Actel ProASIC Plus FPGAs Chosen by Integen Technologies Inc. for In-Hotel Video-on-Demand and Internet Delivery System

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., April 11, 2005 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Actel Corporation (Nasdaq: ACTL) today announced that the company's ProASIC Plus field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) were chosen by Integen Technologies to implement the core of its cable modem design, which forms part of its Guest Room Integrated Delivery System (GRIDS) product used by several leading hotel chains throughout North America. The patent-pending product delivers IP-based services, such as Integen's Premier Vision(TM) video-on-demand, high-speed Internet and voice-over-IP telephony. Actel's single-chip ProASIC Plus devices were chosen for their ability to provide high performance while also lowering overall system costs by eliminating the need for various support components on the system board.

"Actel's ProASIC Plus devices gave us the price and performance of an ASIC without the expensive NREs and development risk," said Martin Alcock, president and CEO, Integen Technologies Inc. "By using the flash-based, live at power-up ProASIC Plus devices instead of SRAM-based FPGAs, we were able to reduce our overall system component count by eliminating not only the need for external program memories but also reducing the design requirements of our power supplies at the same time. We value the capabilities offered by these single-chip FPGAs that can mimic ASICs, and we plan to use Actel's technology for future designs."

"In the hospitality industry, delivering new services to hotel guests at a low cost is always a challenge," said Martin Mason, director, flash product marketing at Actel. "Since overall system cost is a driver for Integen Technologies, our ProASIC Plus devices are an exceptional fit. This flash-based, single-chip device gives Integen Technologies ASIC-like pricing today while maintaining the FPGA benefits of flexibility and reprogrammability."

The Integen cable modem design is implemented on an Actel APA150 device. The Guest Room Integrated Delivery System is a combined platform that consists of a modem in each guest room and a backroom engine that provides digital video and guest room Internet access using existing cabling. GRIDS is the only product that concurrently delivers video-on-demand and Internet access in the economy hotel marketplace.

Unlike SRAM-based FPGAs that must be programmed by off-chip memory, the ProASIC Plus devices are built on a nonvolatile flash fabric, which retains the design even when in a powered-down state, making them live at power-up and eliminating the SRAM FPGA system cost penalty. Because there is no need for external configuration memory, Actel's flash-based ProASIC Plus FPGAs require less area on the board, use less power and simplify board and system design.

About ProASIC Plus

The ProASIC Plus family consists of devices ranging from 75,000 to 1 million system gates. The combination of a fine-grained, single-chip ASIC- like architecture and nonvolatile flash configuration memory makes Actel's ProASIC Plus offering a strong ASIC alternative. The devices are live at power-up, low power, highly secure, immune to neutron-induced firm errors and require no separate configuration memory, all characteristics shared by ASICs. The ProASIC Plus architecture and design methodology support popular FPGA and ASIC tool flows, reducing time to market and permitting designers to migrate easily between FPGA and ASIC solutions.

About Integen Technologies

Integen Technologies Inc. is located in Calgary, Alberta, specializing in cable based IP networks for the hospitality, health care, extended stay and visitor-based markets. Using its own patent-pending technology, the company can deliver a solution for high-speed Internet, video on demand and voice over IP on a single platform at a considerably lower cost than conventional networks by leveraging existing cabling, and can scale from 30 rooms and up. The company also supplies a video content package under its registered trademark, Premier Vision. More information can be found at www.integen.ca.

About Actel

Actel Corporation is a supplier of innovative programmable logic solutions, including field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) based on antifuse and flash technologies, high-performance intellectual property (IP) cores, software development tools and design services, targeted for the high-speed communications, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) replacement and radiation-tolerant markets. Founded in 1985, Actel employs more than 500 people worldwide. The Company is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol ACTL and is headquartered at 2061 Stierlin Court, Mountain View, CA, 94043-4655. Telephone: 888-99-ACTEL (992-2835). Internet: http://www.actel.com .

NOTE: The Actel name and logo are trademarks of Actel Corporation. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Actel Corporation