiple low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS) channels operable at industry leading 840 Mbps as well as 64-bit 66-MHz PCI and PCI-X compliance. These features enable the necessary throughput for peak operation of the NetLogic CIDR Co-Processor device, which provides wire-speed IPv4 packet forwarding for multiple OC-192 line rate channels.

The APEX 20K also includes up to four multiple phase-locked loops (PLLs), two of which can be used to support LVDS. This data interface standard provides significant advantages for many different applications, such as imaging systems, LAN stackable hubs and telecommunication switches.

"Growing complexities and escalating performance requirements consistently challenge router and switch designers to maximize the performance of their networking equipment," said TJ Mueller, vice president of marketing at NetLogic Microsystems. "Altera's APEX 20K family meets the needs of these designers by enabling multiple OC-192 line-rate packet forwarding. NetLogic and Altera are joining forces to provide an effective toolset for designers of next-generation networking equipment to build in the very highest packet-processing performance without sacrificing ease-of-use."

The Zero Table Management(TM) Architecture

The CIDR Co-Processor uses NetLogic's advanced-technology Zero Table Management(TM) (ZTM(TM)) architecture to support 66 million Longest-Prefix Match (LPM) route lookups per second. The ZTM architecture incorporates the necessary LPM circuitry on-chip, solving the table update problem of today's networking equipment by providing single-cycle updates. This dramatically reduces the load on the host processor, thereby enabling more complex application software, and nearly eliminates time spent developing table management solutions, increasing time-to-market. The monolithic device has an organization of 32K x 40 and scales elegantly to densities of over one million entries.

"Altera's communications customers are looking for high performance solutions for database search and packet processing," said Justin Cowling, Sr. IP Marketing Manager at Altera. "The NetLogic solution will allow our customers to use programmable logic to differentiate their OC-192 and OC-768 systems in the marketplace."

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.

About NetLogic Microsystems, Inc.

NetLogic Microsystems, located in Mountain View, Calif., was founded with the mission to design and market high-speed silicon search engines and is providing advanced products for the networking equipment markets. For more information about products offered by NetLogic, call toll-free: 877-SyncCAM (877.796.2226) or visit the NetLogic Web site at www.netlogicmicro.com.

Note to Editors: Altera, The Programmable Solutions Company, APEX, and specific device designations are trademarks and/or service marks of Altera Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. CIDR Co-Processor, Zero Table Management, and ZTM are trademarks of NetLogic Microsystems, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.