Altera Announces Quartus II Web Edition Version 2.1

Now Supports Select Members of Stratix, MAX, and APEX Device Families

SAN JOSE, Calif., July 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Altera Corporation (Nasdaq: ALTR - News) today launched version 2.1 of its Quartus® II Web Edition development software, featuring limited support for Altera"s newest device families. With today"s upgrade of Altera"s entry-level design tool, programmable logic designers now have a free gateway to select members of Stratix(TM), the industry"s fastest FPGA, as well as APEX(TM) II and Excalibur(TM) FPGAs and MAX® CPLD families.

The Quartus II Web Edition, version 2.1 software is a free, downloadable design, place-and-route, and verification tool available from the Altera web site that comprises the basic features and functionality of the recently introduced Quartus II version 2.1 software.

"The newest Quartus II features have been spot on," said Charlie Frazer, FPGA technical design manager at Coriolis Networks. "In addition to letting us achieve our design goals for large, complex FPGA designs, the Quartus II features allowed us to reduce our design cycle times."

Using Quartus II Web Edition, developers can target designs to the Stratix EP1S10 device, which features more than 10,000 logic elements (LEs), over 900,000 total RAM bits and six DSP blocks. Quartus II Web Edition also supports the MAX 3000A, 7000AE and 7000B product families -- by far the single most successful and popular product-term CPLD architecture in the industry. To download the software and for a complete listing of devices supported by Quartus II Web Edition, please visit http://www.altera.com/products/software/free/sfw-quarwebmain.html .

"By supporting all our mainstream programmable logic families in this free, downloadable version of our design software, we are providing a powerful solution for the broadest spectrum of logic designers," said Peter Woo, director of software and tools product marketing. "Designers using the Quartus II Web Edition get a taste of the powerful features available in version 2.1 of the Quartus II design software."

Quartus II Subscription Benefits

Quartus II Web Edition users can upgrade anytime to a paid subscription of Quartus II version 2.1 software. Benefits of the paid subscription version include the following features:

    -- Support for all devices in Altera"s Stratix, APEX 20KE, APEX 20KC,
       APEX II, Mercury(TM), and Excalibur product families.
    -- LogicLock(TM) Block-Based Design -- Allows users to design and
       implement design modules independently, increasing productivity and
       shortening verification cycles.
    -- Full support for embedded software development.
    -- Timing Closure Interactive Floorplan -- Enables designers to view
       hierarchical timing relationships between various design blocks and
       interactively create timing and placement constraints within the design
       to optimize performance.
    -- FastFit -- A 50 to 60 percent compile time reduction with minimal
       impact (~five percent) on performance.
    -- Scripting -- Allows designers to develop and run scripts in the
       industry-standard tool command language (Tcl) to automate compilation
       flows, make assignments, automate complex simulation test benches, and
       create custom interfaces to third-party tools.

About Quartus II Design Software

Altera"s Quartus II design software delivers superior designer productivity and supports system-level designs with features including SOPC Builder integration, LogicLock block-based design flow, PowerFit(TM) and fast fit fitter technologies, support for multi-million gate devices, and integration with third-party tools. Quartus II software extends the user"s scope beyond hardware by including a software workflow that offers C/C++ compilers and debuggers in a fully integrated development environment to support Altera"s Excalibur embedded processor solutions. Quartus II software supports major operating systems, including Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows 98, Sun Solaris, HP-UX, and Red Hat Linux version 7.1.

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 holders.

CONTACT: Bruce Fienberg of Altera Corporation, +1-408-544-6397, or newsroom@altera.com.