Altera Announces New Version of SOPC Builder; Now Included with Quartus II Software Subscription

SOPC Builder Version 2.6 Features Native Support for Excalibur Devices

SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Altera Corporation (Nasdaq: ALTR - News) today announced SOPC Builder system development tool version 2.6 incorporating for the first time native support for Altera's Excalibur(TM) devices and advanced high-performance bus (AHB) peripherals. In addition, Quartus® II software subscribers will now receive SOPC Builder for free as part of their existing software subscription allowing them to go from concept to system in a matter of minutes at no additional cost.

With version 2.6, SOPC Builder allows developers to create custom designs that include an on-chip ARM922-T(TM) processor subsystem and AMBA(TM) High-Speed Bus (AHB) peripherals and provides integration for the Nios® embedded processor.

"Altera's SOPC Builder development tool is the way future systems will be designed due to the vast time-to-market benefits it delivers," said Severin Hoffmann, head of hardware development for Dr Schenk GmbH, a Munich, Germany-based company providing solutions for automated quality assurance and production process monitoring. "With SOPC Builder we are able to build a working system in minutes, giving us the capability to explore system configurations and trade-offs in a time frame not possible with traditional design methods. The range of peripherals and the completeness of the solution is remarkable."

SOPC Builder streamlines the process of integrating large blocks of intellectual property (IP) and accelerates development of complex system-on-a-programmable-chip (SOPC) designs. Designers can use the tool to quickly combine system-level components such as embedded processors, memories, peripherals, and user created IP blocks to create their own custom SOPC. For processor-based designs, SOPC Builder automatically generates custom software development environments for each ARM® or Nios® processor included in the system. For more information on SOPC Builder, visit http://www.altera.com/sopcbuilder .

"The SOPC Builder system development tool dramatically increases designer productivity during the creation of complex systems-on-a-programmable-chip and is now available to every one of our software subscribers," said Peter Woo, director of tools marketing for Altera.

Pricing and Availability

SOPC Builder is automatically shipped to all Quartus II tools and Nios embedded processor subscribers. It is also included in the Nios and Excalibur Development Kits.

About Nios Embedded Processor

An Altera embedded processor solution, the Nios embedded processor is a soft-core, general-purpose RISC processor that can be combined with user logic and programmed into an Altera PLD. The processor features a 16-bit instruction set and user-selectable 16- or 32-bit data paths, configurable for a wide range of applications. The Nios embedded processor is royalty free when used in Altera PLDs and HardCopy(TM) devices. For more information, visit http://www.altera.com/nios .

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. The 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. The 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. ARM is a registered trademark, and ARM922T and AMBA are trademarks, of ARM Limited. All other product or service names are the property of their respective holder.

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