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SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Mentor Graphics Corp. (Nasdaq: MENT) and Altera Corp. (Nasdaq: ALTR - ) today announced that Mentor Graphics has joined the Altera Megafunction Partner Program (AMPPSM). Mentor Graphics will offer twenty Inventra(TM) commodity cores to Altera customers developing next-generation signal processing, networking, bus interface and memory applications.

The Altera Megafunction Partnership Program is comprised of Intellectual Property (IP) core providers developing optimized system-on-a-programmable-chip solutions for Altera programmable logic devices (PLDs). The cores will be available via the web as optimized netlists. The cores will be sold and supported by the Mentor Graphics® Inventra IP division and will be available for download at: http://www.mentor.com/inventra/netlist_program/altera_pld_program.html .

``The intellectual property market for the programmable logic industry offers significant potential,'' said Gartner Group/Dataquest chief semiconductor IP analyst, Jim Tully. ``The number of programmable logic designs are twelve-times greater than the number of ASIC designs. The key ingredients for success are the ability to sell to large numbers of customers at relatively low prices. That means support requirements must be extremely low. A web-based delivery mechanism is ideal, provided that the IP vendor can solve the commercial and evaluation problems of selling these kinds of products.''

Cores offered by Altera AMPP partners are reusable, synthesizable megafunctions that are optimized for Altera PLDs. AMPP functions are hardware description language (HDL) design files of complex, system-level functions that are developed, pre-tested, documented and endorsed for use in Altera devices.

``Our decision to partner with Mentor Graphics is based on the company's full portfolio of commodity IP for an array of communications applications,'' said Luanne M. Schirrmeister, Altera's AMPP Program Manager. ``With netlist prices starting as low as $5000, the addition of Mentor Graphics to our AMPP Program allows Altera customers to benefit from both the portfolio breadth offered by Mentor Graphics and easy download and ordering procedures.''

Mentor Graphics offers risk-free core evaluation over the web using FPGA Advantage(TM), the industry's most advanced HDL solution for FPGA design. Through the web-based evaluation, licensing and delivery model, system developers can dramatically shorten traditionally lengthy design cycles.

``Over the years, Mentor Graphics has compiled the industry's broadest off-the-shelf portfolio of pre-tested and documented IP cores,'' said Sheri Andrew, product marketing manager for Mentor's Inventra IP division. ``Programmable logic vendors, such as Altera, recognize the competitive advantage of providing their customers optimized cores over the web for rapid evaluation and integration into time-sensitive communications system designs.''

With this announcement, Mentor Graphics and Altera extend a long-standing relationship, forged by Mentor's HDL Design Division. For several years, Mentor Graphics and Altera have worked closely to develop programmable logic design tools, specifically in the areas of simulation and synthesis.

Availability

The following Inventra IP cores for Altera PLD devices are scheduled for licensing and download from the Mentor Graphics Inventra IP website in the first quarter 2001. The cores will be available at: http://www.mentor.com/inventra/netlist_program/altera_pld_program . Mentor Graphics plans additional availability in the upcoming months.

• USB 1.1 Function Controller M82801IDE ATA 5 IDE Controller
• USB 2.0 Function Controller M16550A UART with FIFO
• M8051Warp 8-Bit Microcontroller M16C450 UART
• I2CV2 Bus Interface T1/E1 Framer
• I2CV2 Enhanced I2C Bus Interface T1 Deframer
• MPCMCIA1 PC Card Interface E1 Deframer
• M82365SL PC Card Interface Controller Single Channel HDLC Controller
• M8237A 4-Channel DMA Controller Multi-Channel HDLC Controller
• M82092IDE ATA 1 IDE Controller Reed Solomon Encoder
• M82371IDE ATA 4 IDE Controller Reed Solomon Decoder

Mentor Graphics continues to offer the above cores in their original RTL format. For more information on the Mentor Graphics Inventra core portfolio and FPGA Advantage, please contact your nearest Mentor Graphics sales representative or visit the Mentor Graphics website.

About Altera

Altera Corporation, The Programmable Solutions Company®, 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 Mentor Graphics

Mentor Graphics Corporation is a world leader in electronic hardware and software design solutions, providing products and consulting services for the world's largest electronics and semiconductor companies. Established in 1981, the company reported revenues over the last 12 months of more than $525 million and employs approximately 2,600 people worldwide. Corporate headquarters are located at 8005 S.W. Boeckman Road, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070-7777, Silicon Valley headquarters are located at 1001 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, California 95131-2314. World Wide Web site: www.mentor.com.

NOTE: Altera, The Programmable Solutions Company, AMPP, 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.

Mentor Graphics is a registered trademark of Mentor Graphics Corp. Inventra and FPGA Advantage are trademarks of Mentor Graphics Corp. All other company or product names are the registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Sheri Andrew of Mentor Graphics Corporation, 408-451-5670, or sheri_andrew@mentor.com; or Jeremiah Glodoveza of Benjamin Group/BSMG Worldwide, 415-352-2628, ext. 559, or jeremiah@benjamingroup.com, for Mentor Graphics Corp.; or Barry Katcher of Altera Corporation, 408-544-8202, or bkatcher@altera.com.