Altera Extends Low-Cost MAX 3000A CPLD Family With a High-Density Device

Lowest Cost per Macrocell for High-Volume Applications

SAN JOSE, Calif., July 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Altera Corporation (Nasdaq: ALTR - News) today announced the immediate availability of the low-cost, high-density EPM3512A device-the newest member of the 3.3-V MAX® 3000A family. The aggressively priced device extends the density offering of the MAX 3000A family to include 512 macrocells. Customers developing CPLD applications such as decoder logic, I/O interfaces, and control path interfaces now benefit from an extended density offering in the lowest cost MAX device family.

"Altera's new 512 macrocell CPLD offers significantly more logic density than previous low-cost products," said Keith Bayern, principal engineer at Honeywell. "With the introduction of the EPM3512A device, we can get larger logic capacity at a lower price, making it a great fit for our designs."

The EPM3512A device is ideal for customers developing wide data bus applications. For example, interfacing between microprocessors, peripherals, and memory frequently requires address decoding and sophisticated multiplexing designs. Using the EPM3512A device, these complex designs can now be integrated onto one device, reducing costs in development and manufacturing.

With the EPM3512A device, the number of available product terms in a single device is doubled, increasing the space available for new logic. Additionally, the EPM3512A device expands the available I/O interfaces by 32 percent over the existing MAX 3000A devices, and features a new Fineline BGA® package. Fabricated on a 0.3-um, four-layer metal process, the EPM3512A device provides 7.5-nanosecond pin-to-pin performance and frequency counter speeds of up to 115.0 MHz. All MAX 3000A devices include an enhanced in-system programmability (ISP) feature set and support both Jam(TM) STAPL and MultiVolt(TM) I/O (2.5V, 3.3V and 5.0V) operation.

"The MAX 3000A family has shown exceptional growth for high-volume applications," said Luanne M. Schirrmeister, director of marketing, MAX products, at Altera. "The addition of the 512 macrocell device to this family reinforces Altera's leading position in the non-volatile PLD market."

Software Support

The EPM3512A device is supported by Altera's Quartus® II version 2.1 and MAX+PLUS® II version 10.2 design software. Software support for the new device is available today. Altera's Quartus II software and MAX+PLUS II software provide seamless integration with tools from Mentor Graphics, Synopsys, Synplicity, and other leading EDA vendors.

Availability, Packaging and Pricing

The EPM3512A device is available today and is offered in the -7 and -10 commercial speed grades. Packaging options include the plastic quad flat package (PQFP) and FineLine BGA packages. High-volume pricing at the end of 2003 for the EPM3512A device will be as low as $15.

About MAX Devices

Altera's MAX brand of complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs) are non-volatile, general-purpose programmable logic devices (PLDs) that address a broad range of applications, including consumer, communications, industrial, and computing markets. Built using CMOS floating-gate process technology, MAX devices are based on the advanced Multiple Array Matrix (MAX) architecture and offer densities from 600 to 12,000 usable gates.

About Altera

Altera Corporation is the world's pioneer in system-on-a-programmable-chip (SOPC) solutions. Combining programmable logic technology with software tools, intellectual property and technical services, Altera provides high-value programmable solutions to approximately 14,000 customers worldwide. More information is available at http://www.altera.com .

NOTE: Altera, The Programmable Solutions Company, the stylized Altera logo, specific device designations and all other words that are identified as trademarks and/or service marks are, unless noted otherwise, the trademarks and service marks of Altera Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. All other product or service names are the property of their respective holder.