Sarnoff TakeCharge Design Approach Delivers Chip I/O Size Reduction for Altera FPGAs

PRINCETON, NJ/GISTEL, BELGIUM (June 8, 2004) -- Sarnoff Corporation, the Princeton, NJ-based technology development company (www.sarnoff.com), today announced that it has licensed its TakeCharge® technology to Altera® Corporation. Implemented on both Altera’s low-cost 130nm Cyclone™ FPGA family and the new 90nm Stratix™® II family of FPGAs, TakeCharge® technology results in significant die size reductions while ensuring “first time right” ESD design. By making it possible to fit more dies on a wafer and reducing redesign, the technology improves time to market for new products and has the potential to save millions of dollars in production costs.

According to Bradley Howe, vice president of IC Design at Altera, “We chose TakeCharge® technology for our FPGA product families as part of Altera’s commitment to deliver high-performance, cost-effective programmable products to our customers. TakeCharge® has allowed us to effectively manage both ESD protection and IO area.”

“We believe Altera’s implementation reconfirms TakeCharge® technology as a reliable way to create chips at deep submicron geometries that are more cost-effective to manufacture,” said Koen Verhaege, Executive Director of SarnoffEurope, which markets the technology worldwide. “It has consistently proven effective over a wide range of geometries and designs.”

TakeCharge® has been silicon proven in advanced processes down to 65nm CMOS including SOI. TakeCharge® technology has been widely licensed by leading IC producers worldwide, including Toshiba, Sony, OKI, JRC, Hynix, Infineon, Altera, PMC-Sierra, and Scintera.

For more information on Altera’s products, please visit www.altera.com.

About Sarnoff
Sarnoff Corporation (www.sarnoff.com) produces innovations in electronic, biomedical and information technology that generate successful new products and services for clients worldwide. Founded in 1942 as RCA Laboratories, it develops breakthroughs in ICs, lasers, and imagers; drug discovery, manufacture and delivery; digital TV and video for security, surveillance, and entertainment; high-performance networking; and wireless communications. Its history includes the development of color TV, the liquid-crystal display, and the disposable hearing aid, and a leadership role in creating the new U.S. digital and HDTV standard. Sarnoff also founds new companies to bring its technologies to market. It is a subsidiary of SRI International.

About Sarnoff Europe
Sarnoff Europe (www.sarnoffeurope.com) located in Gistel, Belgium, is a subsidiary company of Sarnoff Corporation. Sarnoff Europe assumes worldwide responsibility for the development and commercialization of the TakeCharge® on-chip ESD protection IP portfolio.

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.